God Explains the Law

Posted on by

Explains

 

 

 

Wednesday 01/10/18 

Message – God Explains the Law

Series: Thru the Bible – Exodus 21-24

***Video is HERE***

God Explains the Law

These are some difficult laws to get through but it is important to realize even as I said last week – that all of these laws are given DIRECTLY from God and are not the result of various cultural influences. To think these are the product of natural cultural influences is to rob the Word of God from it’s source and inspiration being God Himself and reduce it to nothing more than a collection of human thoughts.

MUCH of what you read in the law will ONLY make sense if you understand these few basic truths about it’s origin, purpose and function.

  1. The Law is a revelation of the character of God. These laws provide a moral compass pointing us to the nature and likeness of God’s character. It is because it reveals WHO He is – that MAKES it right!
  2. ALL AUTHORITY comes from God. Most people do not truly believe this and to the degree that you challenge this or second guess it, will to a large degree limit your complete willingness to agree with what God says as right. Paul tells us under the New Covenant that this has not changed, “(1) Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. (2) So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.” ~ Rom 13:1-2. Remember Paul said this while himself being under ungodly Roman rule of Nero, arguably Rome’s most evil ruler and tormentor of Christians.

    1. This is important BECAUSE once God delegates authority He does NOT take it back. This, for man, can have ALL KINDS of negative implications because while God will hold every human accountable for their choices and actions, He will NOT remove their freewill from them in most cases. So if a ruler decides to rebel against God and work unrighteousness, God will allow it. This means that all those under the rule of this Authority will be subject to suffering and judgment due tot he actions of the leader they are underneath. Is this fair? Not in human terms it isn’t, but is it JUST – yes, it most certainly is!
  3. There are all kinds of authority – some are parental, some are employers, some are owners (like slave masters), some are rulers over cities, states and even countries and empires. ALL of them are from God and all are to be respected as representing Him. You might ask, “but what if they don’t represent God well?” THAT is between them and the One Who gave them that authority and is none of our business – It is OUR business to submit and obey.
    1. Paul and Jesus BOTH did this and it cost them their lives, but as Jesus said to Pilate, John 19:10-11, “(10) So Pilate said to Him, “You’re not talking to me? Don’t You know that I have the authority to release You and the authority to crucify You?” (11) “You would have no authority over Me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.”
  4. Honor and respect are NOT earned they are expected out of us because of the One Who gave to each person their specific sphere of authority. Some spheres of authority are greater than others, but all Honor is due to all who have authority NOT based upon their own actions, but upon the action of God Who delegated that authority to them. This is why, for example, if any child speaks against or hits his parents for any reason is to be put to death. In doing this they lashed out not at the authority of man, but the Almighty authority of God Himself.
  5. Remember and keep in mind that this understanding of ownership, stewardship and authority are one of the MAJOR reasons for the giving of the law in the first place. Mankind needed to know that they have a Creator. He IS and HAS ALL authority and any earthly expression of authority has God for it’s source or origin. To rebel against it is, to rebel against God as Paul said in the verses in Romans quoted above.
  6. These laws are NOT to make life fair for mankind, but for mankind to know, respect and love God with all their hearts!

 

Exodus 21

Vs. 7-11

A Hebrew girl might be “sold” to another man no so much as a slave but as a maid-servant (house servant) with the intention that she become his wife or the wife of his son when she reached the age of maturity (being 12 years old and 1 day). This selling of one’s daughter would most likely only occur if her family were in financial difficulty. That the girl was “purchased” for the future purpose of marriage is made clear by the fact that the verse tells us that if the “owner” changes his mind and does not espouse her to himself or to one of his sons he MUST allow her to be redeemed (bought back) by her father. He CANNOT simply sell her for profit to some foreigner. She retains the rights and privileges of a Hebrew woman.

If when she comes of age she is no longer desired for whatever reason, her master MUST let her be redeemed by her father (or surviving brother) and it was incumbent upon them to do so. Again, he cannot sell her to foreigners – especially after having been dishonest and failed to fulfill his purpose in paying for her.

