Treatment of slaves

  • Exodus 21:1-11
  • Hebrew slaves
    • Temporary servitude – Hebrew – six years
    • Other factors
      • Married?
      • Given to marry?
      • Children?
      • Willing to remain?
    • Selling a daughter
    • Method of early redemption
    • Severe treatment

Did God approve of slavery?

  • Did not approve of divorce – stated so
    • Malachi 2:16
    • Mark 10:2-12 (Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9) – “from the beginning”
  • Where it starts
    • Exodus 21:16 – To forcibly take a slave = death
    • Appears forced slavery not allowed
    • No restriction as to nationality or religion
  • Fact of slavery

Tortfeasance

  • Exodus 21:12-22:31
  • Uhhhh… What?
    • Archaic legal term
    • Twisted conduct
    • Modern version: torts
    • Better known as common law
    • Requires both knowledge and wise interpretation
    • Concerns all varieties of harm caused by imprudent conduct
    • Code of Hammurabi?

Code of Hammurabi

  • 18th Century BC
  • Legal code in Babylon
  • Some similarities with Law of Moses

Justice between Israelites

  • Exodus 22:16-23:9
  • Specifics and principles of justice
    • “What to do if …” statutes
    • Some capital offenses
    • Usury laws
    • First fruits and first born
    • Perjury and suborning perjury
    • Mob activity
    • Partiality
    • Returning lost property
    • Perverting justice
    • Graft
    • Oppression against foreigners

Sabbaths and festivals

  • Exodus 23:10-19
  • Sabbaths for land
  • Sabbaths for animals
  • Sabbaths for servants, slaves
  • Feats to observe and some rules
  • Appearance of all males before God

The promise of victory

  • Exodus 23:20-33
  • Guardian angel
    • Obey him
    • Bring you to promised land
  • Serve God only
    • You’ll be fruitful
    • You’ll be victorious
    • Enemies confounded, scattered
    • No covenant or service to their gods

The blood of the covenant

  • Exodus 24
  • Moses comes down
    • Recounts to the people
    • They answer
    • Moses records
    • Makes sacrifice
  • Moses takes the blood
    • Sprinkles half on the altar
    • Reads the covenant
    • People respond
    • Moses sprinkles the people
    • Declares it the “Blood of the Covenant”
  • Hebrews 9:18-28

Moses and others appear before God

  • Exodus 24:9-18
  • God appears
  • Moses moves up
  • After six days, He calls Moses
  • Moses remains for 40 days and nights

God instructs Moses

  • How to build the tabernacle
    • Contributions needed (Exodus 25:1-9)
    • Ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:10-22)
    • Table for Bread of the Presence (Exodus 25:23-30)
    • Golden lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40)
    • The tabernacle structure (Exodus 26:1-37)
    • The bronze altar (Exodus 27:1-8)
  • More instructions
    • Tabernacle court (Exodus 27:9-19)
    • The lamp – oil and when to burn (Exodus 27:20-21)
    • Priests’ garments (Exodus 28)
    • Consecrating the priests (Exodus 29)
    • Altar of incense (Exodus 30:1-10)
    • Bronze basin for priestly purification (Exodus 30:17-21)
    • Anointing oil and incense (Exodus 30:22-38)

Filling in the details

  • Importance of Oholiab and Bezalel
    • Supply the details
    • Provide excellence in workmanship
    • Put their skill to work
    • Do all under God’s inspiration

Paying the census ransom

  • Exodus 30:11-16
  • Applied to everyone 20 years and older
  • Also called atonement money
  • Half a shekel
  • Same amount for all
  • Went to the service in Tent of Meeting