Exodus 16 - 23
From the Mountain: Covenant and Law

Genesis 16

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This lesson covers the following portions of Exodus: 15:22-27, 16 and 17:1-7. We are looking at these passages together because they form a cohesive story within the text. These passages contain five teachable moments intended to help a group of freed slaves, imbued with Egyptian values and world view, become a new kind of people, with new values and a new world view, meaning the values and world view of YHWH.
Teachable moment one is the need for water (15:22-27). This moment begins when the people complain (to Moses) of the water being undrinkable. God hears (just like God heard their cries in slavery). God responds by making the water pure and by leading them to an oasis that has a spring for each family (12) and a palm tree for each of the children (70). This leads to the first teaching, that if the people will listen to YHWH, do what is right and keep God’s commandments, then God will protect them from disease. This teachable moment begins to shape the people into a community that is organized around a relationship with a God who cares and not with a Pharoah who does not.
Teachable moment two is the need for food (16:1-21). This moment begins when the people complain (to Moses and Aaron) of a lack of food. Once again God hears their cries. God responds by providing manna (the word for manna is derived from the question “what is it”) and quail. The teachable moment here is not simply about trusting in God but about a new economy. The Egyptian economy was based on scarcity for the many and an abundance for the few, on hoarding (remember the slaves had been building storehouses for grain) and on a cyclical/seasonal view of production. God replaces these views with equity (all receive what they need), sufficiency (any attempt to store the manna results in loss) and daily provision (rather than seasonal harvesting). These lessons are a basic introduction to the economy which will be codified in the Torah

ao​Teachable moment three is the need for rest. (16:22-30) This moment does not begin with complaints but is a continuation of God’s response to the complaint about food. The Hebrews had been a people worked by Pharaoh seven days a week. With no time for rest or for enjoying the bounty of God’s creation. In Egypt, life was work and work was life. The initiation of the Sabbath changes that understanding of life. Life is not all about acquiring but now includes rest and trust. It also reinforces the transformation of the calendar from Egyptian cyclical/seasonal/nature driven to a weekly calendar driven by God’s providence and presence.
Teachable moment four is the need to remember (16:31-36). This moment once again teaches the people about the power of collective memory (like that of remembering the Passover); that without a collective memory the people will forget all that God has done for them.
Teachable moment five is once again the need for water (17:1-7). Just as this section opened with cries about water, it will close with them as well. The teachable moment this time is another reminder that God can provide. Again, note that even though Moses is in danger and the people are in rebellion, God doesn’t become angry. Instead, God hears their cries and supplies their need.
Reflection: All human beings are conditioned by the communities in which they are raised. The values of the community become the values of the individual almost by osmosis. The Hebrews had learned to be Egyptian slaves. This meant their world view (community, economy, religion) were those of their captors. We have learned to be Americans with American world views. The gift of Exodus is that it reminds us that God’s world view is often different not only from that of Egypt, but from our own. Our challenge is to allow these teachable moments to cause us to stop and consider whose world view guides our steps.
Questions:
1. Which of these teachable moments most appeals to you and why?
2. What would an equitable distribution of goods look like in our world today?
3. Where have you witnessed God providing for you?

