Practice Makes Holy

The chapters in Exodus that follow the Ten Words (aka The Ten Commandments) give the people of God some very practical application; these chapters will help the people of God know how they should live.

These chapters cover some whacky and weird verses as well as some contemporary hot topics: the death penalty, slavery, premarital sex, orphan care, lawsuits, fistfights, property rights, the poor, the foreigner, loving our enemies, and on and on.

Tony Merida: “In Exodus, God formed a people to display His glory. He taught them how to live in community with one another. Before we pass this section off as irrelevant [to us], think about how important this section was for Israel. They needed some guidelines for living.”

Have you ever had a roommate? If so, you know exactly what I mean when I say that we can understand the need for guidelines.

I had a roommate who hid pizza under the couch so no one would find it and eat it, a roommate who brought greasy bags of old cafeteria food home and threw it on the floor for “whoever is hungry”, a roommate who refused to wash a single dish (ever), and a roommate who fell asleep in the bathtub and flooded the entire apartment (twice)!

I had to set some guidelines if we were going to live together without killing each other: all food goes in the fridge (or in the trash); if you use it, wash it; and most importantly: no baths, showers only.

Imagine 600,000+ Israelite men (not counting women and children and the others who left Egypt with them) living amongst one another in the desert for what will turn out to be 40 years. Let’s call it 1.5 million people living side-by-side—they could use some rules, some guidelines for living.

The question for us: How do we, God’s people, live out this life with one another? With our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, our enemies? With those who hate us?

Knowing how to live with one another, in the sight of God, requires us to have more than a knowledge of God’s commands (the Ten Words). We should know them, even the order of them. But, more importantly, we must put them into practice.

It’s as Jesus said:

Matthew 7:24–27 NIV

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The rules and ordinances in our text for today essentially apply the Ten Words to specific situations. Is there anything more relevant than glorifying God by loving Him and loving our neighbor?

All true Christians long to obey the Greatest Command—Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength—and the Second Greatest Command—Love your neighbor as yourself.

Since all true Christians long to obey what Jesus identified as the Greatest and Second Greatest Commands, all true Christians should consider these chapters carefully.

You see, God is concerned with how we relate to one another in day-to-day life.

God calls us to holiness, integrity, mercy, justice, and fairness in the ordinariness of life.

We spend most of our days in the ordinary: going to work, seeing neighbors, raising kids, eating at Swope’s, shopping at Food Fair—seemingly routine activities.

How, then, can we glorify God in the routine of our daily life? These chapters give us some insight into how Israel was meant to apply God’s Word to their lives.

This is precisely what we do when we open this book. The goal of studying the Bible (or listening to a sermon) is to apply God’s truth to our lives, to learn to apply what God has said to our particular situation.

>If you have your Bible (and I hope you do) please turn with me to Exodus 20, starting with verse 22. Keep your Bible (digital or hard copy) open this morning as we move our way through the text.

I will make one reference after another this morning and you will be well-served by having God’s Word open in front of you.

>After the Lord spoke to His people from the mountain, giving them the Ten Words, it seems pretty clear that the people realized what just took place.

They had just heard from the Lord Himself. Smoke and fire and lightning and trumpet blast…and they trembled.

And now, in verse 22, the Lord speaks to Moses:

Exodus 20:22 NIV

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven:

And from here on, the Lord shares with Moses rules and regulations, practical application of the Ten Words the people just heard from Him.

Worship

In Exodus 20:23-26, the people are given some specifics concerning worship—the outworking of the 1st and 2nd Commandments: no other gods and no idols or images of worship.

The people must worship God alone. So God tells them how He is to be worshipped; that is, how His people must and must not worship Him.

The Lord tells them to make an altar for sacrifices and burnt offerings, but with specific instruction. He doesn’t want them merely to avoid worshipping pagan gods, but to avoid worshipping like the pagans.

Pagan altars were fancy and well-crafted, so fancy in fact that the temptation might be to worship the altar as much as anything else.

You see, nothing in corporate worship should be done for show. We shouldn’t be gimmicky or ornate. God should be the focus of worship; not the building or even a leader. If there’s anything that distracts from the worship of God, it needs to be done away with immediately.

The altar was to be made of natural, God-made objects; it was not to be fancy. And it’s purpose was simple: sacrifice.

