Exodus 22

Exodus 22.1-31 / Ch.23.1-19 Law of Moses Cont.

Tonight we are continue to look at the 2^nd aspect of the LAW –namely the LAW OF MOSES

A)Noted that The LAW OF MOSES is NOT binding upon us as gentiles, but it is HELPFUL to us

B) For in it we learn of the heart of God and mind of God

But It also gives us insight into the PERSON & NATURE of Jesus Christ It helps us understand Him & His Ministry

Ch. 22:1

Here as the Lord is getting into the legal and judicial matters for the nation of Israel – He introduces a very important & workable Principle

A)Principle of Restitution

B) Steals an Ox – pay back 5 fold / sheep – 4 fold

A story is told about a new convert who went to his pastor and said, "Before I was saved, I stole a rope from my neighbor's barn. After reading about Zaccheus in the Bible, I decided to return it. Yet my neighbor still isn't reconciled to me." The preacher questioned him a bit further. "Are you sure that's all you took from him?" Embarrassed, the man replied, "Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn't give back the mans prize cow that was attached to the rope ( 4 & 5 fold )

C) Now this may come as a surprise to You but in the O.T. economy of Israel the People knew nothing of INCARCERATION

1) There was no such thing as a jail – Now we know about Jails 1.8 million incarcerated in the U.S. – S.D. Fred - MISSION FIELD

D) But in God’s economy – NO JAILS – see it wasn’t about incarceration but RESTITUTION

1)Murder – killed / steal Ox – pay back 5 fold / sheep – 4 / result their crime rate was really Low – ( Incredible consequences )

E) Under laws of restitution, the criminal bore the burden, the "result was that the victim was restored to a better position than before his loss

and the lawbreaker was punished by having to make right his wrongs in

a manner that cost more than his potential gain."

Now here is what is interesting about this – Principle of Restitution

A)A person who was caught stealing – most of the time was a poor person that is why they were stealing

B) So how could a poor person pay back anything – how save up ? Here is what they did – Your whole family was responsible to pay back

Family ACCOUNTABILITY & TRAINING was Huge !!!!

C) Principle of RESTITUTION - important one

a story about a farmer who had sold a combine at an auction. However, in order to increase the sale price, he first set the hour meter back so the combine didn't appear to be as used as it really was. During a revival crusade the farmer came to Christ – felt convicted of his dishonesty . He confessed his sin to God and determined to make restitution.

"Next, he talked with a farm implement dealer to determine how much less the combine would have been worth had he not tampered with the hour meter. Finally, he went to the new owner to confess what he had done and to offer $1,500 in restitution. The buyer was taken aback and said, `This is unbelievable. My wife just underwent a series of cancer treatments which have put us under financial strain.' He went on to explain that he and his wife had determined that the amount they needed to get out from under the financial burden was $1,500.

"Two households were blessed by the obedience of one man."

V. 2-4

Now the key phrase in this section is found in v. 3 if the sun has risen on him

A)V.2 deals w/ a thief breaking in at night – you kill him – to protect your family – no guilt for his blood shed

B) But if he breaks in during the day / where you can see him – where you can yell at him or capture him –/ if kill him - GUILTY

Now if he is captured he needs to make restitution – of double what he was trying to take !!!

C) The idea here is that with – increased light there is increased RESPONSIBILTIY

1)The more we see, the more we know, the more we are held responsible for

v.5,6 -

A)Restitution from the best of His crop - / in case of fire v.6 you are responsible for your actions

B) Our society advocates – making EXCUSES for everything –

Here is a list of statements made by motorists who were trying to explain why they had been involved in accidents:

The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intentions.

A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.

I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother- in-law, and headed over the embankment.

The pedestrian had no idea which direction to run, so I ran over him.

These excuses show how prone we are to evade responsibility for our wrong actions. They are actually an attempt to justify a mistake in order to escape blame.

C) The Lord is clear – Take responsibility for what is yours – and for your actions – your neglect

1) Start a fire take responsibility – sparkler on the 4^th - Ran !!!!

James 3:6 See how great a forest a little fire kindles! ⁶And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body,

A)The field of the heart in many men & women have been destroyed because someone lit a fire w/ the TONQUE !!!!

