The Book Of The Covenant

 

All of the Biblical Covenants

I’ve been studying Exodus and have come to the chapters 19-24 where God gives Moses and the children of Israel the Mosaic Covenant. In order to understand what a covenant is, we need to establish some background.

In the Old Testament we learn of God initiating and establishing Covenants. What is a covenant?

Covenant – an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do, or not do, something specified; a binding promise of far-reaching importance in relations between individuals, groups, and nations; a formal, sealed contract; a written and legally enforceable agreement or promise that is often a part of a contract or deed, especially one to maintain the status quo of something or to do, or not do, something during the term of the covenant.

Marriage is a covenant relationship between a man and woman. The wedding is the covenant ceremony and celebration of the covenant. Peace treaties are covenants between nations.

The term “covenant” is of Latin origin (con venire), meaning a coming together. It presupposes two or more parties who come together to make a contract, agreeing on promises, stipulations, privileges, and responsibilities.

The Hebrew term בְּרִית, bĕriyth, for “covenant” is from a root with the sense of “cutting”, because pacts or covenants were made by passing between cut pieces of flesh of the victim of an animal sacrifice (Genesis 15; Jeremiah 34:18-19). Some scholars classify covenants as a covenant of promise or a covenant of law. The former involved an oath taken by God – a word of promise instead of command – while the latter is known in the Bible as “the Law”.

The covenants between two equal parties is a covenant relationship that was bilateral. The bond was sealed by both parties vowing, often by oath, that each, having equal privileges and responsibilities, would carry out their assigned roles. God initiated, determined the elements, and confirmed His covenant with mankind. It is unilateral. Persons are recipients, not contributors; they are not expected to offer elements to the bond; they are called to accept it as offered, to keep it as demanded, and to receive the results that God, by oath, assures will not be withheld. God’s covenants are unilateral. He initiates the covenants and takes responsibility for their fulfillment. We are not able to equally enter a bilateral covenant with God. We have nothing to contribute but our acceptance. When we break the covenants, God comes to us with grace. Jesus established the ultimate Covenant, the New Covenant. He fulfilled all the conditions of the Old Covenants and established a Covenant of Grace for us that includes Jews and Gentiles as long as we are believers in Jesus.

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Capitalized words are mine):
The Hebrew word for covenant does not appear in Genesis 1-5. Some scholars say that this is evidence that there was no covenant in humankind’s earliest history… BUT Biblical testimony points to the fact that God covenanted when he created. Hosea (Hosea 6:7) refers to Adam breaking the covenant. Jeremiah spoke of the covenant of the day and the night that no one can alter (Jeremiah 33:19-20); this covenant is understood to have been initiated in creation when God separated light from darkness and gave the sun and moon their appointed place and role (Genesis 1:3-5 Genesis 1:14). When Yahweh God first spoke to Noah, he said he was going to wipe humankind from the face of the earth (Genesis 6:7). But he assured Noah he would uphold and cause his covenant to continue. Hence Noah did not have to fear that God’s plan for and method of administering his cosmic kingdom would be different after the flood.

The basic elements of a covenant are imbedded in the Genesis account. God, in his revelation of creation, presented himself as the Creator. The historical record of what he has done was outlined. He created his image-bearers by means of which he placed and kept man and woman in a close relationship with himself and had them mirror (reflect) and represent him within the created cosmos. Humanity was given stipulations or mandates. As image-bearers they were to maintain an intimate and obedient fellowship with their Creator; the Sabbath was to enhance this. Humanity was to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth; this was to be done by establishing families; a man was to leave his parents and cleave to his wife (Genesis 2:24). Becoming one flesh, they would have children. As families increased, community would be formed. This social mandate thus was an integral aspect of covenant. So was the cultural mandate; man and woman were to cultivate (subdue) and rule over the creation. When God saw all that he had done, he confirmed, not by expressing an oath or performing a ratifying ceremony, but by declaring all to be very good (Genesis 1:31). This he confirmed by ceasing from creating activity and establishing the seventh day as a day of rest, sanctity, and blessing (Genesis 2:1-3 .

