Homiletics Exodus 21-24

Contents (not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture):  Where?                  Mt. Sinai            Who?  God, Moses et al

1	21:1-6	Laws:  if buy Heb servant, he serve 6 yrs, 7th go free; if he come alone/leave alone, if has wife/she go; if master gives wife & she bears, wife/children belong to master, only man free; if servant love master/wife/children, not want go, master take him before judges to door/doorpost, pierce ear w/awl, servant for life.
2	21:7-11	If man sells daught as servant, she not go free as male serv; if she not please master who selected for self, must let her be redeemed, no right sell to foreigners, he broke faith w/her; if he selects for son, grant rights of daught; if he marries another, must not deprive 1st of food/clothing/marital rights, if he not provide these 3 things, she go free w/o pmt.
3	21:12-17	Anyone strikes person fatal blow put to death; if not intentional they flee to place I designate; anyone schemes/kills deliberately, put to death; anyone attacks father/mother put to death; anyone kidnaps, put to death whether victim sold or in kidnapper’s poss; anyone curses father/mother put to death.
4	21:18-21	If quarrel,1 hits another w/stone or fist and victim confined to bed, not held liable if other get up, walk outside w/staff, guilty pay injured for loss of time and see victim healed; anyone beats slave w/rod punished if slave dies as result; not punished if slave recovers after 1-2 day.
5	21:22-25	If people fighting hit preg woman and she gives birth prematurely but no serious injury, offender fined whatever husband demands and court allows; if serious injury, take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
6	21:26-36	Owner who hits slave in eye & destroys must free to compensate; owner who knocks out tooth of slave must free; if bull gores m/w to death, bull stoned to death, meat not eaten, owner not responsible; if bull had goring habit, owner warned, not penned up and kills m/w, bull stoned and owner put to death; if pmt demanded, owner redeem life by pmt; law applies if bull gores son/daught; if gores m/f slave, owner pays 30 shekels silver to master, bull stoned; if anyone uncovers pit or digs & fails to cover & ox or donkey fall in, one who opened pit pay owner and take dead animal; if bull injures bull and it dies, 2 parties sell live one & divide money/dead animal; if that bull had goring habit, owner not penned up, owner pay for animal/take dead animal.
7	22:1-5	Whoever steals ox or sheep & slaughters/sells must pay 5 head cattle for ox, 4 sheep for sheep; if thief caught breaking in @ night, struck fatal blow, defender not guilty; if after sunrise, defender guilty; anyone who steals must make restitution, if they have nothing, they sold; if stolen animal found alive in poss – ox, donkey, sheep – they pay double; anyone lets livestock graze someone else’s field, offender make restitution from best of their field/vineyard.
8	22:6-15	If fire breaks out/spreads, starter make restitution; if anyone gives neighbor goods for safekeeping, they stolen, thief pay double, if thief not found, owner appear before judges, they determine if owner of house laid hands on property; all cases of illegal poss of prop bring cases before judges, guilty must pay double; anyone gives animal to neighbor for safekeeping & it dies, is injured or taken, issue settled by oath before Lord neighbor didn’t lay hands on property, owner to accept, no restitution req’d; if stolen, restitution made; if torn by animal, neighbor bring remains not req’d to pay; Anyone borrows animal from neighbor, is injured or dies while owner not present, restitution; if owner with animal, borrower not pay, if animal hired, money paid covers loss.
9	22:16-24	If man seduces virgin not pledged, sleeps w/her, he pay bride price, she his wife; if father refuses give her to him, he still pay; not allow sorceress live; anyone has sex with animal put to death; whoever sacrifices to god other than Lord destroyed; do not mistreat or oppress foreigner (you foreigner Egypt); don’t take advantage of widow or fatherless; if you do, they cry out, I hear; my anger aroused, kill you w/sword, your wives widows, children fatherless.
10	22:25-31	If you lend $ to my people do not treat like business deal, no interest; if you take neighbor’s cloak as pledge, ret’n by sunset, only covering neighbor has, what they sleep in, they cry, I hear, I compassionate; do not blaspheme God or curse ruler; do not hold back offerings, give me firstborn sons; same w/cattle & sheep, stay w/mothers 7 days, give to me on 8th day; you my holy people, don’t eat meat of animal torn by beasts, throw to dogs.
11	23:1-5	Don’t spread false reports/help guilty by malicious witness/follow crowd doing wrong, when you testify in lawsuit, don’t pervert justice by siding w/crowd, don’t show favoritism to poor in lawsuit; if enemy’s ox/donkey wander off, return; if you see donkey of one who hates you fallen, don’t leave, help.
12	23:6-12	Don’t deny justice to poor in lawsuits; have nothing to do w/false charge, don’t put innocent/honest to death, I not acquit guilty; don’t accept bribe (blinds, twists words of innocent); don’t oppress foreigners, you know how it feels; 6 yrs sow fields/harvest crops, 7th yr let lie unplowed/unused, poor may get food, wild animals eat what is left, same with vineyard/olive grove; 6 days work, 7th not work so ox/donkey rest, slave/foreigner be refreshed.
13	23:13-19	Be careful do everything, don’t invoke names of other gods; 3x/yr festival to me; Unleavened Bread – 7 days eat bread w/o yeast, appointed time in Aviv (mo you came out Egypt), no one appear empty handed; Festival of Harvest – firstfruit of crops; Festival of Ingathering – end of year when gather crops; 3x/yr men appear before Sovereign Lord, don’t offer blood sacrifice w/yeast, fat of offerings not kept until morning; bring best firstfruits to Lord, don’t cook goat in mother’s milk.
14	23:20-24	I sending angel ahead, guard you, bring you to place I prepared; pay attn/listen to him, don’t rebel, he not forgive rebellion since my name in him; listen what he says, do all I say, I be enemy to your enemy, oppose who oppose you; my angel go ahead, bring you into land of Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, Jebusites and I wipe out; don’t bow before their gods/follow their practices, you demolish them & sacred stones.
15	23:25-33	Worship Lord & His blessing be on food, water, take away sickness, none miscarry or barren, I give full life span; I send terror ahead, confusion every nation you encounter, I make enemies turn/run; I send hornet drive Hivites, Canaanites, Hittites out; I not drive out in single year, land become desolate, wild animals too numerous; lil by lil I drive out until you increased enough to take possession; I establish borders from Red Sea to Mediterranean from desert to Euphrates, I give people, you drive out; don’t make covenant w/ them/gods; don’t let them live in land or they cause you sin, worship their gods snare to you.
16	24:1-8	LtoM: come, you &A, Nadab, Abihu, 70 elders; you worship @ distance, M alone approach, others not near, people not come up; M told people, they: “Everything Lord says we do”; M wrote everything, got up built altar, set up 12 stone pillars representing 12 tribes; sent young Is men, offered burnt off, sacrificed young bulls; M took ½ blood in bowls, ½ splashed altar; took Book of Covenant, read to people, they: we do everything Lord said, we obey; M took blood, sprinkled people: this blood of covenant Lord made w/you.
17	24:9-11	M&A, Nadab, Abihu, 70 elders went up saw God, under feet like pavement of lapis lazuli, bright blue as sky; God not raise hands against these leaders, they saw God, ate, drank.
18	24:12-18	LtoM: come up, stay, I give tablets of stone w/law; M w/Joshua (aide), M went up to God; to elders: wait, we come back, A & Hur w/you, dispute go to them; M went, cloud covered, glory of Lord settled on Sinai, 6 days cloud covered, 7th day, Lord called M from cloud; to Is glory looked like consuming fire; M entered cloud stayed on mt 40 days/nights.

