Exodus 22:16-31
September 23, 2024
Laws About Social Justice
“If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride price for virgins.
This would be looked on as almost foolishness in our Culture, but one must remember that God’s ways are above our ways and His thoughts above ours. Today, both people who go by the title of Christian and those who have disdain for the ways of God act in the same way, living together and having sex before marriage. But one must remember that the seducer had to pay equal to the bride price in that he had stolen her claim to being a virgin. You might say the man had taken from her something very precious. It could not be returned; once taken, it was gone.
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
“Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.
“Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.
Grace, a word all will someday understand, it was an act of Grace when God sent His only Son to be a man, yes, he showed up like you and I did, being birth by a special young lady. She was a virgin; Jesus’ father was the Holy Spirit of God. At an early age, He was at the temple being dedicated to the Lord, like all young Jewish males, who were the firstborn. He grew up being obedient to his mother and earthly dad, and at the age of 30 began His earthly ministry. He taught that all have fallen short, for all have sinned, but Jesus became our atonement by taking your sin to the Cross, and His blood covers sin, that grace, that mercy, and in receiving Jesus, atonement for our sins. He also made clear that He was the only way to the Father in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
Be a helper to widows and fatherless children.
“If you lend money to any of my people, with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
If God puts on your heart to help someone with a loan, do not charge interest. My thought is to give the money as a gift, and if they are moved to pay it back, it should not be with interest.
“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
“You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day, you shall give it to me.
Exodus 22:30 has a lot of theologian guessing about the meaning; one says it was "Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day." This is likely a reference to circumcision, which happens on the 8th day after being born.” I also gave thought to that, but it was my best guess. Another says, “The firstborn sons of the people also belong to Yahweh, but the nature of their consecration is not specified in this context. However, based on other passages in the Mosaic Law, a case can be made for their dedication to sacred ministry.” Once again, a guess, but this is for sure, it was not that the child should be killed; nowhere in the Scripture does it state such. That was the custom of some of the pagan countries at that time.
This was taken from “Got Questions.”
“In biblical times, the firstborn was given certain unique rights, responsibilities, and privileges. A married couple’s firstborn male child was given priority and preeminence in the family, and the best of the inheritance. The nation of Israel is identified as God’s “firstborn” in the Bible, Exodus 4:22,
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son”; Jeremiah 31:9 “With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. in other words, Israel held a special place of privilege and blessing among the nations.”
“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore, you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
From our Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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