B)Someone said something untrue about a person and burned them

1)Someone took something true and talked to someone about it

Someone listened when they shouldn't have

C)CHECK THIS OUT- The result is that someone's FRUITFUL FIELD is

destroyed

1) A life that was baring fruit is singed and fruitless

D)There service is hindered..... they are so hurt that they are ineffective during a time of healing

E)IF you have lit that fire YOU make restitution

Make it RIGHT with that person/ RESTORE that field

F) Go to the people that you spoke to about the other person – say I was wrong and I am sorry I shouldn’t have said those things

Recently had to do this –( even though what I said might have had merit to it – I had no business saying those things about – person )

v.7,8 –

If the thief is found – He needs to pay double – stuff is returned plus double

A)Now if the thief isn’t found then you are to go before the judges – and they will determine if the man who watching was negligent

V.9 "For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

Suppose someone leaves a coat at your house to keep You come back and the coat is nowhere to be found

A)And you hassle over the value of the coat/ it was so unique that it could never be replaced

B) Both parties are to go before the judges and the judges are to determine who is right- (Judges are those in spiritual leadership )

C) Paul talked about this in 1 Cor. 6 – as Believers -We ought not to be taking our hassles before unbelieving judges

1) Settled in the Body of Christ

1Cor. 6:1 ¹Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? ²Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ³Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

D) Paul is declaring that we should be able and have the spiritual wisdom to deal w/ such matters in the body

1) Arbitrated things from time to time

E)Now IF the person that you have a cause against is an unbeliever... that is another matter

v.10 – 15 Bible comments

V.16 – Heavy one

The Lord declares that if a man seduces a woman he is saying I do!! He is marrying her

A)I wonder how many young men today would think twice about getting involved sexually if this was still being carried out

B) Lie w/ her – you are committed !!!!!!

C)Now what if the Dad said I don’t want that jerk to marry my Princess

There was a provision for that v.17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the bride-price( DOWRY) of virgins.

D) That Dowry was an incredible sum – it was going to cost you and or your family big time

This had an incredible impact on the way that young people acted

E) Are you beginning to see the WISDOM & the heart in what God set up here

Doesn’t like to see people get ripped off by sin – so Consequences as a warning ( Problem today – there are no Consequences )

V.18-20 BIBLE COMMENTS

v.21 –

A)Strangers – immigrants – watch out for Prejudices – Continuation school - Mr. Hoover – Your attitude

B) Jewish man bar – beer / in walks a Chinese guy - …… Pearl Harbor –

1) Pearl harbor I wasn’t there – wasn’t even born – plus wasn’t the Chinese Japanese – ( Chinese / Japanese Vietnamese – what is Difference)

C) Later – TITANIC - what I wasn’t there – ICE BURG

Gold burg / Steinburg / Ice burg – No Diff.

D) Strangers – You are strangers / Neat opportunity to share – we are strangers and pilgrims - going to heaven

V.22 – 24

There seems to be a special place in God’s heart for Widows and the fatherless Child
^{James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.}

A poor widow in Sao Paulo, Brazil, had four children to feed but only five cruzadoes in her purse (about 20 cents). The decision she had to make was to buy either milk, which meant her children would go without food, or to buy bread, in which case they would go without drink. She prayed to the Lord for two hours, and He told her to buy all the groceries she needed for three months at a huge supermarket and go through checkout stand seven (there are 124 check stands).

So she filled up three carts to overflowing and went to checkout stand number seven. But the employee was leaving for lunch and motioned her to go through another stand. The woman replied, "But my Father told me to go through number seven." The checker left for lunch, but this widow, who heard God's voice, trusted and stayed at checkout stand seven for one hour with 20 cents to her name.

The checker returned, astonished and puzzled to see the same lady waiting all that time. As her groceries were added up, an announcement came over the loud speaker, "Good afternoon, shoppers! Today is the seventh anniversary of our opening, and the person in checkout stand seven gets all her groceries today free!"

A)Here the Lord makes a special provision against any one who would take advantage of a widow or a fatherless Child

A)Guy business – thinks – she will never Know the Difference / she doesn’t have a Husband – Not only dishonest but Dangerous

B) The Lord says I will make your wife a widow and your Children fatherless

C) MY WRATH WILL BECOME HOT !!!!

V.25- 27 – BIBLE COMMENTS

The Lord declares I am Gracious – SO YOU BE GRACIOUS TOO!!!

