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