The altar was the place for making sacrifice for sin. And, on special occasions, for giving thanks to God.

God knew His people would need forgiveness, even after giving the law to them.

Of course, the altar and the sacrifices point us to Jesus, the once-for-all-time sacrifice; He who paid the penalty for our sin by being slaughtered in our place.

His sacrifice pleased God, and because of that, we can be reconciled to God. Jesus is our sacrifice for sin and the offering that reconciles us to the Father.

Therefore, when it comes to our worship, the most important thing we do is remember Jesus. Apart from Him, we cannot worship and know God.

Servants/Slaves

(Exodus 21:1-11) We should first note that this is not “slavery” like we think about in American history.

Most people of the day ran small family businesses and their servants were simple workers, employees in the business who lived at the master’s place. They were contract workers.

During the time of Moses, the situation was markedly different than the 18th and 19th centuries. These people weren’t forced laborers; their service was voluntary. People hired themselves into service of others, often because of debt. Involuntary slavery was forbidden.

The service was voluntary and temporary. The servant/slave worked for 6 years and then went free; they were given a Sabbatical. They didn’t leave empty-handed.

Their service was civil. The master could not abuse the slave.

This service/slavery was neither oppressive nor was it racially based. God’s freed people weren’t freed so that they could oppress others.

One cannot excuse the blight of American slavery or its utter and complete sinfulness by turning to the Bible as justification.

The servants/slaves in the OT aren’t property; they’re people (if the Lord considered them to be property, they would be dealt with in Exodus 22).

Servants/slaves weren’t considered three-fifths of a person as in America. They are whole people, created in God’s image, with all the worth and dignity as everyone else.

The 4th and 10th commandments mention servants, giving them the same worth as anyone else.

This we must understand: A servant/slave here is much different than what happened here in our country and what continues to happen around the world today.

No person is property. No person is less-than another. No person is to be used or exploited. If you believe differently, you need to repent.

In Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin. We’ve been freed from that. We are, however, slaves to Christ—and this is our joy. Our Master loves us and died for us, He cares for us, protects us, and provides for us.

Personal Injuries

(Exodus 21:12-36) As we move through these verses, we see laws on injuries to people and animals. The principle reiterated here is that the punishment should fit the crime.

These verses deal with intentional and unintentional homicide (re: the 6th Commandment), with kidnapping, physical or verbal assaults on one’s parents, and abuse.

Bottom line: people matter to God. They bear His image.

On this Mother’s Day, we should notice the gravity of honoring one’s parents (re: the 5th Commandment). Attacking (v. 15) and cursing (v. 17) one’s parents is forbidden. Speaking against or abusing your parents means you are guilty of a great sin against God.

It’s no small thing, the 5th Commandment. “Honor your father and mother.” We don’t put to death those who disrespect their parents (if we did, none of us would be here). But we must give to them proper honor and respect and thank God for them.

In verse 16, the word kidnaps is the same as steal in the 8th Commandment. Kidnappers were put to death immediately, no matter who was kidnapped.

An ancient legal code—the Code of Hammurabi (circa 1772 BC)—prohibited kidnapping, but it only applied to the upper class. According to Hammurabi, common people could be kidnapped without it being viewed as a crime.

Israel is to be different. Israel was to understand that because people are made in the image of God, they could not be treated poorly.

Life-threatening injuries are dealt with in these verses, with the punishment fitting the crime. No excessive punishment is tolerated by God.

Exodus 21:23-25 are very familiar verses.

Exodus 21:23–25 NIV

23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

The goal here was for justice to be served across the board. The rich couldn’t buy their way out of a problem. Justice and equity is the order of the day.

Of course, Jesus had something to say about these verses.

In Exodus, these laws provided guidelines for judges as they assessed damages and what was owed to make it right.

Jesus teaches us guidelines for ordinary relationships.

Matthew 5:38–42 NIV

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Christians should seek to imitate Christ (that’s why we’re call Christ-ians). We imitate Jesus—His generosity, His mercy, His forgiveness. We don’t retaliate; we show mercy instead of wrath.

There’s a good amount of discussion in these verses (vv. 28-32) about animals, and this because virtually everyone in the ANE was a farmer and had working animals.

