As the website is being updated to automatically post daily readings, we hope that in the meantime these pages will help you continue your reading of God’s Word with the wonderful expository notes of James Philip. If you have any problems, requests or queries regarding these, please get in touch – andy@thetron.org or jonnie@thetron.org
Exodus 21:33-36
“When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.
“When one man’s ox butts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share. Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.”
30th) 21:33-36
The legislation now passes from rights of persons to rights of property. First of all there is the matter of careless neglect. The particular instance is that of leaving a well uncovered so that it becomes a hazard to man and beast, but the illustration is of wide application to all sorts of situations today. Damages may be claimed in civil courts, and awarded, for loss incurred through another’s carelessness. The principle lying behind all this is that of thoughtfulness, and this is a much to be desired grace in any age. Many of our country’s by-laws are directed against the thoughtlessness of careless and selfish people, as for example litter laws and noise abatement. Paul sums up the whole matter, and the whole Old Testament law in the words, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour” (Rom 13:10). That is enough for today – a short comment, but one that surely speaks volumes!
Exodus 22:1-15
“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.
“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.
“If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.
“If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, an oath by the LORD shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.
“If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.”
31st) 22:1-15
Further matters concerning the rights of property are dealt with in these verses, theft (1-4), damage done through trespassing on another’s property (5, 6), the law of deposits (7-13) and legislation anent borrowing (14, 15). This is full of interest, and it is easy to see how practical the application is for our own day, in many directions. We are by no means dealing with a dead letter. Indeed, when one sees that the constant and undeviating emphasis and requirement throughout is restitution, it becomes clear that the Mosaic legislation is in advance of our own, for not even yet, in the early years of our enlightened twenty-first century, does our law provide for restitution. It is useful in this connection to remember that when a crime is committed, two distinct matters are involved. On the one hand, the law has been violated, and justice requires that its penalty be visited on the guilty party. On the other hand, however, an injury has also been done, to the person and property of the plaintiff, and it should surely be clear that in order for justice fully to be done, that injury must be repaired and restitution made. In fact, however, only the first of these two matters has usually been dealt with in law; the guilty criminal is put in jail, but his unfortunate victim may have no redress save by an action for damages in a civil court, expensive to conduct, and problematic in its outcome, or by means of an insurance cover, which also costs money. Either way, he stands to be out of pocket. Happily, legislation is now being instituted which will make restitution for injuries done to innocent people. But thus far back, Moses insisted upon such justice being done, and antedated by many centuries the tardy legislation of our own system.
Exodus 22:16-31
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
1st) 22:16-31
There is a great deal in these verses that needs and deserves careful and detailed study, but there is a certain advantage in taking them together first of all, in order to see and appreciate the common theme that runs right through them. It may be aptly summed up in the words we find at the end of 27, ‘for I am gracious’. It is the grace and compassion of the Lord Jehovah that shines through each separate enactment. One can only marvel at the gentleness and tenderness with which those that tend to be wronged in society are regarded and cared for by God. We do well to remember this. It is one of the great lessons to be learnt from the Old Testament and it gives the lie to those who often dismiss the Old Testament Scriptures as harsh and legalistic and lacking in the love of the New. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Divine provision for the wronged maid is a case in point, and one finds oneself thinking instinctively of the harsh censorious attitude of the Pharisees towards the woman taken in adultery, in contrast to the Lord’s gentle dealing with her and to the spirit of 16, 17. It seems clear from 16 that this act is regarded by the Lord virtually as marriage, and this being so, the man is not allowed to contract out of his responsibility in the matter. Whether or not actual marriage is unsuitable is something decided not by him, but by the maid’s father. He has forfeited his right to pronounce on the suitability of the match. He must think in terms of responsibility now, not suitability. And he is responsible to God Who cares for the defenceless maid and is her Protector. It can hardly be denied that such a lesson is in urgent need of being stressed in our day.
