When God reveals himself he often prepares the way by telling his people what he will do, then he does it, and then he explains what he has done. We get an excellent example of this in the passage before us. In chapter 19 the Lord told Israel that he would come and speak with them, in chapter 20 he gave Israel his law, in following chapters he will expound his law and its implications for their lives.
Read More holiness, worshipIf you are a typical reader of the English Bible this is where your resolve is tested. When we decide to read through the Bible the books of Genesis and Exodus to this point make for interesting reading because they contain all kinds of stories about God’s dealings with his people. But when we arrive at Exodus 21 things change and the material can become tedious, and we can get bogged down pretty quickly.
Read More compassion, Scripture, law, slaveryBecause the God who created all things is holy we should not be surprised to learn that we live in a “moral universe.” This means that the universe is regulated by God and if we look at life from God’s point of view we are able to discern principles of equity and justice. Our passage illustrates this with its series of laws specifying what is to be done in a variety of contentious situations that call for discerning arbitration.
Read More justice, moralityHuman interaction is not without its difficulties. Given enough time there will eventually be disputes which pit one person against another. Many, but not all, human disputes have to do with property. For example, people dispute the rightful possession of property, who is responsible if property is stolen or damaged or goes missing, and many more questions besides.
Read More property, stewardship, materialismIf there is one thing that the Bible declares about God from beginning to end it is that he is sovereign over all. There is nothing he does not know, nowhere that he is not, and nothing he cannot do. He is Lord of all and no area of life is outside of his authority. This truth is woven into the very fabric of scripture and so it is not surprising that we see it here as well.
Read More integrity, God’s sovereignty, wholenessWhen our first parents rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) they ceased to be God-centered in their perspective but instead attempted to make sense of life from their own perspective. This was a fatal mistake and one we continue to make. We need God’s perspective if we are going to live wisely – which is another way of saying that we need to be God-centered instead of relying solely on our own judgment.
Read More justice, Sabbath, wholeness, festivalsMany years after these words were written the apostle Paul asked the rhetorical question, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Paul then went on to emphatically assert, “no one!” (see Romans 8:31-34) This should not come as a surprise given all that God has done for his people down through the years. In the New Testament the greatest evidence of God’s power is the redemption he accomplished in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Read More idolatry, protection, deliveranceThis passage tells us about the confirmation of the covenant that God made with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. It is an important part of God’s progressive revelation of himself to Israel and the world. The account involves three different groups of people: the people of Israel; Aaron and his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel; and then Moses and his aid Joshua. All of them are part of this confirmation ceremony.
Read More holiness, ceremony, salvation, covenantHaving given Israel his law and having confirmed his covenant with them, the Lord now gives instructions about making a sanctuary for him where he may dwell among them. That God should dwell in the middle of a sinful people that he has redeemed for his own is another amazing example of his grace. But so it is, God himself will live in a tabernacle – a tent – among his people.
Read More holiness, beauty, tabernacleAfter describing the Ark of the Covenant we are told about the Table and the Lamp stand which are situated in the Holy Place outside the curtain that distinguishes it from the Most Holy Place. Like the ark and all of the objects within the tabernacle it is made of pure gold and any poles used to carry it around are overlaid with pure gold while objects outside the tabernacle are made of lesser metals like silver and bronze. The closer one gets to the Lord, the more valuable the metals.
Read More salvation, beauty, tabernacle