Yahweh God did more; he spoke of assured blessings. God blessed Adam and Eve; he thus gave them ability and authority to serve as his covenant agents. He provided for their sustenance ( Gen 1:28-30 ). He also spoke of the possibility of disobedience, if they ate of the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). The ideas of blessing (life) and curse (death) thus were also included. The forbidding of eating has been referred to as the probationary command but also as the integral aspect of “the covenant of works.” An increasing number of biblical students and scholars have come to consider, on the basis of biblical testimony, that it is preferable to speak of the covenant of creation and that what was considered to constitute the “covenant of works” is but an integral part of the covenant of creation.

Yahweh’s covenant agents were tempted by Satan. They doubted Yahweh’s words; they accepted the lie. They fell. They broke the covenantal relationship between Yahweh and themselves. Creation was affected, for it too suffered the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin. It too began to groan (Romans 8:22). But Yahweh did not break his covenant with creation and his vicegerents. He came to the fallen, shamed, and humiliated image-bearers and set about restoring humanity to fellowship with and service for him.

Yahweh, graciously maintaining his mandates, revealed that Adam and Eve could still work under them. Spiritual fellowship was restored by Yahweh’s assurance that the woman’s seed would be victorious over Satan and his seed. The social mandate was maintained; Adam and Eve as one flesh would have offspring, but pain would be suffered. The cultural mandate was still to be obeyed, but it would cause labor and sweat. All the elements of the creation covenant remained. Then Yahweh added another dimension to this covenantal relationship. He pronounced in germinal form his plan for the full redemption and restoration of his image-bearers and their royal, priestly, and prophetic roles with their attendant privileges and responsibilities. Yahweh revealed how this was to be done by adding to his creation covenant the redemptive and restorative promises and implied stipulations of faith and obedience. He established what has been widely known as the covenant of grace.

“Covenants are often initiated by an oath. God made unconditional promises to Noah (Genesis 9), Abraham (Genesis 15, Genesis 17) and David (2 Samuel 7:8).” – Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology

Elements of a Covenant:

• Oath, Promises
• Conditions and Consequences, or penalties, of breaking covenant
• Agreement
• Witnesses
• Walking between cut animals (broken flesh and blood)
• An exchange of something personal that can be shown as a seal of the covenant
• A Sign to remind all of the covenant
• Covenant meal together to seal the agreement

Let’s look at the covenantal relationship of marriage:

• Oath, Promises – We make promises to each other: “Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him/her, forsaking all others and holding only to him/her forevermore?”
• Conditions and Consequences, or penalties, of breaking covenant – “Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.”  Due to the depravity of the human heart, the marriage bond might be broken. Matthew 19:9 Jesus speaking, “I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery“. Jesus could have used the word moicheia, the word used specifically for adultery, but He chose a broader term, porneia. Porneia when applied to illicit sexual activity among unmarried couples and is translated “fornication.” Porneia as applied to illicit sexual activity among married couples is translated “adultery.” The Greek term porneia refers to sexual activity that is immoral, illicit, and unnatural. So the only divorce that does not lead to adultery arises from marital unfaithfulness. The consequences of breaking your marriage vows by porneia is either to never have sexual relations again or, if you remarry, you are committing adultery and suffer the consequences of adultery. The meaning of porneia is critical to understanding Matthew 19:9. Jesus affirmed the marriage bond of a couple in a monogamous marriage for life. Committing porneia is a serious breach of fidelity and trust, a breach in the covenant of marriage. By recognizing this, Jesus said the marriage bond can be broken. He did not say a divorce must occur after marital unfaithfulness but it is permitted. God’s ideal of marriage is a lifelong commitment.
• Agreement – “I take thee to be my lawfully wedded husband/wife. To have and hold in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until death do us part.”
• Witnesses – We make these promises before the witnesses of God and at least two humans. In a wedding we usually include family and friends as witnesses but the officiater and two witnesses sign the marriage license.
• Walking between cut animals (broken flesh and blood) – Sexual consummation of the marriage.
• An exchange of something personal that can be shown as a seal of the covenant – Exchanging wedding rings.
• A Sign to remind all of the covenant – Our rings, our marriage license, wedding photos.
• Covenant meal together to seal the agreement – The reception, or reception meal, after the ceremony.