Exodus 17

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This lesson examines only Chapter 17 verses 8-16. We do so because verses 1-7 were connected more with material in Chapter 16 than they are to the material in this final portion of Chapter 17. This section of the chapter has two parts, the battle with Amalek and the charge to remember the conflict between Israel and Amalek.
We begin with the battle. The battle is between Israel and Amalek. There is no indication as to why Amalek wanted to do battle with Israel. Perhaps they appeared to be an easy target; a nation loaded with the spoils of Egypt and unprepared for war. Or perhaps it is that Amalek might have feared an invasion from such a large group of landless people. Whatever the reason for this conflict there are several things we ought to understand. First, Amalek is a descendant of Esau. What this means is that the ancient conflict between the brothers Jacob and Esau did not die with them; that it was somehow passed down from generation to generation. Second, we witness Moses grow into his role as the leader of the people. Granted, Moses was the one who led the people out of Egypt and into the wilderness, but he was working under explicit instructions from God. God told him what to do and when to do it. Now however, Moses operates on his own as a leader. When he sees that the people of Israel are about to attacked, he takes action. He chooses a second in command (Joshua, whose name means God Saves), tells Joshua what to do (recruit soldiers) and then lays out a plan of action (Moses will go to the hill with the magic staff of God in his hand). There is no hint that God is telling Moses what to do. Moses takes charge. He is maturing as a leader, which bodes well for the future. Third, Moses understands the power of presence and symbolism, meaning that he understands that while he holds the staff of God aloft, the men fight well. There is no mention of the staff channeling God’s power, simply that the men seem inspired by Moses’ actions. Fourth, this is a test for Israel. Before the battle there is an open question as to whether this rag-tag band of slaves is willing to and capable of defending themselves, rather than submitting to slavery under another foreign power. The answer is that they are indeed willing and able. Israel has begun to be a nation. Finally, we have been shown that Joshua is a capable military leader. It is he who “defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.” This bodes well for the future.

​We continue our examination of the chapter with the command from God to record and remember this event by reciting it “in the hearing of Joshua.” This seems odd since Joshua was the leader of the Israelite forces which would imply that he needs no reminder of the battle. But it is not the battle that the people are to record. It is that God will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek. No explanation is given as to the reason for God to make this claim. One thought from Kass (Founding God’s Nation: Reading Exodus pg. 256) is that it is to be a reminder that Israel will always exist under the threat of attack from other nations and so the military leaders need to be vigilant and brave. Finally, we have Moses building an altar not to “god” but to YHWH, the God who revealed God’s self in the burning bush, who sent Moses, who parted the sea, who fed the people and who is always present. The name of the altar, “The Lord is my banner” reminds the people that the Israelites fight not just for their own lives but for God; God who goes with them into battle.
Reflection: Nation building is a complex task. It requires a national narrative and a common set of values. The narrative for Israel consists of the rituals they have been instructed to keep (Passover, etc.). These rituals not only remind the people of their history but of their identity. We too as a nation (the United States) use our rituals to remind us not only of our past but of who we are to be (the Fourth of July for example). The challenge of these rituals is to keep them from being only about past glories, but instead to make their intent present realities such as making the Fourth of July a reminder that we need to insure true freedom for all.
Questions:
1. Are there potions of this story that disturb you and why?
2. What can we learn from Moses and his leadership style?
3. What would you name our communion table (remembering Presbyterians have no altars)?

​Exodus 18

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Chapter 18 is focused on three main topics; the community’s relationship with foreign nations, with God and with one another. Each of these topics is made possible by the arrival of Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro. Before we look at the three topics just a note about Moses’ family that arrives with Jethro. We are reminded that Moses is married and has two sons. Though we learn the names of the sons, this brief appearance will be the last time they are mentioned. This is interesting because under normal circumstances the sons of a leader would be in line for his position, but in this instance, leadership will not be passed from father to son as was done in Egypt. Thus, one more way in which Israel will be different from Egypt…at least until the rise of the kings.
The first topic is the relationship between Israel and foreign nations. To this point in the story the only relationships Israel has had with other nations have been ones of violence (slavery and war). What we learn is that Israel can get along with other nations, in this case Midian of whom Jethro is the high priest. This is a positive sign in that Israel will not always need to be in conflict with its neighbors.
The second topic is Israel’s relationship with God or the gods. It is interesting that Moses asked Pharaoh to allow the people to go into the wilderness to sacrifice to their God. As far as we can tell this has not happened. Even though God has been protecting and providing for the people, there has been no overt act of worship. At the end of chapter 17 Moses builds an altar and calls it, “The Lord is my banner” but Moses does nothing with the altar. This changes with Jethro’s arrival. Following the traditional greeting offered by Moses to Jethro, which was Moses bowing to and then kissing Jethro (the last kiss in Exodus) and Moses telling the story of God’s mighty acts, Jethro does three things. First, Jethro acknowledges that YHWH is greater than all the gods. Second, Jethro offers burnt offerings and sacrifices to god (Elohim) or the gods, which is appropriate. Third, Jethro breaks bread with Aaron and the elders (note Moses is not said to be present). These actions offer us two insights.

