Doug Van Pelt

The Great Exodus.23

Laws of Justice and Mercy
That's a great heading for chapter 23. God's divine guidelines continue, with rules about daily life, like:

Don't spread false reports.
Don't help a wicked man by being a malicious witness.
Don't follow the crowd in doing wrong.
Don't side with the crowd and pervert justice when giving testimony in court.
Don't show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey, help it out (be nice to your enemy in that way).
Don't deny justice to poor people in your lawsuits.
Don't put an innocent man to death.
Don't accept a bribe.
Don't oppress an alien; "you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt."

Once again God reminds His people to remember their own mistreatment and warns them not to dish out the same kind of treatment. I guess that's part of the sinful nature of man -- to treat others the way we are treated. I guess it's easier to be nice to others when they're nice to us; but it's wrong to be mean back (or "respond in the same spirit") to those who are mean to us.

There's also some unique instructions on farming -- leaving the crops alone after six years of harvesting. This seventh year the land rests and also poor people and wild animals can benefit from it. This is interesting, because some of God's people might sense or feel that they're being taken advantage of in this seventh year, but God says it's okay. It's His command, so we'd be wise to listen.

Three annual festivals are enacted here:

The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Feast of Harvest
The Feast of Ingathering

God also tells His people that He's going to send an angel before them, to guard them along the way and to bring them to a place He has prepared. He says:

"Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since My Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will opposes those who oppose you."

God lets them know that His angel will go ahead of them and bring them into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, wiping them out. He tells His people to destroy their sacred stones and worship artifacts and not to follow their practices. He promises that His blessing will be upon their food and water; that He will take away sickness from among them, and none will miscarry or be barren in their land. "I will give you a full life span."

Wow. Careful instructions to obedience and a blessing.

God tells them He will basically guide them into the promised land, but not do so overnight -- little by little so that they can manage their territory, etc. He warns them not to make covenants with these lands they are to take over.

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at July 12, 2007 10:47 AM