A)The Lord is continually bestowing underserved favor so you do the same thing too !!!

v.28-

V.29a ²⁹"You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices.

Principle of First Fruits

A)This offering was a public acknowledgment of the blessing and goodness of God, for blessing their harvest & Providing for their needs

B)They responded by giving Him the first fruits – principle seen throughout the Scriptures

Prov. 3 9 Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

C) Paul instructed the Corinthians Ch.16 to Bring their firstfruits into the storehouse on the first day of the week

D) Storehouse is the Place of congregational meeting / Place of meeting & dispersing / Tithe storehouse / offering any where

Now Why does the Lord want us to Bring it into the Storehouse ? I don’t get any credit when I give here at CCV

A)There is no momentos/ no Plagues / not a part of 100 dollar club / not going to put picture on the wall or name in the Bulletin

B) I am not going to get a letter from the President / NOTHING

No one Knows / no one sees / I am giving to the Lord in total anonymity

C)That is the Key – GIVING TO THE LORD / & THE LORD THEN DISPERSING FROM THE STOREHOUSE AS HE SEE FIT !!

D)So the Lord says don’t delay in giving your first fruits / nor your first born

The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ³⁰Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me. LK 16 MONEY MATTERS

Initially it was the Lord’s intent that – the first born male in every house was set apart for the ministry – the Priesthood

A)Later – singled out the tribe of Levi – but in the beginning – first born son of every tribe

B) Animals on the 8^th day – 7 days were needed for nursing and the health of the animal – but on the 8^th day – the Lord

Wiersbe - Verses 29-31 get to the heart of obeying the law: put God first in your life and gladly obey what He says. This is the OT version of Matt. 6:33.

^{33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.} Ch.23 – v.1 Gossip

A)Be careful what you say; is God's rule of conduct. A gossiper is as bad as a murderer, a thief, or an adulterer in your midst,

yet in our society a gossiper gets by easily.

v.2,3 BIBLE COMMENTS

V.4 – CAT STORY

A)Went for a drive – horrific odor – pulls into the parking lot of a mall opens the hood – a cat had crawled in to sleep – escape cold – engine warmth

Started the engine the cat got caught in the fan belt – reason for the horrible odor – bag – clean – hood – goes into the mall to wash his hands

Coming out – woman standing next to his car looking right left – grabs the bag – hops in her car – takes off - he is intrigued follows her

She goes several blocks pulls into the parking lot of Starbucks gets out of her car grabs the bag – goes in for some coffee – he follows

She gets her coffee sits down opens the bag – lets out a SCREAM – she falls over in her chair shaking on the floor in shock – hardly breath

Owner calls the paramedics – who come – stretcher – ambulance – that is when the man comes up grabs the bag – says Here miss don’t forget your bag lays it on her chest

Not exactly the idea here – bring it back to him - v.5
^{5If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.}

A)Burden – those who wronged you – PRAY for them – PRAY BLESSING upon them

B) Sure fire GUARD against bitterness

v.6-9 BIBLE COMMENTS

V.9 REPEAT = IMPORTANCE TO THE LORD

V.10-12

Here God is instituting the SABBATICAL YEAR

A)Every 7th year work was to cease

B) So the land could rest... The beasts could rest... The servants could rest... So MAN could rest

C) The Lord is NOT desirous of WASTING the talents and resources that He has so carefully crafted in you, His creation

1) Knows the importance of RESTING

D)Of course - Man is finally catching up with the wisdom of God

Now we have the agricultural knowledge of letting fields lie fallow so

the soil will not die

NOTE: What happened was that the people decided that they would NOT let the land rest every 7th year so they could get ahead

A)The Lord allowed the Jews to ignore the Sabbatical Year for 490 years

UNTIL the Lord said: You owe Me 70 years

2Chr. 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

B) The Lord said I've been patient with you/ But I've been keeping tabs

How long was Israel in captivity in Babylon- 70 years

C) NOTE: The Lord will ALWAYS get what is owed to Him

QUOTE: "The wheels of God's judgement TURN SLOWLY but they GRIND THOROUGHLY"

D) He waited 490 years... But then He said: Time to pay up

There are still many believers who try to outsmart God like Israel did by hedging on 70 Sabbath years

V.13-19 BIBLE NOTES