​First, that God needs to be thanked for God’s work and not forgotten. Second, there is to be a differentiation between priests (Jethro and Aaron), military leadership (Joshua), and secular leadership (Moses). Again, this is anti-Egypt where Pharaoh plays each of these roles.
The third topic concerns the way Israel will govern itself. What becomes apparent in Moses acting as sole judge of the people is that he is imitating Egyptian cultural norms, meaning that there is a sole ruler who makes all decisions and does so according to the guidance of the gods. Jethro notices this and offers and alternative because the work is too “heavy” for Moses (note this is the word used for Moses’ arms that became too heavy holding the staff during the battle with Amalek). Instead, Jethro suggests, Moses should choose men who “fear God, are trustworthy and hate dishonest gain” and set them over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.” (This seems a herculean task considering that this division of leadership would require around 73,000 men) Jethro also hedges his advice by telling Moses to check in with God. Regardless, Moses follows this advice and in so doing begins the creation of a government not based on a single ruler, but on shared leadership. The issue that still needs to be worked out is exactly what are the laws of God that are to guide the people?
Reflection: Israel is in the process of figuring out how to become a nation. This process entails dealing with the three topics listed above, just as it was and is in the United States. It is interesting that after more than 200 years we, as a nation, have not figured this out yet. We still debate the roll of God/religion, how we elect people to office, what powers ought those people to possess, and how we are to relate to the nations around us (war, peace, immigration, trade). It seems as if some things never change.
Questions:
1. Which of the anti-Egyptian moves made by Moses/Israel do you believe to be the most important?
2. Where do you see parallels between the birth of Israel and the United States as nations?
3. Why do you think that diversified leadership for God’s people matters?

Lesson 19​

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This chapter beings abruptly with no meaningful transition from what has come before. This abrupt transition indicates that something new is afoot. What is afoot is that the people have reached a holy location at the foot of the mountain of God; the mountain where Moses first encountered YHWH in the burning bush. And it is at this mountain where the Israelites are going to have to make two critical choices. The first choice is whether the Israelite people will hear (listen to) God, even without seeing miracles like they witnessed in the past (meaning will they listen to the words/Law that Moses is about to receive). The second choice they will be required to make is whether they will agree to obey the Law and thus become a new people of a new covenant.
The two choices are delivered to Moses (vs. 4-6) who is to deliver them to the people. Moses, seemingly excited about being back at the mountain, had immediately head up the mountain even as the people unpacked. His ascent was rewarded when YHWH once again spoke to him and asked him to deliver the two choices to the people of Israel. What is interesting about these two choices is that they only have an upside for agreeing and no downside for not agreeing. The upside for agreeing is as follows: First the people will be YHWH’s treasured possession out of all peoples and second, they will be a priestly kingdom and a holy people. The gist of these two rewards is that YHWH wants Israel to be an example to the world of the life-giving possibilities of community when community is organized according to God’s ways and not human ways. In other words, the people are chosen (a holy people) for a purpose (to bless the world) and to bring God’s ways to the world (a priestly kingdom sharing God’s word/Law with all humanity). To be clear, YHWH neither commands the people to accept the new covenant nor does YHWH pledge to punish them if they do not accept. This is a free choice.
Moses summons the people, sets before them God’s words and the people respond in the affirmative, even though they have no idea of what they are agreeing to (sort of like we do when we agree to the terms and conditions of new software).