If an ox killed a man, the ox was to be killed. The punishment fits the crime.

Human life is greatly valued by God, be it man, woman, child, or slave.

Protection of Property

(Exodus 22:1-15) Stealing and coveting—Commandments 8 and 10—are elaborated upon here.

The laws appear sensible. You had to respect one another’s property (unlike the typical college roommate).

These laws are wonderful gifts, because they show people how to live in community, loving their neighbor as themselves.

The laws also help settle disputes. These laws protect life, even the life of a thief.

In other cultures, authorities killed thieves.

But God’s law placed primacy on life, not possessions. We are not to steal, nor are we to covet. But neither are we to pretend like possessions are more important than people.

Property is protected. People are valued.

Social Responsibility

(Exodus 22:16-31) Here the 7th, 2nd, and 3rd Commandments are in view. Adultery, idolatry, misusing the name of the Lord are explained at more length.

It’s clear the Lord values purity. The man who seduces a woman and has sex with her outside of marriage shows blatant disregard for her worth.

The man is responsible to provide for the woman—through marrying her and paying her father.

We live in a sex-saturated culture. Pornography abounds, in picture and literature. Premarital sex and cohabitation (among all age groups) is commonplace. People think little about modesty.

God calls His people to purity and holiness.

Now, hear me: there is forgiveness for those who belong to Jesus. And there is no condemnation for those in Christ. What’s more, we have the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live out this calling to purity and holiness.

The point is not to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and be perfect (can’t do that). The point is to repent, seek forgiveness, and depend on the Lord to make us holy and pure.

One of the great verses in this chapter is verse 18. I think we all should commit this one to memory:

Exodus 22:18 NIV

18 “Do not allow a sorceress to live.

In all seriousness, verses 18, 19, and 20 are three cases in which Israelites would be made unclean. Anyone engaged in these three activities was turning away from the one true God (and likely leading others astray). Hence, the loving warning from God.

>God’s people are called not just to obey the laws, but to care for those in need.

This includes the foreigner.

Exodus 22:21 NIV

21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

God’s people are to provide the same care to others that we have received from Him.

We are a people who care for strangers. Strangers, foreigners, immigrants, refugees should receive our loving welcome, just as Christ has lovingly welcomed us.

To take advantage of the weak and vulnerable is a particularly heinous sin. And it’s a huge problem.

There is so much that could be said here. Suffice it to say that God expects us to care for those in need because He cared for us when we were in desperate need.

This is loving our neighbor. Some are critical and believe that to preach these verses will lead to a “social gospel”—merely doing good things at the expense of sharing Jesus.

As Ligon Duncan recently preached: “It’s not the social gospel; it’s the dadgum Second Greatest Commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Some ask, “Who is my neighbor? To whom am I responsible.”

Simple answer: everyone.

Hard answer: even the people you hate, the people you look down upon, the people you view as your enemies.

Who is my neighbor? Every single person. Foreigner, stranger, immigrant; the poor, oppressed, marginalized. Everyone.

God is compassionate toward the needy. He hears their cries. As should we.

The 3rd Commandment pops up again in verse 28.

Exodus 22:28 NIV

28 “Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.

Watch what you say about God.

And watch what you say about others, especially your leaders.

In the NT, both Paul and Peter echoed the call to respect those in leadership. No matter who they are. No matter if you like them or not.

Some will find this easier than others, depending on who is in leadership or who is in office.

If you’re thinking, “Yeah, that’s right. I respect those in office and so should they,” you’re right.

But you must remember that when leadership changes.

And you should probably ask yourself if you’ve honored those in who were in leadership previously. My guess is that most of our respect turns on and off every 4, 6, or 8 years, depending.

You don’t get to respect only those who fit your political leanings. The instruction is not tribe- or party-specific. It’s a blanket instruction for God’s people.

The major point is verse 31:

Exodus 22:31 NIV

31 “You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs.

I doubt the prohibition against eating the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts is something we need to hear; maybe, but I doubt it.

What is crucial is the first part of the verse:

You are to be my holy people.

By listening to Him, practicing His law, obeying Him, we show ourselves to be His.

We are separate, set apart, called-out. Another word for this is “Church”. Ekklesia, the Greek word for church, means called-out ones.

We, Church, are to be holy.