Now, let us look at the Adamic Covenant (Genesis 1-3):

• Oath, Promises – God revealed Himself as the Creator of all and He created His Image Bearers in Adam and Eve. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28)
  And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
• Conditions and Consequences, or penalties, of breaking covenant – Adam and Eve were to maintain an intimate and obedient fellowship with their Creator. “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” Also read Genesis 3:16-19.
• Agreement – He confirmed by saying “It is good” and established the Sabbath as a day of rest and sanctity (Genesis 1:31-Genesis 2:1-3)
• Witnesses – God, Adam and Eve, and all of Creation witnessed this God-initiated Covenant with mankind.
• Walking between cut animals (broken flesh and blood) – God killed an animal in sacrifice in order to cloth Adam and Eve in skins.
• An exchange of something personal that can be shown as a seal of the covenant – God created Adam and Eve to be His Image Bearers: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule… So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27). God gave us His dominion over the earth and we were to be like Him and represent Him to the earth. God is a triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. They work together in perfect unity as One. So, God made Adam and Eve a triune being: body, soul (mind, intellect, memory, personality, character traits), and spirit. When they disobeyed God, their spirit died, leaving them with body and soul. Their body would eventually die. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our spirit is born, thus the term being “born again”. This makes us a triune being again. Now our spirit and soul do not die. Our bodies die but will be resurrected as immortal (like Adam and Even originally were) and will rejoin our spirit and soul in Heaven forevermore.
• A Sign to remind all of the covenant – Tree of Life
• Covenant meal together to seal the agreement –  Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.” (Genesis 1:29)
  And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden…” (Genesis 2:16)
  The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,…” (Genesis 3:2)

After the Edenic and Adamic (some say they are the same covenant) Covenants, there was the Noahic Covenant with Noah and his descendants. Then there was the Abrahamic Covenant with his descendants. Then we come to the Mosaic Covenant with the Israelites (descendants of Abraham through Isaac). The “Book of the Covenant” was originally a distinct document.

The Covenants

Now that we have defined what a Covenant is, briefly looked at Old Testament Covenants, and applied the biblical covenant to a covenant relationship of today, we are ready to look at the Mosaic Covenant in Exodus 19-24.

If you read Exodus 19, you will see God preparing the Israelites for a Covenant ceremony. God comes down on Mt Sinai in a show of great glory!!! The people are prepared and brought to the area below Mt Sinai where they can see and hear. They cannot touch the mountain on pain of death. In a day before arenas, concert halls and assembly halls and sanctuaries… in a day before microphones, speakers and sound systems… In a day before platforms, comfortable seats and acoustic technology, God speaks to His people in a way that every single one of the millions of Israelites could hear! God starts with the Ten Commandments. 

Exodus 20:1-17 (BSB) 1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12 Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The Ten Commandments summarize all of God’s Laws. The first four deal with our relationship with our God. The last six deal with our relationships with our fellow man. Jesus further summarized these commandments in Matthew 22.

Matthew 22:34-40 (BSB) 34 And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: 36 “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”
37 Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

As we read on in Exodus 20 and through Exodus 23, we see God continues speaking to the Israelites in a voice they can all hear. In fact, the whole experience scared the Israelites so badly that they begged Moses later to be the mediator between God and the Israelites because they were afraid of God. But, for this Book of Covenants, everyone of the Israelites heard it for themselves.

I hope you will take the time to read the rest of the Book of Covenant (Genesis 20-23). The Ten Commandments were called the Moral Laws. They don’t change. No matter where you live, what nationality you are, what color you are, what language you speak, what culture you grew up in… these are Commandments. I am a Southern American. I speak English. But I am a Christian first and foremost. And the Ten Commandments apply to me. If I break a commandment (and we all do), we can repent and Jesus forgives us. But that doesn’t lessen the importance of these commandments. It will always be wrong to murder someone. It will always be wrong to worship idols or to break the Sabbath or to lie, steal, covet. The Law is an expression of the Lawgiver’s heart and character. It doesn’t save us because we cannot perfectly keep all of the Ten Commandments and even one failure makes us guilty. But God gave them to us to show us right from wrong, to reveal that we are sinners and law breakers. The Law should lead us to the cross of Jesus Christ who took on all our sins, took the punishment for our sins, paid the price for our sins and released us into freedom! Then the Holy Spirit indwells in us to begin sanctifying us (a lifelong project) which etches the Ten Commandments on the flesh of our heart so that we begin obeying from the inside out. It becomes a natural fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit.