​One midrash says that the people agree because they were afraid that if they said no, the entire mountain would fall on them. A kinder explanation is that these former slaves saw an opportunity to become something great, a people with a purpose.
In addition to agreeing to the covenant, God wanted the Israelite people needed to believe that Moses was the intercessor of God’s Word and that they needed to prepare themselves for encountering God. God assists in both these areas by speaking with Moses in the hearing of the people and by giving the people a command to purify themselves and to keep an appropriate distance from the dangerous, holy mountain. Once all was ready on the third day, the real action began.
The day began with thunder, lightning, thick clouds, and a loud trumpet. The people followed Moses to the base of the mountain where they witnessed a conversation between God and Moses. Finally, Moses is summoned up the mountain again, only to be sent back to redeliver an earlier message that they people were to keep their distance and to bring Aaron back with him. Why go up, come back, and bring Aaron? Perhaps it was to remind the people that Moses could speak directly with YHWH and live and because Aaron, as the future priest of God, needed to be present at the giving of the religious rules and regulations.
Reflection: The children of Israel stand at a crossroads. They can choose to go their own way or they can choose to listen, learn and live in God’s ways. It would be nice to assume that something has changed in the last 4,500 years but it hasn’t. Every day we stand at the same crossroads having to make the same decision about whose ways we will follow, our ways or God’s ways. At times, the decision is easy, but at other times it is not. Yet, the gift of God is that we are part of a covenant people, whom God loves and forgives.
Questions:
1. What do you make of God’s focus on hearing rather than seeing?
2. Why do you think that the people agreed to the covenant?
3. How has Jesus changed our concept of drawing close to God?

Exodus 20 - Part 1

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In this lesson we will examine Exodus 20:1-7. We are dividing the chapter into multiple lessons because the content is not only central to life and worship of the people of God but is filled with significant meaning and nuance that ought not to be missed.
First, we begin with God speaking in verse 1. What ought not to be missed in this verse is that God is delivering these words to all the people. These words are not addressed only to Moses to write on stone tablets (not mentioned in this chapter) but are addressed in intelligible speech to the people of God. Also, they are given as “words” and not “commandments.” This is made clear in Jewish tradition where they are referred to as the Ten Words…because God spoke them to the people.
Second, in verse two we have God redefining God’s identity to the people. God does not identify God’s self as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but as the God who brought the people out of Egypt. This new identity also offers the people a stark contrast between their old lives and their new lives. Their old lives were lives of slavery and bondage to a “human god-king.” Their new lives are to be lived in the freedom of a God who liberates them for abundant life. This contrast, and the choice between the two ways of life, will become an ongoing struggle for the people of Israel.
Third, in verse three we have the first law or command: you shall have no other gods before me. The language of this command is the language of marriage. It speaks of an exclusive commitment of the people to God. It is not a nascent monotheism, only a commitment to an exclusive relationship. This exclusivity is not simply because God is possessive but because God is the only god who can offer life to God’s beloved. All the other gods are not only incapable of so doing but are more often the gods of death than the gods of life.
Fourth, in verses 4-6 we listen as God prohibits the creation of idols. To fully appreciate this command, we need to return to the creation stories of Genesis (chapters 1-2).

​In these chapters we read that it is God who creates, and it is God who stands outside of time and physical space. What this intends to convey is that there is a stark contrast between creator and creature/creation. The people of God are to be careful to avoid conflating these two. In other words, creature/creation is not divine. This concept is also at the heart of Genesis 3, in which Adam and Eve believe that they are capable, as creatures, of ignoring the creator and appropriately ordering their own lives. In a sense they made themselves into idols/gods and the result was shame, blame, fear, and death. This command also reminds the people that there are generational consequences (remember Cain and Abel?) to the choice to worship creature/creation rather than God.
Fifth, in verse 7 we are reminded not to wrongfully use God’s name. This warning carries with it two important concerns. First to wrongfully use the Lord’s name implies that the user of the name is attempting to make God into his/her own possession, meaning using the name to control God and God’s actions. Second, misusing the name in vain assumes that one knows the heart and mind of God and can claim that God approves of whatever the user is doing. In a sense, God is on my side.
Reflections: One of the interesting aspects of these words is that they are given to the entire people, but the people are addressed in the first person singular. In other words, everyone hears the words as if they are addressed individually to each hearer. What this means is that there is no room for individuals to evade responsibility for choosing/not choosing to listen to God. None of us can say, “Well that command is for those people, but not for me.” This collective yet individual address is critical for our life as individuals and community.
Questions:
1. How do you understand these words as both collective and individual?
2. What creature/creations seem to demand our worship?
3. How have you used God’s name wrongfully and why is it such a temptation to do so?