Laws of Justice and Mercy

(Exodus 23:1-9) These laws expand on the 9th Commandment—You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

God’s people are not to spread false reports. None of us ever have any problems with that, so we can just move on.

Next slide.

Just kidding.

What makes these verses even more difficult is that:

We are to deal justly and act mercifully where our enemy (v. 4, 5) is concerned;

When someone who hates us (v. 5) is in view.

We are called to treat the poor (v. 6) just like anyone else.

The foreigner is mentioned yet again (v. 9)—

I wonder if the Lord is concerned with how His people treat the foreigner. No, scratch that; I don’t wonder, I know He is.

We are to be holy people who love justice and love mercy, who act justly and mercifully no matter what, no matter who it is we’re dealing with.

Sabbath Laws and Festivals

(Exodus 23:10-19) The Lord wasn’t about to forget the 4th Commandment. The day of rest is crucial to the life of His people. Not only this, but on the seventh year, the people were also to rest from sowing and gathering so that the poor might benefit from the land.

Verse 13 is key:

Exodus 23:13 NIV

13 “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.

Do you see that? “Be careful to do everything I have said to you.”

God is not interested in partial or half-hearted obedience. He wants and deserves full and complete obedience from His people.

To commemorate what God had done, He established three feasts, so that His people would worship Him and Him alone:

Exodus 23:14 NIV

14 “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

“To me", says the Lord. He is the object of our worship. Him and no other. (We are meant to see the 1st and 2nd Commandments here).

Three feasts He ordered: The Festival of Unleavened Bread (celebrating freedom from Egypt), The Festival of the Harvest (celebrating God’s provision), the Festival of Ingathering (celebrating God’s salvation).

(v. 18) Blood and yeast were not to be offered together. Yeast represented sin, blood represented sacrifice—the two were not to mix.

(v. 19) The firstfruits were to be used during the feasts. God still deserves our best, the firstfruits, not the leftovers.

These three feasts point us to the salvation God has given. They point us to Christ.

Listen to P.G. Ryken:

“Jesus Christ is the Savior [that] God always planned to send; so already in the OT He gave His people experiences that would help them (and us) understand the meaning of their salvation. Jesus is the source of our sanctification, the firstfruits of our resurrection, the Lord of the harvest, the water of life, and the sacrifice for our sin. This is the gospel according to Moses.”

Friends: I pray you see Jesus in these chapters, our need of Him, and how these regulations point us to Him.

The last part of verse 19 is so weird. And I love it so much:

Exodus 23:19 NIV

19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

This is likely forbidden because it was a practice that was used in the magical arts and fertility religions, under the mistaken belief that doing this would increase the number of livestock. It’s superstition; it’s pagan theology and God’s people are to have none of it.

This verse is still held in high esteem today. Jewish people don’t mix meat and dairy—ever—in the off-chance, for example) that the animal that became the meat and the animal whose milk became the cheese would ever make-up the same cheeseburger.

Life without cheeseburgers or chicken-fried steak and gravy—what’s the point?!?

“Hey, you! Don’t eat!” the old law commands

And keeps what’s tasty from our hands;

Far better news the gospel’s makin’:

It bids us eat and gives us bacon!

Jared Wilson wrote that poem as a little joke, but I thought it fit here quite well. The old law set down rules—no cheeseburgers or bacon—so that God’s people would be distinct, holy, set apart.

As long as they kept the law, they’d show themselves to be different, unique, God’s peculiar people. They would fail again and again.

The law is meant for obedience, not to provide salvation. It was never going to save them, try as they might. And the same goes for us.

We cannot keep God’s law. But Jesus has. The law demands our obedience, but we are unable to live up to its high standard.

Only Jesus could. And Jesus did. For our sake, He obeyed the law. He fulfilled the law. By faith in Him—faith in His death and resurrection—we are saved. By faith in Him, His obedience is ours.

“Run, John, run!” the Law demands

But gives us neither feet nor hands;

Far better news the gospel brings:

It bids us fly and gives us wings.” — John Berridge

“Father, help us to put into practice what you have spoken. These words, these rules and regulations were meant to make your people distinct. I pray that people would know us by our love—our love for you, Lord, and our love for our neighbor. May we be like the wise man who put your words to practice, for practice makes holy.”