After the Ten Commandments comes the Judgments. These were laws that a Judge could use to determine cases among the Israelites. It established their legal system. Much like our American Constitution and Bill of Rights established our legal system. Our U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights had to be read and ratified (agreed with) by each of the original colonies (which became states). Why do we have laws? In order to live at peace, with order, so that we can prosper. If there are no laws, there is chaos and nobody can live in peace, safety, with the ability to prosper. Laws should be beneficial to the people. The Laws of God are beneficial. They benefit us in our relationship with God and with others. God did not ignore our sinfulness, but addressed it with the Moral Laws and Judgments (the Book of Covenant).

The legislative laws of the Judgments are beautiful. They are easy to understand, simple, fair and equitable and they addressed moral, criminal, civil and religious aspects of the new nation of Israel. There was civil and criminal laws, religious regulations and moral and humanitarian injunctions.

The Israelites had been slaves for about 400 years in Egypt and they were badly used, abused and frustrated by their Masters. And, yet, God does not make slavery illegal. In fact, God makes slavery an option for those in dire financial straits (they work their debt off) or as a punishment for a thief who cannot pay restitution. So it seems as though God allows for slavery. BUT, if you read these Judgments carefully, you will see all types of parameters concerning slavery. The first of the laws deal with slavery (Genesis 21:1-11). A Hebrew slave only had to serve 6 years and was set free on the 7th year. UNLESS, he liked being a slave or did not want to leave his family that he accumulated during his years of slavery. Then he could choose to be a slave to his master for life. Why would a slave choose to be a slave for life? I would hope it was because he had a good, kind and benevolent master with whom he didn’t mind doing his job. They had an established relationship that benefitted them both. Much like a job today where we establish a work relationship and we both, boss and employee, enjoy good work ethics and returns. A slave that has a comfortable bed, good food and water, clothing and good relationships may choose to stay in that situation rather than go into the world, find another job or way to make a living and establish a new existence. One who chose to stay as a lifelong slave was taken before witnesses where he was asked his choice. Then his ear was pierced as a sign of being a bondservant. When we leave one job we are comfortable with and have established relationships… it’s hard to change jobs and begin again. Why do we? For more money, better benefits, promotions, good environment (within the company but also maybe in relocating to a preferred place to live). A slave was paid with food, board, security and it paid off their debts. Today we are paid in money which we use for food, board,security, and paying off our debts. Back then, slaves who had chosen to stay for life, were taken care of for life. Today, we are paid in money which we should use to add to our retirement savings for when we get old and can’t work any more and have to pay for our care.

God also addressed the abuse of slaves. A master who abuses a slave is accountable. I won’t go into all of it here, read it for yourself. But an abusive master was penalized. If they paid for a slave and abused the slave and it resulted in permanent disability, the penalty was to set the slave free, then the master lost his money and it was his own fault. If his abuse led to the death of a slave, he had to be punished as though it were murder.

So, slavery, in itself is not sinful. It was the abuse of the slave, the brutality of one human, who had all the power and control, over a vulnerable human, that was sinful. Bullying, beating, brutality… according to God’s laws, you would be held accountable because you were taking advantage of a fellow human being who happened to be your responsibility.

Let’s take it one step further. Did you know that Jesus submitted Himself to lifelong service to the Father as His Bondslave?

Psalms 40:1-8 (ERV)  To the director: A song of David. I called to the LORD, and he heard me. He heard my cries. (2) He lifted me out of the grave. He lifted me from that muddy place. He picked me up, put me on solid ground, and kept my feet from slipping. (3) He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see what he did and worship him. They will put their trust in the LORD. (4) Great blessings belong to those who trust in the LORD, for those who do not turn to demons and false gods for help. (5) LORD my God, you have done many amazing things! You have made great plans for us—too many to list. I could talk on and on about them, because there are too many to count. (6) Lord, you made me understand this: You don’t really want sacrifices and grain offerings. You don’t want burnt offerings and sin offerings. (7) So I said, “Here I am, ready to do what was written about me in the book. (8) My God, I am happy to do whatever you want. I never stop thinking about your teachings.”

