Review Of Exodus 22

— by Victor Fawole

I welcome everyone to Exodus 22 – a continuation of God’s ordinances to Israel. In this chapter, God continued with clear instructions on justice. He also gave rules required for the people to be righteous. Righteousness and justice are closely related. God Himself rules through righteousness and justice (Psa. 97:2), and expects leaders to administer justice and righteousness together (2Sam. 8:15; Psa. 99:4). If we remember, even Abraham modelled a lifestyle of justice and righteousness (Gen. 18:19).

Let us review:

LAWS ABOUT STEALING
The 8th Commandment prohibits any kind of theft (Exo. 20:15). In yesterday’s reading, we see how God separately addressed the most offensive kind of theft (kidnapping — Exo. 21:16). In today’s chapter, He gives the penalties for all other kinds of theft.

• 1. If a man steals an ox or sheep and kills or sells it, that shows his intent. David confirmed this (2Sam. 1:5-6). The thief has to pay times five (for oxen) or times four (for sheep). I noticed that the more deliberate and more malicious the crime is, the greater the penalty.
• 2. If a man breaks into a house to steal, and the owner of the house (not knowing the thief’s intention), smashes him and he dies, then the owner is not guilty of murder. The owner of the house has the right to protect his family at the expense of the life of the intruder.
• 3. Number 2 above is valid for a break-in done in the darkness of the night. If the crime occurs in the daylight when the sun is shining, the owner will be held guilty of murder. The idea is that he could see clearly that the thief is unarmed; thus, he could cry out for help against the unarmed thief.
• 4. In the event when a thief is caught, he is to make restitution for what he stole. If he is unable to do so, he must be sold to slavery, and the money gained was to be paid to his victim. As far as I know, petty thieves hardly save or invest stolen money. Restitution can be difficult for them.
• 5. Revisiting number 1 above, if the stolen animal is still alive, then the thief is to pay double, not 5x or 4x as in the case above.

LAWS ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROPERTY

• 1. If an owner lets his animals loose for grazing (unsupervised), he is liable for damages that his animals cause to another person’s field. Such negligence is punishable. The restitution is that he must give the victim access to his best field and also give him access to his best vines.
• 2. A person who starts a fire and fails to quench it is liable for any damages if the fire spreads and hurts others. He is to make restitution for it. If unable, he shall be sold to slavery to pay for his crime.
• 3. When someone gives his neighbour some money (or valuables) to keep, the neighbour is a trustee for it. If such money (or valuables) is stolen by a thief, and he is caught, the thief must pay double.
• 4. On number 3 above, in the case where the thief is not caught, the matter must be brought to the judges for fair hearing. The judges will investigate the matter to ascertain if there was negligence on the part of the trustee, or whether he is the thief or not.

God went on to give them the principles of restitution that will guide the judges on their assignment. These principles are based on the degree of the trustee’s negligence, fair hearing, swearing of oaths, presentation of evidence, eyewitness accounts, and kindness to one’s neighbour.

Before we move on, I’ll like to state that there are two kinds of oaths under the Law.

• Promissory Oath:
  This is used to confirm one’s intention to fulfil an obligation or promise. It is often used by those assuming some public office or a contractual obligation (like marriage, construction project, etc ).
• Assertory Oath:
  This is used to confirm the truthfulness and reliability of one’s testimony. It is often used in the courtroom setting to exonerate oneself of a (false) charge brought against one and to clear one’s name.

MORAL AND CEREMONIAL LAWS
The remainder of this chapter records various laws of purity and justice. They are in four categories. Let us go through them:

SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY

• 1. Any man who sweet-talks a virgin (who is not engaged to any man) into having sex with her (not rape!) must pay her dowry (50 shekels of silver) and marry her. And he must not divorce her as long as he lives (Deut. 22:29). Under the Law, and in God’s perspective, there is no such thing as a “one night stand” with no accountability.
• 2. The virgin’s father has a right to refuse to let the man who seduced his daughter take her as a wife. He had the final call. The seducer would still pay the dowry but will not receive a wife. This was a strong mechanism against taking advantage of young women.
• 3. Deut. 22:25-27 gives more information on how to deal with this situation in the case where the virgin is already officially engaged to another man. It is considered a rape and the rapist must die. It is a capital crime.