Exodus 22:16-31
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
2nd) 22:16-31
We will now look at the other enactments in this passage. The harshness of 18 needs to be understood in the light of two considerations. One is that all trafficking with evil spirits is forbidden upon the strictest penalties (the biblical opposition to spiritualism is not that it is false, but that it is wrong). See Deut 18:9-14. The other is that what was said earlier about the stringency of the death penalty for crimes other than murder may well be taken to apply here also (see Note on 21:12-19). It was essential for the very existence of this new people of God that they be kept pure from the influences that God had condemned in the nations surrounding them. The strictures in 19 and 20 are surely obvious to all. The case of the stranger (21) is of practical application in numerous situations today, whether in society in general (as in the case of overseas people coming to live among us) or in the life of a congregation. A stranger has often few rights, and is always in danger of being imposed upon. Without friends, and unfamiliar with the customs of a country or a situation, he is often an easy prey. The basis of the compassion that is to be shown, significantly, is the remembrance of what we ourselves once were, and our own experience as strangers: that should be sufficient incentive for us to want to spare others that distressing experience.
Exodus 22:16-31
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
3rd) 22:16-31
We continue to look at the various enactments. The widow and the fatherless are not exempt either from the exploitation of evil men; but God’s special care is towards them (see Deut 14:29, 16:11-14, 24:17-21), and beyond all legal penalties that can be visited on those who hurt them lies the Divine sentence of wrath and punishment certain to fall upon them for their heartlessness. The word about lending for usury in 25 is not so much a condemnation of the principle of lending for interest (see Deut 23: 19, 20) as to prevent a man driving a hard bargain with his own kith and kin. Compassion, not an eye to business, must be the characteristic of our dealing with our brother (see also Deut 17:7-10). The word ‘gods’ in 28 should read ‘God’. The ‘first fruits’ enactment in 29-31 is designed to make us recognise that all life belongs to God, and in giving our first-fruits to Him we are in token giving it back to Him.
Exodus 23:1-9
“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.
“You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
“You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”
4th) 23:1-9
These verses, in continuing the application, and explication, of the Ten Commandments, enunciate various provisions for the administration of justice. The emphasis throughout is on impartiality. They are applicable both to courts of justice and to personal relationships. Neither witness nor judge must allow himself to be influenced away from the truth so as to cause a miscarriage of justice. Witnesses are warned against inventing or circulating an untrue report – either by word, or by gesture, or by silence, for there are many ways of conveying a false impressions!- (1), and those who judge are warned against being influenced by the voice of the multitude (2), or biased by sentimentality on behalf of the poor so as to be partial to his cause (3), or, on the other hand, be prejudiced against him or indifferent to his cause just because he is poor (6). There must not, as we sometimes say, be one law for the poor and another for the rich. Accusers are especially warned against making false charges (7) which, even though disproved, may blight the innocent party’s name, soil his character, and shorten his days (Meyer). This is just as applicable in the law court as in private life, and the harm ‘false matters’ can do is as great in the one as in the other. The strict justice of these verses is beautifully infused with the idea of mercy in the enactments of 4 and 5. The same God Who demands that justice shall be done has no thought that justice is incompatible with compassion or love, or made the excuse for the lack of mercy. What wisdom and balance we find in the Word of God, and how reliable a guide to true and worthy behaviour!
Exodus 23:10-13
“For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
“Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
“Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.”
5th) 23:10-13
The principle underlying the fourth commandment is now applied in what is known as the institution of the Sabbatical year (see also Lev 25:1-7). Every seventh year the land was to lie fallow, and no cultivation was to be done, nor sowing nor reaping. This merciful provision was meant to make provision for the poor, who might gather all in the fields that grew of itself, and to save the soil from exhaustion and keep it fertile as a land flowing with milk and honey. In an age when rotation of crops was unknown, this remarkable legislation seems to have anticipated the principles of modern agriculture by many centuries. The Sabbath principle is seen here to be necessary and good for the poor, for slaves, for strangers, for animals, and even for the soil itself, if it is therefore so basic to the welfare of man and nature alike, it can hardly be regarded as a mere Jewish ceremonial ordinance to be abrogated, neglected or despised with impunity. It is perhaps not without significance that our age, which has seen the most widespread neglect and secularisation of the Lord’s Day, has become known as the age of anxiety, with something like 60% of all hospital beds in Britain occupied by patients with psychological rather than physical disorder and disease, George Philip, in a Note on this passage, quotes a story told of native carriers “who would go so far in one day’s journey and then refuse to go another inch. They said they had to stop to let their spirits catch up with them.” We could hardly doubt that this represents a crying need in our time.
