March 29, 2023

Social Justice and Canaan Promised

Exodus 22:16 – 23:33

Jenna Bittick
Wednesday's Devo

March 29, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

March 29, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

March 29, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

March 29, 2023

Big Idea

God reveals the way and His will through His Word.

Key Verse | Exodus 23:31-32

"And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them and their gods."

Exodus 22:16 – 23:33

Laws About Social Justice

16 If a man seduces a virgin 1 22:16 Or a girl of marriageable age; also verse 17 who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price 2 22:16 Or engagement present; also verse 17 for her and make her his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins.

18 You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

19 Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.

20 Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the LORD alone, shall be devoted to destruction. 3 22:20 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)

21 You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

25 If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26 If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

28 You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.

29 You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. 30 You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

31 You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

1 You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 2 You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.

4 If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

6 You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

9 You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

10 For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.

12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

13 Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.

14 Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. 16 You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 17 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.

18 You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.

19 The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God.

You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Conquest of Canaan Promised

20 Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

22 But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 25 You shall serve the LORD your God, and he 4 23:25 Septuagint, Vulgate I will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets 5 23:28 Or the hornet before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, 6 23:31 Hebrew the River for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Footnotes

[1] 22:16 Or a girl of marriageable age; also verse 17
[2] 22:16 Or engagement present; also verse 17
[3] 22:20 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
[4] 23:25 Septuagint, Vulgate I
[5] 23:28 Or the hornet
[6] 23:31 Hebrew the River

S2:063 Exodus 22:15 - 23

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Exodus 22:16 – 23:33

In Exodus 22:16–23:33, we see a faithful God who sets up His people for a life of flourishing with each other and with Him through obedience to His law. Ever since Genesis 3:15, God has been providing His people with ways to be in relationship with Him through covenants, sacrifices, and the law. Back in Genesis 12, God made a covenant with Abraham that promised him land, seed, and blessing. 

In this passage, we see this covenant confirmed and the Ten Commandments, given in Exodus 20, expounded upon. God's people are not to exploit the weak and the poor (Exodus 22:16-17, 21-27), nor are they to gossip or spread false reports about their neighbor (Exodus 23:1). They are not to look outside of God for wisdom and truth as sorcerers do, for this idolatry is worthy of death (Exodus 22:18). They are not to pervert justice (Exodus 23:6) or oppress a sojourner (Exodus 23:9). They are to practice the feasts and remember the Sabbath as a picture of trusting in and celebrating God's provision (Exodus 23:10-19). 

God calls His people to a life of purity, devotion, and blessing. In a beautiful way, all the things God is calling His people to reflect His character and who He is. He is pure and holy. He is consistent in character. He blesses His children in love and faithfulness. If they choose to live according to His law, they will flourish. The same is true for us. God's Word is not meant to steal life from us, but to lead us into the most abundant life possible (John 10:10).

Chapter 23 closes out with promises and instructions for the conquest of the Promised Land. God will be with His people, and He will bless their obedience to His commands (Exodus 23:20-24). The Abrahamic Covenant confirmed again! What I love about this last section is that the Lord is very clear about who will accomplish all these things for them—He will! In Exodus 23:25-31, we see "I will" repeated 10 times. The Lord will work deliverance for His people; they only need to be obedient.

This month's memory verse

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

– John 14:27

Discussion Questions

1. Do you believe that living according to God's Word is where you will find the most abundant life? If not, where can you surrender to His character and learn to trust His commands?

2. How can you live in accordance with the call of purity, devotion, and being a blessing? Where can you ask the Spirit to help in your efforts toward holiness?

3. What did you learn about the trustworthiness of God from this passage?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

GM Jenna! What an awesome devo. Great summaries and very pointed questions. Q1. This is a HAHA question. When I read it I say HAHA; often out loud. That’s because a long life in stupidville has shown me I know nothing about the abundant life. Until I read John 10:10. Q2. It’s me and the Holy Spirit. HS + HS = abundant life. Purity, devotion and being a blessing; non-stop Hebrews 12:1-3. Q3. I am powerfully reminded of what I’ve already learned. Know Him and you will trust Him. You can’t help it. Who is God? Who Am I? Why Am I here? Are you tied of me talking about these three questions? Well, I don’t mean to disappoint you, but I just might.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

After a life of meaningless wandering I finally got focused in 2012. Since then I’ve spent a huge amount of time in reflection, prayer, study, and conversation on these three questions. And don’t forget Satan’s three lies. God is not good. His word is not true. Sin is not a big deal. Throwing these six questions into the XXXL sized stewpot of my life and stirring it up creates a big spiritual battle. Paul equips me via Ephesians 6:10-20. My Yahweh, the covenant-keeping relational God, teaches me in innumerable other ways. One of them is today’s passage. What Exodus 22:15-23 teaches me and reminds me is the nature and character of a God who cares for all- since we’re all His image bearers. This part of Exodus is the 2nd half of the Covenant Code, (see links below). https://www.gotquestions.org/Covenant-Code.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_Code https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/Exodus#ref651413 https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/covenant-book-of-the/
HS