SACRED RESPONSIBILITY
Three capital offences were mentioned here: Sorcery, bestiality, and idolatry. Such offences are punished by death and not left for negotiation. “You shall not allow… shall surely be put to death… shall utterly be destroyed”

• 1. SORCERY includes magic, incantations, drugs, and all the occult means by which men attempt to manipulate the dark powers of the supernatural world. A sorcerer, male or female, is an instrument of Satan (Lev. 20:27) and must be cut off from the community, lest they poison people’s curiosity about the supernatural world. In Lev 20:27 not only is the sorceress (a female) to be killed but also male sorcerers.
• 2. BESTIALITY was a popular perverse practice among the Canaanites – the people that the Israelites are about to displace from the promised land. This behaviour strips man of his dignity and renders him more like a beast than a creature in the image of God.
• 3. IDOLATRY is a direct violation of the first and second commandments. Israel was God’s “firstborn”, so any Israelite that gives the worship meant for God to an idol must be put to death. As believers, we have clear instructions to flee idolatry (1John 5:21, 1Cor. 10:14,20). You can revisit Pastor Dammy’s sermon on how inhibit Satan from their space: Not Ignorant Of The Devil’s Devices — Part 5

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Verses 21-27 focus on the protection of the less-privileged people. Strangers, widows, orphans, and the poor are weak and vulnerable to exploitation. The spirit of the law prohibits the Israelites from making profit at their expense.

• 1. The strangers are not to be maltreated. God wanted His people to treat them fairly. This shows His compassion and His concern for those who are vulnerable. The Israelites are to remember how they suffered in Egypt, and let this caution them against oppressing strangers in their land.
• 2. The widows and orphans were usually defenceless and poor. They are not to be taken advantage of. God charged them to not harm the helpless but to help them, for that is what He does (Deut. 10:18). When widows or orphans cry out for relief, mercy, and justice from the hands of their oppressors, such a cry will surely ascend straight to God, and He will fight for them. He would act as a Protector, a Prosecutor, and a Punisher.
• 3. As for the poor Israelites, loans given to them must be interest-free. This reveals kindness and mercy to the poor among the Israelites.
• 4. Although loans given to the poor are interest-free, they still gave something as collateral. If a poor person gives his garment (cloak) as collateral, the creditor must ensure to return the garment to the poor person by evening. This is to protect the poor from the evening cold of the Middle East. A Bible commentary says that the creditor is to return the cloak each night until the debt is repaid.

SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBILITY

• 1. Expounding on the 3rd commandment, God commanded them not to curse, blaspheme, or revile Him.
• 2. The same command applies to their leaders. They must not curse or revile them. We are in a society that upholds freedom of speech, but the bible discourages us from saying anything we want about spiritual leaders. Even Apostle Paul referenced and applied this command when he called Ananias (the high priest) a whitewashed wall (Acts 23:2-5).
• 3. When it comes to their finances, giving to God must be prioritised. The offerings that honour God are not by reminders or by remainders.
• 4. They were commanded to be holy (sanctified) both in inward principles and outward practices.

Dear Gogolights, permit me to draw your attention to a line in verse 27: And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious. If God hears the poor man’s cry for a cloak, much more, He hears our cry for sustenance. God is not only concerned about the “big things”; He is interested in the “tiny details” of our lives. Nothing is too small or too big to ask God for – we serve a Gracious God!

Tag five people and tell them: God is gracious to me! I am Mr. Honourable!

God bless you for reading. We shall continue tomorrow.

Grace to you, Church!