From reading this you get the general context. This is Jesus speaking as per verse 2. But I want to look at it more specifically. Let’s read it in the King James Version and pay attention to verse 6.

Psalms 40:1-8  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. (2) He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. (3) And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. (4) Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. (5) Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. (6) Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. (7) Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, (8) I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

“mine ears hast thou opened” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the word “opened” was H3738 – kârâh – A primitive root; properly to dig; figuratively to plot; generally to bore or open.

Now put together this passage with the passage about being a bondservant. The Master was to take the slave to the Judges who witnessed that the slave wanted to be a lifelong bondservant to his master and his ear was pierced with an awl. The word used in Exodus 21:6 means TO BORE. In Psalm 40, Jesus says, “Here I am, ready to do what was written about me in the book. My God, I am happy to do whatever you want. I never stop thinking about your teachings.” Is this not like the idea of covenant? The slave was brought before witnesses, he agreed to become a lifelong slave to his master, his ear was pierced (broken flesh and blood). Jesus was crucified before witnesses. His body was broken, His blood was spilled. He paid the price for sins He did not commit in order to save us. He did it willingly and accepted whatever job or mission His Master commanded in utter trust. He submitted to being the bondservant of the Father because He loved the Father and knew the Father loved Him. And the Father raised Him from the dead, seated Him at the right hand, and gave Him all He had died for!

Acts 3:13  No, God did it! He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is the God of all our fathers. He gave glory to Jesus, his special servant. But you handed him over to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free. But you told Pilate you did not want him.

Acts 3:26  God has sent his special servant Jesus. He sent him to you first. He sent him to bless you by causing each of you to turn away from your evil ways.”

Philippians 2:7  Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form.

Did you know the Apostles spoke of being a bondservant to the Lord Jesus Christ? The word translated as “servant” means slave or bondservant.

Romans 1:1  Greetings from Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God chose me to be an apostle and gave me the work of telling his Good News.

Titus 1:1  Greetings from Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I was sent to help God’s chosen people have faith and understand the truth that produces a life of devotion to God.

James 1:1  Greetings from James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To God’s people who are scattered all over the world.

2 Peter 1:1  Greetings from Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. To all of you who share in the same valuable faith that we have. This faith was given to us because our God and Savior Jesus Christ always does what is good and right.

Jude 1:1  Greetings from Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. To those who have been chosen and are loved by God the Father and have been kept safe in Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:1  This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen soon. And Christ sent his angel to show it to his servant John,

Slavery is not bad depending on who your master is. Who is your master?

John 8:33-34  They answered, “We are Abraham’s descendants. And we have never been slaves. So why do you say that we will be free?” (34) Jesus said, “The truth is, everyone who sins is a slave—a slave to sin.“

Romans 7:14  We know that the law is spiritual, but I am not. I am so human. Sin rules me as if I were its slave.

I choose to be a bondservant of God through Jesus Christ!

Revelation 19:10  Then I bowed down before the angel’s feet to worship him. But the angel said to me, “Don’t worship me! I am a servant like you and your brothers and sisters who have the truth of Jesus. So worship God! Because the truth of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Bible

Next are laws of personal injury or loss from Exodus 21:12-22:17. Let’s look at a few.

Exodus 21:12 Whoever strikes a person so that he dies must be put to death. But if he did not intend any harm, and yet God allowed it to happen, I will appoint a place for you where he may flee. If a person schemes and willfully acts against his neighbor to murder him, you must take him from my altar to be put to death.

So God instituted capital punishment. There are criminal offenses listed and God specifically says the punishment for these is death. These two verses address manslaughter, the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought. With manslaughter there is voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary manslaughter means someone has killed a man who provoked him into a crime of passion. God says, Voluntary manslaughter is murder and sentence is death. Involuntary manslaughter means someone unintentionally, accidentally, killed someone. Here God says, if the person did not intend any harm, God will appoint a safe place they can flee to until judgment is rendered and sentence is assigned. This is protection for the person from heat-of-the-moment retaliation by friends or family. Much like putting someone safely in jail with 3 meals a day, a place to sleep in safety while they await trial. It’s not a pleasant place, not the place they would choose, but safe until they go to court and their case adjudicated. In court, it will be determined what the facts were, guilt or innocence, any sentencing. God also addresses murder with malice. In America we have first degree murder which means someone has planned ahead of time to commit murder and second degree murder which means someone has committed murder with intent and malice but without forethought and premeditated planning. In either case, God says murder is a capital offense and they must be put to death.

