EXODUS – PREVIEW
While Genesis explains the origins of the world and of humanity, Exodus is the theological foundation of the Bible. Exodus explains the origins of Torah—the law of the Jewish people and the tradition surrounding that law. Torah is not merely a list of laws, but rather the notion of law as a way of life.
Exo 1-18 tells the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt & ch19-40 deal with God giving Israel the Law. Chapter 22 in particular deals with laws concerning the poor, foreigners & the oppressed.
Some of the laws here are pretty harsh eh? God says in v24 ‘I will kill you with my sword!’ Man… that’s pretty intense. I definitely don’t want God’s sword at my neck. God takes the issue of how we treat the poor pretty seriously!! We should too…
Exodus 22:22-25
22 You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. 23 If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; 24 my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children 25 If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them.
Exodus 23:6-11
6 You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8 You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. 9 You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 10 For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
Journal – What do you think God ‘feels’ when widows & orphans are abused?
Task – Write your own laws about how you should treat the poor, orphan, widow, the innocent, aliens (foreigners) & oppressed in Bangalore.