If he does give her to one of his sons, he must deal with her as if she were his own daughter.

If the son marries another in addition to this girl then he must not neglect her maintenance and upkeep. This included, but was not limited to, her food, clothing, habitation and conjugal obligations to her. You may remember this with Leah and Rachel.

If the son fail in his appointed duties she is to be set free with NO redemption money since he has failed her in his responsibilities to her. It is believed that much later, when Moses allowed for divorce that the son would have been required to give this girl a writ of divorcement so that no shame would come upon her and she would be free to remarry.   

While to a “modern” woman this might seem as if she were being treated as nothing better than property, to the average person in that day it would have seemed as though she possessed unprecedented rights and protective freedoms.

One thing that MUST be kept in mind is that this is not OUR story – it is His and it is written in such a way as to reveal Him and our relationship with Him. As such, God created the male-female relationship to mirror our relationship to God as humans. This is seen in MANY passages of scripture and is supported under both covenants in every way. The woman was made FOR the man, not the man for the woman. Man is the glory of God and woman is the glory of man. The man is the head and provider for the woman (this was seen in the passages above) but as such he was to love and care for her and honor her – not lord it over her as a dictator. In Malachi she is called “man’s companion” – not his slave.

Vs. 12-14

  1. If someone murders another they are to be put to death.
  2. If someone is killed unintentionally – either through some passionate altercation or accident, he God was here seeing to it that such had a place to flee for safety. It was not without it’s limitations since his entire life much now be lived within the confines of a city of refuge, it was still a designated place of safety for such an incident.
  3. If it is premeditated – they have NO refuge at God’s altar but MUST be put to death.
    1. If anyone strikes or curses either of his parents – he is to be put to death (this is the same as lashing out at God)
    2. If someone kidnaps someone else and sells them or is still found in their possession – it is to be punished by death.
    3. If in a quarrel a man is injured and cannot work – the one who hurt him will not be punished, but he MUST compensate the man for any lost wages until he recover and pay for his full recovery.
    4. If a servant is struck and dies, then the owner must be punished (why not killed? Because he is his owner and his live belongs to his master)
      1. If the servant recovers in a few days no punishment is required.
    5. If in an altercation a pregnant woman is hit but no real injury is sustained the one who hit her must pay whatever fine the husband sets.
    6. If injury to the woman or the child occur the punishment extracted will meet the injury of the other party. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth…etc.
      1. If a slave is hurt so that they suffer the loss of any body part, they must be set free.
      2. If an ox gores someone – it must be put to death and NOT eaten.
      3. If the ox was not in the habit of this no punishment is to be given to the owner.
      4. If someone is killed by an Ox that WAS in this habit and it was known to the owner and if the animal was not properly restrained by its owner, then both the Ox and Owner are to be killed.
      5. If a gored person or family member of one who dies requires only a ransom – it must be paid in place of his life.
      6. If the injured or killed party is a slave – he must give 30 shekels of silver to the slave’s master and the Ox is still stoned.

Laws of compensation are essentially – “You break – you buy”

  • If a man digs a pit or removes the cover of a pit and an owned animal of value fall into it and die, it must be paid for but the dead animal will be rewarded to the one who uncovered or dug the pit.
  • If your ox kills my ox – you must sell your ox split the money with me and we divide the dead ox for food.
  • If this was the habit of the beast and you did nothing to retrain it – you must buy me a new shiney ox and you keep the corpse.