Exodus 20 - Part 2

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This second lesson on Chapter 20 will concern itself with the two positive words about remembering and keeping the Sabbath and honoring father and mother (vs. 8-12). Both words offer a radically different vision for life than that offered by Egypt and the rest of the world.
We begin with the word concerning sabbath. What is interesting about this word is that the term “sabbath day” has not been used before. The term sabbath in Hebrew means to “cease”, to “desist from labor.” The only “sabbath” that the people had experienced was the seventh day in the wilderness when they were not supposed to gather any manna. So, in some ways, this idea of resting (especially for slaves who were worked to death) was a novel idea.
While the concept of having a day of “ceasing” was not new, the reasons for ceasing were. The Babylonians ceased work every seven days based on the cycle of the moon (and always ceased work on the day of the full moon) because those were days of bad luck brought about by evil forces. And there were other ancient civilizations that had similar rest days. Sabbath and resting for the children of Israel, however, were based on an entirely different rationale. The rationale for resting given by God is that they are to rest because God rested on the seventh day of creation. As a reminder, creation was not finished on the 6th day, but on the seventh when God took a sabbath. This roots and grounds rest not in evil spirits, but in the very act of creation itself. It roots and grounds rest in God’s having declared the seventh day to be something special, a time set apart to follow God’s lead in resting from the wearisome toil of work. Additionally, this rationale also adds “creator” to God’s resume of liberator and provider.
Though the sabbath is linked here with creation, later in Deuteronomy sabbath is linked with Israel’s liberation from slavery: Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day (Deut. 5:15).

​Though this connection to liberation is not mentioned directly in the Exodus text, it is hinted at when the command to rest is given not simply to the children of Israel, but to its sons, daughter, slaves, livestock, or aliens. In other words, no person or animals owned by persons is to be a slave to work. The new natural order to God’s creation is one in which sabbath plays a central role.
We turn now to the word ordering honoring your father and mother. What we should notice first is that the command is to honor both mother and father, not merely father. In a patriarchal culture this is a remarkable statement. The word honor in the Hebrew carries with it the concept of “weight” or to give something weight. This is not worship or blind obedience (remember Jesus commands following him over following parents) but it is to give parents the “weight” they deserve because the parents are creators even as God was a creator. Just as God created the heavens and the earth, so parents create a child. What honoring parents precludes is the human tendency to patricide, where children kill their parents to gain power in the family. Finally, if God’s people are to love neighbor as self, they must begin by loving themselves through honoring their parents to whom they are biologically connected.
Reflections: What makes for an ordered and orderly society? Those are the questions for which the people of God need answers and God delivers. God’s answer is that rest and respect are at the heart of an ordered society. First, there must be rest or people will rebel against being treated not as human beings, but as machines. Second, there must be respect between individuals and according to these words, that respect begins at home among family members. Without rest and respect there can be no meaningful community.
Questions:
1. How do you allow for sabbath in your life?
2. Where have you seen our society treat human beings as machines and not beloved children of God?
3. How did you honor your parents?

Exodus 20 - Part 3

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In this lesson we turn to what has been called the second table of the law, or what we find to be more familiar legal and moral ground. Each of these words is actually two words in Hebrew, or in the case of false witness and coveting they begin with two words and then expand. This formula makes the commands easier to remember. We will look only briefly at each.
Thou shall not kill does not prohibit killing. Though some have translated this word as don’t murder, rather than don’t kill, a better translation would be don’t kill wrongfully. This implies that there will be times when killing is sanctioned and perhaps even commanded. Killing simply for the sake of killing is prohibited.
Thou shall not commit adultery. This command is at the heart of maintaining the life and work of the family, which is also at the heart of maintaining the life and work of the community. For if families cannot remain intact, then it becomes more difficult for societies (especially ones centered around a communal life) to remain intact. It also insures clear paternity, and thus the appropriate transmission of name and property from one generation to the next.
Thou shall not steal. This command is necessary to the right ordering of any community. Stable communities need to know that what is mine is mine and what is yours is yours. Theft is both an injustice to and a sign of contempt for the owner of what is stolen. This is so because property is in some ways an extension of a person’s self, and so to steal is like murder, because one takes part of another’s self.
Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Like theft, to bear false witness against neighbor is to steal the reputation of another. It is to use speech in a manner that kills another in the eyes of the community. In addition, bearing false witness undermines the community, which can only be whole when the truth is spoken.