God would establish cities of refuge for a person to flee to in Numbers 35.

Numbers 35:9-12 9 Then the LORD said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there. 12 You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.

I have to wonder if these cities were like our penitentiaries and jails? In Numbers 35, God gives more specific details on what happens to a manslayer in all the different scenarios. Why capital punishment? At the end of Numbers 35 we read this…

Numbers 35:30-31; 33-34 (BSB) 30 If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.
31 You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death…
33 Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”

There is no mercy for mercy was not shown by the murderer to the victim.

Exodus 21:15,17 Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death… Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death.

Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother….

Verbal and physical abuse of parents is NOT honoring them. One of the Ten Commandments is to honor your father and your mother. God mentioned both father and mother. Women, as mothers, were to be honored according to God. This was unusual respect in those times in a paternalistic society. In the natural, God ordained way, our parents gave birth to us and provided and protected us when we were vulnerable babes and children. As we age, the roles slowly begin to reverse. We become the caretakers of our elderly parents. Our elderly parents become the vulnerable in society and they cannot take care of themselves. They need us just like we needed them. We are commanded by God to give them honor and respect. And God’s ordained punishment for physically and verbally abusing them is capital punishment. The parents would have had to bring their child (young or adult) before the Judge and witnesses and make the accusation and then, if found to be true, their child would be put to death. This was rarely done but God did this to insure the elderly, who had children, were taken care of in their old age and in an honorable and respectful way.

Elder abuse is rampant in our society. Young people attack them in the streets because they see them as easy targets. They steal from them. Then there are telemarketers and salesmen who take advantage of the elderly. There are conmen who prey on elderly men and women and on the Internet are catfish conmen/women who prey on the elderly to steal all their savings. Families put their elderly in assisted living homes and nursing homes where staff often abuse, molest, blackmail, and threaten the elderly who have no protection from their abusers. Families think they have taken care of their elderly loved one and they pay through the nose for good care only to find out later that their loved one has been abused in some way. Because so many cases of abuse came up due to families having left cameras in the room, now most nursing homes won’t allow cameras. They will say it is to protect the privacy of their patients but it’s really to protect them from being sued for abuse, theft, rape.

When you hear about these horrible stories enacted upon innocent and helpless elderly people, you can see why God made it a capital offense.

Another capital offense was kidnapping.

Exodus 21:16 (KJV) And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. 

Exodus 21:16 (ESV)  Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death. 

Exodus 21:16 (ERV) Whoever steals someone to sell them as a slave or to keep them for their own slave must be killed.

Exodus 21:16 (CEV) Death is the punishment for kidnapping. If you sell the person you kidnapped, or if you are caught with that person, the penalty is death.

Exodus 21:16 (ISV)  Whoever kidnaps a person, whether he has sold him or whether the victim is still in his possession, is surely to be put to death.

Exodus 21:16 (GNB) “Whoever kidnaps someone, either to sell him or to keep him as a slave, is to be put to death.

Kidnapping someone was man-stealing. Whether you kidnap a man/woman/child for selfish reasons, or for profit, it is wrong and is a capital offense in God’s eyes. With human trafficking rampant today, we have people who have made the various stages of kidnapping into their job, their career, if you like. You have the ones who actually do the snatching. Then you have the ones who transport them. Then you have the ones arranging logistics. Then you have the ones buying and selling. There are a lot of hands in the pot because it’s become so profitable. Sometimes these people end up as sex slaves. Sometimes they are transported to another country only to become slaves in order to “pay for their passage and expenses”. Sometimes they are stealing babies to sell under the pretense of “adoption”. Sometimes they are kidnapping people in order to harvest organs to be sold in the “organ donation” system. It goes on and on, but God let’s it be known that whoever is involved, and there is proof, it is a capital offense.

