1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: Life Audio The Bible Study Podcast, Episode nine and eighty two. Today, 2 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: The Bible Study Podcast continues the study of the Book 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: of Exodus with chapter twenty three. Welcome to the Bible 4 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: Study Podcast. I'm your host, Chris Kristensen. We're going to 5 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: get to the fourth of the four sections of the 6 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: law here in the middle of Exodus, not counting the 7 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: ten Commandments, so maybe it's the fifth. But first a 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: word from this sponsor. Today, we have laws of justice 9 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,239 Speaker 1: and mercy to start with. Do not spread false reports. 10 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. 11 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,559 Speaker 1: Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong when you 12 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: give testimony in a lawsuit. Do not pervert justice by 13 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: siding with the crowd. And do not show favoritism to 14 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: a poor person in a lawsuit. If you come across 15 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: your enemy's aca or donkey wandering off, be sure to 16 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: return it. If you see the donkey of someone else 17 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: who hates you fall down under its load, do not 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: leave it there. Be sure you help them with it. 19 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 20 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: Have nothing to do with a false charge. And do 21 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: not put an innocent or honest person to death. For 22 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,839 Speaker 1: I will not acquit the guilty. Do not accept a bribe, 23 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: for bribe binds those who see and twist the words 24 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: of the innocent. Do not oppress a foreigner. You yourself 25 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: know how it feels to be foreigners, because you are 26 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: foreigners in Egypt. Again, this is a section of the 27 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: law that's almost a little preview here of Leviticus, here 28 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: in the midst of Exodus. I'm not sure why just 29 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: these show up in Exodus and the rest of them 30 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: show up in the book of Leviticus, but these are 31 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: laws that were important to God for the people of Israel. 32 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: And a lot of this here is just let your 33 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: justice be just right. Though the measure of justice is 34 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: is something the law. Then it's the law for the 35 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: people I hate as well as the people I love. 36 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: It's the law for people who hate me as well 37 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: as the people who love me. I'm not taking bribes 38 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: if I'm the judge, or if I'm a witness, or 39 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: if I'm doing anything regarding this case. The truth is 40 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: the truth, because God does care about truth. It starts here. 41 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: Do not spread false reports. And that's not just in court, 42 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: but that can be online as well. And again it 43 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 1: doesn't mean you have to even know it's false. If 44 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: you're being so lazy as not to look up to 45 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: see if it's false before you spread it, you're spreading 46 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being 47 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 1: a malicious witness. Don't lie about what you see. Malicious 48 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: means your intent is not good. Don't follow the crowd 49 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 1: and doing wrong again. Let your justice be justice. Do 50 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: not give testimony a lawsuit. Do not pervert your justice 51 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: by siding with the crowd. So don't go along with 52 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: the crowd when you know the crowd is wrong. And 53 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: that's why I thought was interesting. Don't show favoritism to 54 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: a poor person in a lawsuit. Now, there are other 55 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: places that don't show favoritism to a rich person, especially 56 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: don't take a bribe. But you might be tempted just 57 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: a side with a person who doesn't have the money 58 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: against the rich corporations these days, or against the rich 59 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: person in those days, and says no, the truth is 60 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: the truth, the justice is justice. You can't show favoritism. 61 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: And then I thought it was interesting. If you come 62 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: across somebody's ox wandering off, you be sure to return it. 63 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: That's just nice. It's a good neighbor, even if it's 64 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: someone who hates you and you see it falling down, 65 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: do not leave it there. So this is a beginning 66 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: of those verses that get so uncomfortable in the New Testament, 67 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: with love your neighbor, love those who hate you sort 68 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: of things. It's treat those who hate you well also, 69 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: and don't you and I justice to poor people in 70 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: their lawsuits, so that's the opposite of what we saw before. 71 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: Have nothing to do with a false charge, and really 72 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: really don't put an innocent person to death, for I 73 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: will not acquit the guilty, because you will be found guilty, basically, 74 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: and do not accept a bribe, and so many times 75 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: in the scripture it talks about bribes. Corruption is a 76 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: perversion of justice. Corruption is a perversion of justice. Bribery 77 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: or taking money or siding with people because they're your 78 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: friends is a perversion of justice, and God hates it. 79 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: And then that last verse that is somewhat problematic for 80 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: some of us. Do not oppress a foreigner, for you yourself 81 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 1: to know how it feels to be foreigners, because you 82 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: were foreigners in Egypt. They were told not to treat 83 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: foreigners differently. God cared for the foreigner, the powerless, the widow, 84 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: the orphan, And you should toobath laws. For six years 85 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: you were to sow your fields and harvest the crops. 