​Thou shall not covet. The Hebrew word for covet means more than desiring something else. It implies a desiring that will lead to action to acquire something that one ought not to have. This was the word used in Genesis to describe Eve desiring the fruit, which led to her immediately taking it.
While spoken as prohibitions, each of these words implies that there is a good that ought not to be destroyed. Life is good. Marriage is good. Possessions are good (they provide for the sustaining of life). Truth is good. Appreciation for one’s own possessions is good.
The chapter ends with two narrative sections. The first section reminds us that the people, while being able to hear God’s words (as Kass implies) probably “didn’t hear a thing.” In other words, the text says that the people were so terrified that they “stood at a distance” from the mountain. This means that they did not hear these words from God. All they did was “see.” Their fear also leads the people to ask Moses to be the one who delivers the words of God, to which Moses agrees. The second narrative concerns the creation of altars made of earth or of uncut stone, meaning made of God’s creation without human adornment. The Altars then function as locations where the people can make burnt offerings to God (which will go “up”) and where God’s blessings will come down (vs. 24).
Reflections: Very little in this second table is unusual. Almost all civilizations have the same sorts of rules against murder, adultery, steal and lying. What makes these words different is that they are the words of God and not the result of political/cultural agreements. By being words from God, they cannot be so easily changed or discarded. The words carry weight. And even though the words will be delivered by Moses, they nonetheless carry with them the power to keep people from losing their way.
Questions:
1. What is your understanding of what it means to not kill wrongfully?
2. Where have you seen damage done by someone swearing falsely against their neighbor?
3. Why would it be important that God’s altars are made of things of the earth?

Exodus 21

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With Exodus 21 we move from the rather general set of ten words, to a set of much more detailed laws. These laws deal with slaves, daughters sold to others, murder, injuries committed by both humans and animals, and injuries to animals. For those of us living in the 21st century, much of what is contained in this chapter will probably be distressing. Rather than examining each law, this article will bring them together in four overarching themes.
Theme one is that all human life is precious. This can be seen in the severity of the penalties for murder, striking or cursing parents, and for the death of the owner of an ox who kills someone (if the owner knows that the ox is dangerous and does not restrain the animal). While these laws may seem onerous, especially the ones concerning cursing or striking parents, their intent is to protect societal order and avoid the type of incidents found in Genesis (Cain slaying Abel, Ham uncovering Noah’s nakedness, and Jacob’s sons killing the people of Shechem). In other words, a civil society cannot exist where life is not valued and protected. This also includes kidnapping which is the theft of the life of another.
Theme two is that all human beings matter equally to God. We see this in the discussion on slavery in that, while God does not outlaw slavery (something that would have been unthinkable in the ancient world), God ensures that slaves are beings, equal to their masters. This can be seen in the following ways. First, Hebrew slaves are to be freed after six years. This means that slaves are not property. They are God’s creations, deserving of freedom. Second, a freed slave, if married prior to enslavement, can take his/her spouse and children with them when they are freed. Third, if a slave marries another slave, and is then set free, the freed slave can redeem their family. Fourth, if a daughter is sold into slavery, the daughter must be sold as a wife. The purchaser cannot sell the woman into slavery and must treat her well, otherwise the slave/wife must be set free. Fifth, if a slave owner kills a slave, the owner will be punished and if a slave owner injures a slave, the slave is set free. Again, each of these laws makes clear that slavery is a temporary relationship and that slaves are full human beings in the eyes of God and the Law.