 

Divisions (run-on sentence OK, direct verbiage from Scripture):

1	21:1-23:19	The Laws
Principle:		God’s laws address such topics as servants, violence, attitudes, slaves, animals, theft, restitution, virgins, sex, loans, legal behavior, work and festivals. God cares about all aspects of the lives of His people.
2	23:20-33	My Angel, the Land and the “ites”
Principle:		God’s angel is both guard and guide. Obedience makes God your ally. We must destroy idols so we are not ensnared by them. Demolishing idols leads to God’s blessing. God gives us a little bit at a time, so we are not overwhelmed but are able to handle it. We shouldn’t live closely with people who cause us to sin.
3	24:1-18	Come Up to the Mountain
Principle:		God calls specific people to Himself. God is deserving of our worship and sacrifices.

 

Subject Sentence (10-word sentence with proper structure):

God gives Moses the law, who gives it to Israel.

 

Aim (Christian and Non-Christian):

TCMATK God always has the best in mind for His people.  That best may not come without pain or suffering, but it will ultimately lead to eternal life in His presence.

 

Application:

1	How have God’s laws shaped your faith? Which of God’s laws are most applicable to you, today?  Which are least applicable. In what way have you experienced God’s concern for all areas of your life? What Scriptures reveal God’s detailed and intense care for you?
2	Who is God’s angel and what supporting Scripture verses might you cite as evidence? In what way has God’s angel been a guardian over you?  How has he been a guide? What idols will you destroy this week to keep from being ensnared? How will you destroy those idols? In what way will you approach God to destroy what has kept you ensnared? How have you experienced God’s blessing after destroying an idol? How might you keep from sinning as a result of living with non-believers?
3	Have you been called by God?  If so, what was your response? What sort of people have you observed are really close to the Lord? What draws you to the Lord? When you spend time with God, how are your responsibilities accomplished?