Exodus 23:3,6 Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit… You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit.

God is not contradicting Himself. He is pointing to true justice. Just because someone is poor, does not mean a judge should automatically rule in favor of the poor person. A poor person is a vulnerable person and God also warns that a Judge should not take advantage of a poor person. But poor people are human beings and they can be evil. I know of some poor people who make it their business to steal from others whether it’s shoplifting; pretending to be injured and going to personal injury lawyers to try and get settlements they don’t deserve; stealing out of mailboxes and deliveries off of porches; selling drugs, etc. These are criminals. Just because their victim can “afford” to lose, doesn’t mean the Judge should just let the criminal slide. If a poor person has done something criminal, the same laws should apply to them. On the other hand, a poor person has the same rights as anyone else and the protections of the law should be extended to them no matter if they are rich or poor. I know a lot of wealthy people who take advantage of the poor. One I know of has a house. He advertises rent-to-own. He takes a downpayment of $10k, then rents the house to the renters. He selects people he thinks can’t afford the high rent. When they are late or miss a payment, he boots them out, keeps their downpayment and goes on to the next. He’s not lost a dime. He got the downpayment, he gets the monthly rent, he keeps the house when they can’t make the rent. This is legal but it’s taking advantage of someone who is poorer than he is. Banks do this all day long. In a good market and economy, they love to extend mortgages to people who might not be able to afford the mortgage payment. They get the monthly payments. When they foreclose, they get the house and can re-sell it. If a bank truly vets a person and knows they can afford the house payment, that’s one thing. But a few years ago we went through a time where banks were making loans to people who obviously could not afford to make mortgage payments and then foreclosing on them, keeping the fees, payments and house. It’s in the bank’s best interest to foreclose when interest rates are low. For instance, let’s say interest rates are 3% on a 30 yr mortgage. The bank only makes their fees and 3% interest and it’s over a long term of 30 yrs. If you have a desirable home for today’s market, the bank would much rather foreclose on you, keeping all the payments you made and then re-selling your home for a nice profit, making more money and in a shorter time. So they look for these “deals”. If you have a desirable home and you owe less than it’s worth to the bank, then you’d better make your payments on time and have proof of payment because they will begin foreclosing in a NY minute! It’s one thing to make an honest living and fair profit. It’s another when you deliberately plot and plan to take advantage of people. It becomes a con and is stealing.

God says the Judges should fairly and equitably look at each case and determine his judgment based on the law and evidence, NOT based on their financial situation. A rich person and a poor person can be innocent, or guilty, and it’s up to the Judge to look at the case and make an honest judgment.

Exodus 22:3b A thief must make full restitution. If he is unable, he is to be sold because of his theft.

According to God, if someone is accused of theft and there is proof, he must make restitution. Depending on what was stolen, restitution is determined by the law. In the next verse it says, if he has stolen an ox and it is found alive in his possession, then he must repay double it’s worth to the owner. Notice, if he cannot afford to pay restitution, then he is to be sold into slavery (for no more than 6 years) and that money pays his restitution. Then he works it off. He wasn’t just put in jail and kept at the expense of the taxpayer while the victim got nothing. This is what we tend to do in America. This makes the innocent victim absorb the loss while the taxpayer spends money, that could be better used, on keeping the thief up in jail. We pay for his prison uniform, the utilities he uses, his meals, his medical care, the space for him to sleep. He ends up watching TV, making friends in jail, working out, joining jail gangs, learning how to hone his criminal skills but NOT working. God says, if we steal, we should work it off and pay the victim. Some penitentiaries have instituted working within the penitentiary and some have, or had, chain gangs that worked the roads. We need work within the penitentiaries to keep criminals occupied, to wear them out with productive and gainful employment, to pay victims back, to train them for jobs and in work ethics for when they are released. Unfortunately, God’s commonsense and fair approach is not used much anymore.

I want to end this lesson with this:

Exodus 22:22-24; 23:1-3,6-9a You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, they will no doubt cry to me, and I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless… You must not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked to be a malicious witness. You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit… You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit. Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent and the just, because I will not justify the guilty. You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted person and corrupts the words of the righteous. You must not oppress a resident alien…