​Theme three is that God cares about women just as much as men. We see this in the following ways: First as noted above, if a daughter is sold to another, the daughter must be a wife who is treated well and whose rights are not infringed upon. Second, when an ox gores a woman, the penalties are the same for the ox’s owner as they are for injuring a man. Third, if a pregnant woman is injured when two men fight, the one causing the injury is libel for damages. Fourth, the penalties for a slave owner injuring a slave are the same for both male and female slaves. Fifth, the penalty for striking a mother is the same as for striking a father.
Theme four is personal responsibility. We see this in the following ways: First, the owner of an ox must care for it and protect people from it. Second, men are responsible for injuries they inflicted on other men, slaves, or pregnant women. Fourth, children are responsible for honoring their parents. Fifth, there are penalties for not protecting others from digging a pit into which animals might fall.
What makes all these laws unique is that in the civilizations with which the Israelites would interact there is no respect for all human life (there are castes which dictate crime and punishment), slaves have no rights, women are not treated equally, and personal responsibility only applies to lower castes.
Reflection: While most readers may find many of these laws abhorrent, their intent is to protect life for all and treat all persons as equals. Notice that there is no differentiation of penalties based on whether the person is slave or free, rich or poor, male or female, young or old. This equality is utterly remarkable for their time and for ours. It reflects the theological belief that every human being is a beloved child of God, deserving of respect and equal treatment.
Questions:
1. Which of these laws disturbs you the most and why does it do so?
2. Where do you see the basis for modern law in these laws?
3. Do you think any of these laws might be helpful today?

Exodus 22

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This chapter consists of four major sections. The first section deals with the issue of property, the second with issues of creation, the third with treatment of the vulnerable or “those below us”, and the fourth with how we treat those “above us.”. As with the last article, we will not examine each law individually, but will look for overarching themes that bind the laws together.
The three themes that tie the first section together are personal responsibility, restitution, and the value of human life. Personal responsibility and restitution are deeply intertwined in this section of the Torah. This intertwining can be seen in this section in the following places: First, in the penalty for the theft of an animal which is not death (as the Code of Hammurabi orders), but restitution. The thief is to take responsibility for his/her actions and to either pay for the stolen property or make restitution with service as a slave. Second, in being careful with fire so as to not burn a neighbor’s fields. If a fire consumes the fields of others, restitution must be made. Third, in caring for items given to an individual for safekeeping. The one doing the safekeeping must be diligent, so the goods are not stolen. If the goods are stolen restitution must be made to the owner. Fourth, if an individual borrows an animal and it comes to harm, then again, restitution must be made. There are exceptions to all these laws including where the loss is brought about by “force of nature” such as wild beasts or if the owner of a hired animal is present when the animal is injured.
The value of human life can be seen in the following places: First, in that a thief may be killed at night because the family can assume the intruder is there to harm them, but a thief may not be killed during the day because it is assumed the intruder is not there to harm. Second, in the seduction of a virgin by man. In some cultures, such an act is punishable by death, but here it is punished by the seducer marrying the woman and paying the bride price (which is also personal responsibility and restitution). Note that the bride price must be paid even if there is no marriage, which should cause a would-be seducer to think twice about his actions.

​The second section is tied together by actions intended to destroy God’s created order. First, sorcery is an attempt to turn what God created into something God did not intend it to be (such as a staff into a snake in Pharaoh’s court). Second, bestiality (which was widely practiced in the ancient near east) transgresses the line between human beings and the creatures God created. Third, sacrificing to other gods leads people away from God’s Torah and into worship of nature or humans as god.
The third section deals with the care for vulnerable persons, which carries the theme of the value of all human life. This section can be divided into caring for strangers and for vulnerable members of the community. First, there is care for the resident alien. Care is to be offered because once the Hebrew people were strangers and know what it is to be oppressed. Second, there is care for widows and orphans, who in a man’s world are the most vulnerable to abuse. They are not to be abused or else they will cry out to God (same wording as the cry to God by the enslaved Hebrews) and God will do to the abusers what God did to the Egyptians. Third, there is care for the poor. This is exemplified by not charging interest and a creditor not keeping a person’s only garment overnight as collateral on a loan.
The fourth section deals with appropriate relations between rulers/God and others. These relationships are to be defined by gratitude and not cursing. People are not to curse God or their leaders. Instead, persons are to offer to God their first fruits (the best they have) as a way of appropriately orienting themselves to their redeemer and life giver.
Reflections: Once again we see God’s compassion for human life and for the appropriate ordering of that life. Where these laws are followed there is harmony between neighbors and strangers, respect for marriage and the vulnerable. In other words, these laws allow for a society in which life can flourish and God’s blessings can be shared by all.
Questions:
1. Where do you see reflections of the call for personal responsibility in our world?
2. Why do you think restitution is such an important part of the law?
3. Where might our world benefit from some of these laws replacing laws we currently follow?