Hugh Stephenson

“The ordinances in these chapters were not laws, in the usual sense of that word, but actually the rights of those living within Israel. The Book of the Covenant (20:22-23:33) was Israel's Bill of Rights.” (Constable Notes) As in prior chapters I see the detailed care taken by a God who is “jealous” or, as I recall, “having zeal for our well-being”. Like any father, (or shepherd), He knows what is good for those for whom he cares and He does not want them to wander off the path, (Psalm 119:105). Most importantly, I see His absolute zeal to keep me from idols. He knows what a battle this is for me. Got Qs points out this is actually self-worship. https://www.gotquestions.org/idol-worship.html Here’s a question – If I over work to obtain a worldly goal, (recognition, money, status, car, house, etc), is that idol worship? For me, yes, (Jeremiah 17:9)
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: Ex 22:18 See 1Sam 28:10 Re: Ex 22:28 Ex 22:28 (NASB) >>>“You shall not *[Or revile] curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people.<<< See Dt 21:23; Isa 49:7; Mt 2:2; Acts 23:4-5 Re: Ex 23:1 Exodus 23:1,7 (NASB) >>>“You shall not bear a false report;<<< do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. See Acts 6:11-14; Acts 21:21,28-29 Re: Ex 23:2 Exodus 23:2 (NASB) >>>“You shall not follow the masses in doing evil,<<< nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; This could be applied to fashions such as “social justice,” “critical race theory,” and “intersectionality.” See Rom 1:32 Re: Ex 23:3,6 These verses may argue against the rich having to pay a greater percentage in taxes. Re: Ex 23:7 Ex 23:7 (NASB) “Keep far from a >>>false charge,<<< and >>>do not kill the innocent or the righteous,<<< for I will not acquit the guilty. You could apply this to the unborn or to the Messiah. (See Mt 26:59; Mk 15:3; Lk 23:2,14-15,22,41,47) Re: Ex 23:8 Could this argue against voters being allowed to vote on relief that was NOT universal or that would benefit them at the expense of others? Re: Ex 23:13 This sabbatical year is known in Judaism as "shmita" or "sheviit." See also Lev 25:1-7, 20-22; Dt 31:10-13. Re: Ex 23:14-17 These are Judaism’s three “Feasts of Obligation” (Passover/Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Weeks [i.e. Feast of Harvest, Shavu’ot, Pentecost], and the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths [i.e. Feast of Ingathering, Sukkot])…three times a year when all Israelite males are obligated to appear before G-d in the place of His choosing. (See also Dt 16:16) Re: Ex 23:20 Exodus 23:20 (NASB) “Behold, >>>I am going to send an angel before you<<< to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. See similarity with Gen 24:7, when Abraham says G-d will send His angel before Eliazer on his mission to retrieve a bride for Isaac. The pattern repeats again in Mal 3:1, with one important change: instead of preparing the way “before you,” he’ll prepare the way before Himself. The same can be seen in Mk 1:2. Re: Ex 23:32-33 See Joshua 9:15
KL

Kolby Lundgren

Good morning! Thank you Michael for addressing the points you did within your comment - in the NIV, this passage of scripture is entitled “SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY” rather than social justice, and I believe that is more appropriate given the implications and use of a phrase like “social justice” (‘you keep on using that word - I do not think it means what you think it means’, see Views from Porch podcast with Voddie Baucham https://www.theporch.live/vftp/7814-politically-correct-social-justice-feat-voddie-baucham ) Thank you Jenna for emphasizing how it is GOD who accomplishes deliverance for His people - we do not deliver ourselves.
CL

Chris Landry

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS/ANSWERS 1. Do you believe that living according to God's Word is where you will find the most abundant life? If not, where can you surrender to His character and learn to trust His commands? - "The difference between Christ and Chris is the cross ("t")." My best days are marked with Christ and not Chris. I can surrender to Him more fully when I become impatient or frustrated that I am put out or inconvenienced. AKA: when my personal (and self-serving) kingdom is top of mind, I can quickly fall into sinful patterns of not loving well (impatience or lacking kindness). God's word is the only place that I can be reminded of His will (and the joy that follows) that I must be sanctified and look more like my empathetic Savior instead of a self-serving dictator. 2. How can you live in accordance with the call of purity, devotion, and being a blessing? Where can you ask the Spirit to help in your efforts toward holiness? - see above answer. Bleeds into this one. 3. What did you learn about the trustworthiness of God from this passage? - I love the mention of the "I Will's..." that you pointed out, @Jenna. - I also noticed the call for me to "serve the Lord..." not Chris. "You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless...." Exodus 23:25
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thanks, Jenna! Years ago I heard a wonderful application to God's promise that He would not drive out "the Ites" from the Promised Land in a single year because if He left the land empty of people, the population of wild animals would explode and be too much for the people He had given the land to. Similarly, He doesn't snap His fingers to extinguish bad habits, behaviors, and thinking patterns in order to produce instant change in people. He gives His grace to help us take ground one decision, one behavior at a time, so that we move into a new identity and a new paradigm of holiness and God-honoring life choices at a sustainable pace that will produce lasting fruit. I'm glad God is realistic about how lasting change happens. We want instant; He knows that permanent change is almost never achieved in a moment of time.
MS

Michael Scaman

You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. This is where by traditional kosher rules you don't ,mx meat and dairy, even often keeping two sets of dishes one for dairy and one for meat. Actually I think it's a great pro life birth. A life should not be destroyed in what is meant for its nurture.
MS

Michael Scaman

The laws involve proper worship of God and also proper living. One of the first words said double strong in the books of Moses, the Torah, is "justice, justice shalt thou pursue." Proper living includes sexual morality, respect for the old, fairness to the poor and fairness to the rich in legal matters, honesty, even includes being concerned about safety and avoiding accidents.
MS

Michael Sisson

Thank you, Kolby! The Voddie Baucham interview was both insightful and refreshing.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. Yes. 2. I can live in accordance with the call of purity, devotion, and being a blessing. I attend service regularly, actively participating in service. I serve others which includes praying to God and being a light for all guests like Jesus. I read the Bible frequently. I work with friends and associates to know and practice the values of God and the values of Jesus. All of these practices help me to learn about God and Jesus and to value God and Jesus so I successfully answer any call they give me. I should ask the Spirit to help me help others pray when needed. 3. God wants everyone trusting Him.