Exodus 22

  • If an Ox or sheep are stolen and killed or sold the thief must repay 5 Oxen for every 1 Ox stolen and 4 sheep for every 1 sheep stolen.
  • If any livestock is stolen and found in the thief’s possession, he must restore them double.
  • A robber breaking into a house at midnight might, in self-defense, be killed without guilt; There was no internal lighting back then so seeing would have been poor and so one would have to assume the worst of one breaking into their house. If however it was in daylight, killing the thief would be considered murder – presumably because other means might have been employed including crying out for help. In every case where a thief could not make restitution, he was sold as a slave for the usual term of 6 years.
  • If anyone sets a grazing animal free to feed in his field, but winds up feeding on another man’s field – he must restore all loss from the best of his own harvest. Presumably grapes for grapes, wheat for wheat and so on…
  • If anyone starts a fire that destroys another’s property – full restitution is required.
  • If someone entrusts personal goods into the safekeeping of his neighbor and it is stolen while in his trust…if the thief be found he has to restore double. If the thief is NOT found, the entrusted neighbor will be tried by the judges to determine if he was the thief himself.
    • If the goods were livestock and they die or are hurt or are claimed to have run away – the owner and the entrusted neighbor must make an oath before the Lord that it was not on purpose or stolen and the owner must accept this as truth. If it is later found out that it was in fact killed or stolen by his neighbor he must make full restitution for it.
    • If the livestock was killed by another animal, the remains must be provided as proof and no restitution is necessary.
  • If someone claims to have suffered a wrong from his neighbor of anything – possessions,  livestock, pets…etc. it will be determined by judges and the one determined to be the guilty party will have to restore double.
  • If anyone borrows something and it gets broken, injured or dies and the owner was present at the time – no need for restitution. If the owner was NOT present – it must be restored.
    • If it either the owner with the beast or if the beast alone were “rented” and the livestock die or gets hurt, the wage paid for the services is all that can be required of the owner.
  • If a man has sex with a non-married/non-engaged woman with her consent then he is obliged to marry her.
    • If her father will not allow the marriage – he must pay the price of the dowry of virgins. This means that he was to pay the father just as much for the disgrace brought upon him by the seduction of his daughter, as maidens would receive for a dowry upon their marriage. The seduction of a girl who was betrothed, was punished much more severely (see Deut. 22:23-24).
  • Kill the witches!
    • According to Spiros Zodhiates our understanding of the word witches is rather incomplete, but at very least we know that it involved the use of supernatural powers in competition against the power of God in order to sway a heart from being persuaded by God’s wonders – these actions worked to harden hearts against the truth (Exod. 7:11). Those in Israel who used such powers were to be executed (Exod. 22:18 [17]). King Manasseh’s involvement in sorcery to the point of making his children pass through fire, helped lead Judah to the breaking point of God’s patience (2Chron. 33:6; cf. 2Kings 24:3-4). Judgment is promised against sorcerers when the Messiah returns (Mal. 3:5). However, in a pagan country, where sorcery was practiced with greater ignorance, Daniel acted to save magicians from death while demonstrating that God’s power exceeded that of the sorcerers (Dan. 2:2).
  • Sex with animals is punishable by death.
  • Anyone who offers sacrifices to another god is to be killed and all of his possessions destroyed.
  • DO NOT oppress or treat violently any stranger (gentile) – remembering you didn’t like it when you were so treated in Egypt. (Do unto others…etc.)
  • DO NOT oppress, afflict or make life difficult for the fatherless or the widow.
    • If you do – and they cry out to Me in ANY way…I will kill you and thereby place your wife and children in the same position as they are.
  • If you lend money to your Hebrew brother – DO NOT charge interest. You may keep something as surety (collateral) but if it is something he needs – like his pj’s – you are to return it by night so that he has something to wear.
    • If you don’t return it by night and he cry unto Me – I will hear it because I am gracious.
  • You are NOT to treat lightly or dismissively or verbally curse or place verbal obstacles in the path of rulers or governors.
  • You will NOT put off firstfruit offerings
  • If it is livestock it will remain with its mother for 7 days and be given to God on the 8th.
  • You will be separated and loyal to Me and you will not eat animals which were killed and partially eaten by any beast but you will give the remains to dogs.

