Exodus II Outline Week 8

Outline 3

Intro/Welcome

Which laws are correct? Where do our laws come from?

Book of Covenant — based on TC’

God gives the Societal Laws as his plan for human flourishing.

Pray

Preliminary Considerations

Intro to BOC

Human beings flourish when they glorify God in their lives.

Proper Worship Leads to Human Flourishing

Worship Leads to Laws

An Ordered society leads to Human Flourishing

Laws required to restrain Evil

Administered Justice leads to Human Flourishing

Upheld Human Dignity leads to human Flourishing

Compassionate Hearts lead to Human Flourishing.

Only the gospel creates compassion

Application

What you worship informs how you vote

Are we a compassionate people?

Pray

Logistics:

Title: Understanding the Civil Law

Proposition: God gives the civil law to Israel becuase he cares about human flourishing.

Jesus:

Jesus flourished more than anyone in human history.

Our definition of flourish matters (thrive)

Did Jesus keep the entire law?

If the entire law is rooted in the Ten Commandments and Jesus perfectly kept them, then yes.

He keeps the root, he keeps the fruit.

Jesus has more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control

If our satisfaction is in Jesus who perfectly kept the law,

so that we do not ‘have to’ but we ‘desire to’ because the law is begin written on our hearts.

Then all of these other laws come out of the ten, so we will be less prone to:

cheat our neighbors, mistreat people, act in self interest

more prone to: care for the poor and needy, worship rightly, honor human dignity

Outline 1

Intro/Welcome

What do you think about the separation of Church and State?

“Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others”

Could you live without laws?

Could we flourish without Civil Laws?

Not so much, how do these laws apply to us?

but What do they reveal about God?

God cares about Justice

Retribution & Restitution: Wrongs to be righted

Laws about Personal Injury (Exod 21:12-36 )

Theft (Exod 22:1-4)

Property rights (Exod 22:5-14)

Honoring Women (Exod 22:16-17)

Cultural Context here:

Man is held responsible (this is consensual

Honor her by marriage / paying the bridal price (cultural)

God cares about the poor and vulnerable

Proper treatment of Slaves (Exod 21:1-11)

Exursus on slavery — Not Chattel — see kidnaping prohibition (Exod 21:16)

Care for widows and orphans (Exod 22:22)

Rooted in the fact that they were ‘resident aliens’

direct appeal that God will hear their cries

Do not exact interest on loans to fellow Israelites (Exod 22:25)

If cloak is put it up return it for night (often used as a blanket) to keep warm (Exo 22:26-27)

dignity even in debts owed

Sabbath 7th year - let land rest so poor & animals can eat from it (Exod 23:11)

Observe sabbath so people and animals can rest (Exod 23:12)

God cares about proper worship

Idolatry & Altars Exod 20:23-26

Sorceresses, Beastiality, False Gods (Exod 22:18-10)

Apparently, this offensive sexual act was prevalent among the Canaanites

Give 1st born offerings (sons, cattle) (Exod 22:29-30)

Be my Holy People (Exod 22:31)

Exod 19:5-6 — Holy Nation (people)

Do not invoke names of other gods - Idolatry (Exod 23:13)

Celebrate the three festivals in my honor (Exod 23:14-17)

Festival of Unleavened Bread. (Passover)

Festival of Harvest (First fruits — pentecost)

Festival of Ingathering (Harvest)

Do no t boil a young goat in its mothers milk

It is generally agreed that the reference is to a fertility rite that entails boiling a kid in milk; but there is no sure reference to the milk of its mother in the broken Ugaritic text

The crux of the matter is simply, that the young dead kid is being cooked in the very milk that was its life-giving sustenance

God cares about his glory

You have heard my voice, therefore obey... (Exod 20:22)

Do not blaspheme my name (Exo 22:28)

Failure to live out his law (congruence)

Also violates Commandment # 3 - misusing God’s name.

Celebrate the three festivals in my honor (Exod 23:14-17)

God cares about human life (dignity)

Death Penalty — life for a life

caring for the poor is directly tied to his name, they will cry out to him and he will act (Exod 22:21-28)

God cares about order

don’t curse the leaders among you (civil authorities) (Exod 22:28)

So, too, cursing the rulers shows contempt for civil authorities whose job it is to uphold God’s law. (NIVAP)

Authority instituted by God through Moses (Exod 18)

Observe the sabbath week, sabbath years. (Exod 23:10-11)

So our laws should do they same.

To what extent do our national laws reflect biblical laws?

Ultimately for me, it comes down to how we define human flourishing.

This is based on our worldview

Pray

Preliminary Considerations:

Very Different Culture

Application of the Moral Law

Sample of the Law

Laws needed b/c of Sin & Brokenness

The Civil Law

Mix of Worship & Social Responsibilities

A. Worship: Idols and Altars (20:22–26)

B. Social Responsibility (21:1–22:17)

1. Freedom and Servitude for Hebrew Slaves (21:1–11)

2. Humans Injuring Other Humans (21:12–27)

3. Various Injuries Involving Animals (21:28–36)

4. Concerning Matters of Property (22:1–17)

C. Worship and Social Responsibility (22:18–23:19)

1. Worship: Sorceresses, Bestiality, and False Sacrifices (22:18–20)

2. Social Responsibility: Oppression and Loans (22:21–28)

3. Worship: Offerings, Firstborn, Holiness (22:29–31)

4. Social Responsibility: Testimony in Court, an Enemy’s Animal, Oppression (23:1–9)

5. Worship: Sabbaths and Festivals (23:10–19)

Exodus Original Meaning

It is no accident that the Book of the Covenant begins and ends with matters of worship. Nor is it accidental that social and cultic matters are interwoven throughout the text, particularly in part C. The structure of the Book of the Covenant reminds us that secular and sacred intertwine. More precisely, there is no “secular” realm in ancient Israel. God’s law to Israel pertains to all matters of conduct.

God’s Intention for the Law

Worship & Social Responsibility

Worship fuels obedience

Worship informs values

Values drive behaviors

Behaviors drive laws

Laws enforce behaviors

Church and State — married and unmarried

Gov’t Responsibilities

Promote Order

Enact Justice (defend the weak / poor)

Make Flourishing Possible

Promote common good (Romans 13:3-4)

Gov’t Origins:

Gen 1:28 - Adam & Eve over all creation

Genesis 1:28 CSB

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”

Gen 9 - Retribution / restrain evil

Int. comes after the flood which wiped out evil

Application for us.

Is God first in your life?

Is God first in your vote?

Resources:

& Campaign