Exodus 23

Printable Lesson

This chapter is the last portion of the giving of rules and regulations in Exodus, though the rules will be greatly expanded in the books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In addition to a few more rules, there is what some scholars refer to as an “epilogue” that informs the people about their future conquest of the land. Prior to the epilogue there are three sections of laws: those ensuring justice for all, sabbath keeping and festivals.
The first section has to do with justice for all. The rules in this section are all based, once again, on God’s love for all people. We can see this in the following ways: First, individuals are not to give false reports intended to bring harm to another person (perhaps out of anger or jealousy). This includes speaking truthfully in court and not favoring rich or poor (either of which would be showing more love to one person and less to another). While both rich and poor are to be treated equally, there is an emphasis on insuring justice for the powerless. Second, individuals are to help their enemies as well as their friends. The examples are caring for the animals of an enemy. Third, there is a final reminder to not oppress an alien because the Hebrews were aliens and oppressed.
The second section has to do with the sabbath and has two components. The first is that sabbath is for humans and the land. All fields are to lay fallow for a year, every seventh year. All persons, including aliens, and animals are then to eat whatever they can from the fallow ground. While this has often been understood as only a sabbath for the land, it is also a sabbath for the farmers, who can rest and remember that the land produces because of God’s grace and not because of “mother nature” or the mastery of the farmer over the land. The second component is that sabbath is for animals as well as human beings. Just as all human slaves are freed after six years of service, so all animals are to be freed as well (at least for a year).
The third section has to do with the three festivals that the Israelite people are to hold every year. These are festivals at planting (Passover), first fruits and harvest, or ingathering. What is unique about these festivals is that the males are to gather “before the Lord” on each occasion. These are communal festivals that are intended to remind the people of God’s providential care. In addition, it reminds the people that they are a community, a nation, bound together with YHWH by these rituals.

​Following the establishment of the festivals are three extraneous commands, two of which no one knows their origin or purpose. These are not offering blood with anything leavened and not boiling a kid in its mother’s milk. The middle rule, to bring the first fruits to God is one final reminder of what was owed to the one who provides for the people.
Finally, the epilogue. This last section is a “good news”, “bad news” announcement. The good news is that as the people move toward their destination, and angel of God will go before them, fight for them and make the enemies Of God’s people the angel’s enemies. There has been much discussion about the identity of the angel, but no one is sure as to who this angel is, or how the angel manifests itself. The bad news comes in several forms. First, the angel will only fight for the people if the people are faithful. Second, there are nations already in the land who must be defeated. Three, the driving out of the other nations will not occur all at once but will take time. With all of that having been said, the point of the conquest is clear; to give God’s people a place to become the people God desires them to be, a people guided by YHWH, treating all fairly without the pressure of having to confirm to, or be ensnared by, the ways of the people who are presently in the land.
Reflections: Once again we listen as God reminds the people that they are to be a people of justice, fairness, truthfulness, rest, and reverence. These are to be the virtues of the Hebrew people, and ultimately the followers of Jesus as well. As we look at our world what we often witness is the opposite of these virtues. We see individuals willing to sell their souls for power and privilege.
Questions:
1. Where have you struggled to care for your enemies?
2. What is your pattern of rest?
3. How do you square the conquest of the land with God’s love for all people?