READ IT! - Introduction to Exodus 18-24

Readings for this week:

Monday: Exodus 18

Tuesday: Exodus 19

Wednesday: Exodus 20

Thursday: Exodus 21

Friday: Exodus 22

Saturday: Exodus 23

Sunday: Exodus 24

Introduction to Exodus 18-24

Chapter 18

So the Israelites went on their way towards Mount Sinai in the land of Midian. And Moses’ family came from Midian to visit Moses out in the desert. Moses told his father-in-law Jethro about everything that had happened in Egypt. And Jethro praised God and offered sacrifices.

The next day, Moses sat in the judge’s seat and all the people lined up to present their various cases and disputes to him. By the end of the day Moses was worn out. So Jethro showed Moses how to set up a proper system of courts and judges, saying, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.”

Chapter 19

Eventually, after three months of desert wandering, the Israelites finally came to the desert of Sinai and camped at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai is also known as Mount Horeb. We don’t know the location of Mount Sinai, but it is where God had first revealed himself to Moses.

And it is at Sinai that God meets with His people. And he makes a covenant with them. The Sinai Covenant added further to the Abrahamic Covenant. If Israel would be faithful to Him, God promised to make them into a “kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.”

And he appeared on the mountain in a great cloud of smoke, with lightning. And the people were afraid and wanted Moses to be their intermediary. Moses told the people what God said, and the people agreed that they would be faithful to the covenant.

Chapter 20

And God began to lay down his law, starting with ten basic commands.

1. You shall have no other gods before me…

Or in other words… even you should come across another god, don’t have anything to do with them… I’m number one

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol…

Or in other words… don’t exchange the creator for the created

3. You shall not misuse the Name of the LORD your God…

Or in other words… don’t give God a bad name by either your words or your actions…

4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy…

5. Honor your father and your mother…

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet…or in other words… don’t long to live someone else’s life… to have their clothes, their marriage, their property.

According to the text, the Israelites only made it so far before telling Moses to make God stop talking to them, because they were scared to death of the voice of God. And so Moses became the man in the middle, delivering God’s mail to his people… a prophet.

And as we’ll soon find out… Moses had a lot of mail to deliver.

And so here begins what is known as the Law portion of the Old Testament, from where the Torah derives its name. This section is made up almost entirely of long lists of laws that Moses delivered from God to his people… many of which sound pretty weird.

So let’s dive in a take a look at what comes after the Ten Commandments.

First, we have laws about idols and altars. First, don’t make idols. Second, don’t make your altars really fancy… And third… don’t climb up altars on steps… because ain’t nobody want to see up your robe.

Chapter 21

Next we have laws about Hebrew servants… which can be pretty much summed up in the command to: set them free after seven years.

Then we have laws about personal injuries such as “…take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

Chapter 22

And then laws on protection of property like… If you steal someone’s sheep, you must pay them back four sheep…

Then laws of social responsibility… where God says: “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.”

Chapter 23

Then we get to laws of justice and mercy… such as: “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.”

And then we get to The Sabbath Law, where god commands his people to… farm the land for six years, and let it rest in the seventh year… and work for six days, and rest on the seventh day

We then get a little break in the text from all the laws and God begins to tell his people what is going to happen in the future...

He says:

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 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.”

And…

“I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.”

Chapter 24

The people said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do", and they offered sacrifices. The LORD told Moses to stay on the mountain and he was there for forty days and nights.