86 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 1: But during the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed 87 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: and unused. Then the poor among your people may get 88 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 1: food from it, and the wild animals may eat what 89 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your 90 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,599 Speaker 1: olive growth. Six days do your work, but on the 91 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: seventh do no work, so that your ox and your 92 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:21,279 Speaker 1: donkey mare rest, and so that the slave born in 93 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed. 94 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: Be careful to do everything that I have said to you. 95 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: Do not invoke the names of other gods. Do not 96 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: let them be heard on your lips. It's interesting that 97 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: that verse gets lumped into the Sabbath laws, but of 98 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: course the Sabbath law is relating to our relationship with God, 99 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 1: and it's talking here not just about resting on the 100 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 1: seventh day, but letting your fields rest also, which is 101 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 1: good agricultural practice. Basically, let your fields be fallows so 102 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: that they will be refreshed. It doesn't talk about crop rotation, 103 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: but that's another way to let your fields be replenished 104 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: the three annual festivals. Three times a year, you were 105 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the feast of 106 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: unloven bread. For seven days, eat bread made without yeast, 107 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: as I commanded you do this at the appointed time 108 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: in the moon of Aviv, for that is the month 109 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,159 Speaker 1: you came out of Egypt. No one is to peer 110 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 1: before me empty handed. Celebrate the feast of harvest with 111 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,280 Speaker 1: the first fruits of the crops you sew in your field. 112 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,280 Speaker 1: Celebrate the festival of in gathering at the end of 113 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: the year. When you gather in your crops from the field. 114 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: Three times a year, all men are to appear before 115 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: the Sovereign Lord. Do not offer the blood of a 116 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 1: sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast. The fat 117 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning. 118 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:44,679 Speaker 1: Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil 119 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: to the house of the Lord your God. Do not 120 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: cook a young goat in its mother's milk. I'm not 121 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: sure why the young goat one happens there, but it's 122 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: one of those that is the reason that do not 123 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: cook a calf at its mother's milk. Which is a 124 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: different version of this as the reason why if you're 125 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,599 Speaker 1: Kosher Jewish you can't have a cheeseburger to this day, 126 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: you're not supposed to mix milk products and beef, milk 127 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: products and meat. And it comes back to this verset 128 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: and other ones like it again, that is, if you're 129 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: Kosher and Jewish. And remember at the beginning of this 130 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: section we talked about how do these laws to apply 131 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: to us as Christians? And that's a little more complicated. 132 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: Go back four episodes if you didn't listen to that one, 133 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: and I'll talk about that, and we'll talk about it 134 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: more as we get into Leviticus. But basically three big festivals, 135 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: the unloven bread, which is remembering coming out of Egypt, 136 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: and then the beginning of the harvest and the end 137 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: of the harvest. And these are because God saved you 138 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: out of Egypt. He gave you this land, and the 139 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 1: land bears fruit. God's angel to prepare the way. See, 140 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 1: I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard 141 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: you along the way and to bring you to the 142 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen 143 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: to what he says. Do not rebel against him. He 144 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: will not forgive your rebellion, since MY name is in him. 145 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: If you listen carefully to what he says and do 146 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: all that I say, I will be an enemy to 147 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My 148 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: angel will go ahead of you and bring you into 149 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: the land the Amorites, Hittides, Peserites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebisites, 150 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: and I will wipe them out. Do not bow down 151 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 1: before their gods, or worship them, or follow their practices. 152 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. 153 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: Worship the Lord, your God, and his blessings will be 154 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: on your food and water. I will take away sickness 155 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren 156 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,439 Speaker 1: in your land. I will give you a full lifespan. 157 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 1: I will send my terror ahead of you and throw 158 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all 159 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send 160 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,959 Speaker 1: the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites, 161 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: and Hittites out of your way. But I will not 162 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,839 Speaker 1: drive them out in a single year, because the land 163 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. 164 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: Little by little, I will drive them out before you, 165 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. 166 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to 167 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. 168 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 1: I will give into your hands the people who live 169 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: in the land, and you will drive them out before you. 170 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 1: Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. 171 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: Do not let them live in your land, or they 172 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 1: will cause you to sin against me, because the worship 173 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 1: of their gods will certainly be a snare to you. Now, 174 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: these are all interesting things, and keep these in mind 175 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: as we go forward in this book, because we're just 176 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: here with God. We're just getting the covenants. We just 177 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:44,079 Speaker 1: got the Ten Commandments, some other commandments, and the real 178 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 1: big one here now is basically no other gods, and 179 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: don't get hooked into the gods of your neighbors, right, 180 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: that is really a number one, and that God is 181 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: going to do all these great things for you if 182 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:02,199 Speaker 1: you will keep this 's really this one rule above 183 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: all others, which is no foreign gods. Now, we're not 184 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: very many chapters away from where that gets screwed up, 185 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: so stay tuned. And with that, we're going to end 186 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: this episode of the Bible Study Podcast. If you have 187 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: any questions, send an email to Chris two xat gmail 188 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,319 Speaker 1: dot com, or, better yet, leave a comment on this 189 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: episode at the Bible Study podcast dot com. And as always, 190 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: thanks so much for listening. I want to take just 191 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: a second to thank the team at Life Audio for 192 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: their partnership with us on this podcast. If you go 193 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: to lifeaudio dot com, you'll find dozens of other faith 194 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 1: centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows about prayer, 195 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: Bible study, parenting, and more.