Exodus 23

  • No lying
    • False witness – or joining with others in false testimony.
    • Do not kill one who is innocent or just because I will not justify your actions.
    • Do NOT take a bribe because it obscures clear understanding of right and wrong and pollutes the words of righteousness.
  • Do not go with those seeking to do wrong.
  • Do NOT show favoritism to the poor in a lawsuit – just because he is poor, but neither will you deny him justice.
  • If you come across anything belonging to an enemy (whether personal or national)- return it to them.
  • If you see the donkey of someone who hates you helplessly laboring under a load and it occurs to you to refrain from helping it due to the hate of your neighbor – you must help it anyway.
  • Do NOT oppress a Gentile who lives among you – remember how it felt in Egypt.
  • Work and Harvest you fields for 6 years, but every 7th year do not work your land. Allow it to produce whatever it will on it’s own for the consumption of the poor and the animals can have what remains.
  • Do your work during the six days allotted for labor, but you, your livestock and all your servants must rest on the Sabbath.
  • Pay strict attention to all I have said to you.
  • Do not even take the name of other god’s upon your lips.
  • Celebrate a festival in My honor 3x’s a year.
    • The Festival of Unleavened Bread – like you did in preparation for leaving Egypt in the month of Abib. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.
    • The Festival of  Harvest – 1st fruits
    • The Festival of Ingathering – the end of the year harvest.
  • All males are t appear before the Lord during these times.
  • All offerings MUST be unleavened and no fat is to remain until morning.
  • Bring your BEST of the 1st fruits to the house of the Lord (tabernacle)
  • Do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
    • I used to believe this was in reference to a pagan ritual which sought the blessings of pagan gods to increase harvests. While this cannot be completely set aside it has come under considerable scrutiny due to some archeological finds.
    • Nevertheless, one good explanation for this law is that it mingles life and death together. A young goat should not be cooked in what was intended to sustain its life. Not only for the hardening effect such a brazen act could have upon the heart, but because the symbolism comingles life and death and is then consumed by the covenant Jew.
    • Guzik tells us that, today it is in an attempt to obey this misunderstood command that observant Jews will not eat a kosher cheeseburger – they wont even drink milk and eat meat at the same meal (or even on the same plates with the same utensils cooked in the same pots), because the rabbis insist that the meat in the hamburger may have come from the calf of the cow that gave the milk for the cheese, and the cheese and the meat would “boil” together in one’s stomach, and be a violation of this command.
  • I am sending an Angel (messenger) – this is a difficult verse but more than likely is a reference to Joshua himself, since no mention is made hereafter of Israel seeing, hearing and following the instructions of some angel they all witnessed.
  • When My messenger brings you to all the “-ites” in the Promised land – DO NOT bow down to their gods or take up their practices or strike covenants with them but completely destroy them and their pillars. They cannot live with you in the land I am giving you because You are to serve ME only an they will only serve to turn your heart’s loyalties from Me to other gods.
    • Promise to the obedient –
      • I will bless you bread and water and take sickness away from among you.
      • No miscarriages
      • No barrenness
      • You will live out all your days
      • I will send the fear of Me before you
      • Within 1 year you will possess the land – lest the wild animals take over in the land I am appointing to you.

Exodus 24

  • Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu along with 70 of the elders were to worship from afar.
    • Only Moses was to come near to God.
  • Moses wrote down and communicated to the people all God had said.
    • They all claimed that they would obey.
  • Moses rose early in the morning and one altar and 12 pillars (one for each tribe) at the foot of the mountain.
  • Moses involved the young men by having them offer sacrifices
  • Moses took ½ the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
  • Read Exod. 24:9-18,  “Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,  (10)  and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.  (11)  And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.  (12)  The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”  (13)  So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.  (14)  And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”  (15)  Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.  (16)  The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.  (17)  Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.  (18)  Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

There is more information in the audio/video of the actual message. I hope you listen, learn and enjoy!

…Blessings! 

 

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. If you do not know Him, please use our ‘Contact Us‘ page and reach out so we may have the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Neither money nor attendance at our church will be mentioned.

If you have been spiritually fed by this ministry and wish to give, we truly appreciate that and you may do so here, but all outreaches of this ministry are FREE for you and anyone to enjoy at no cost.

 

Blessings!

 

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!