EXODUS LESSON 39

    We will pick up this lesson in Exodus 22:21  "Thou shalt neither
vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of
Egypt."

    The word "vex" had to do with being violent toward a stranger.
 These Israelites knew better than most anyone, the sorrow of being
 caught in a strange land, and being taken advantage of. Their bondage
 was hard in Egypt, and was still fresh on their minds as this was given
 unto them.

    Exodus 22:22  "Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless
child." Exodus 22:23 "If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry
at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;" Exodus 22:24 "And my
wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your
wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless."

    God's protection of widows is throughout the Bible.  It was a
widow named Anna, a prophetess eighty-four years old, who was one of
the two witnesses recognizing Jesus as the Saviour of the world at His
dedication, when He was forty days old.  It was a widow Elijah
stayed with during a terrible famine, and God miraculously fed them.
What this was really saying, was that God, Himself, protects those who
cannot help themselves. If you do wrong to those who cannot protect
themselves, you have God to deal with. He fights their battles for
them. He will punish according to the sin.  He would make
your wives widows, and your children orphans, because He would kill you.

    Exodus 22:25  "If thou lend money to [any of] my people [that is]
poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt
thou lay upon him usury."

    "Usury" is interest on a debt.  One of the saddest things in our
society today, is excessive interest collected on loans.  Most of these
excessive interest loans are made to the very poor, who could not get
a loan anywhere else; and, therefore, have to pay sometimes two or
three times the regular interest rate to acquire the loan.  People who
have to borrow money, and pay these rates, are already in terrible
trouble, and all this does is get them in debt deeper.  A loan of this
nature does not help them, it just digs them into a deeper hole to
climb out of. This Scripture above is speaking of God's people
(believers) loaning each other. In a case like this, it would be
proper to not charge any interest to help a brother.  Christians
should work together and help each other, instead of profiting from
each other. The true meaning of usury, I believe, is excessive
interest.

    Exodus 22:26 "If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to
pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:"

    You can see, right away, how terrible it would be to take a man's
coat, or wrap, as security for a loan. It would be terrible anywhere,
but in the desert, where this was given, a man's outer garment was,
also, his cover to be used to keep warm at night. A man could not
easily live, then, without his garment.

    Exodus 22:27 "For that [is] his covering only, it [is] his raiment
for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when
he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I [am] gracious."

    Anything that was necessary to live, was not to be pawned.  Only
 things that would not impair their ability to live could be pawned.
 God would not be pleased with anyone, who is not concerned about his
 neighbor's welfare.

    Exodus 22:28  "Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler
of thy people."

    We see, here, that our belief in God should be a positive belief
in Him alone. It is better not to be continuously speaking evil of
false gods. In some instances, if we talk too much about the false
gods, it is as if we do recognize them. It is, also, a very bad practice
to speak evil of dignitaries, because God is the one who put them in
that position for a purpose. We see in Jude 1:8 "Likewise also these
[filthy] dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil
of dignities." God calls those who despise dominion and speak evil of
dignities  "filthy dreamers".  We have all been a little guilty of
this, but we need to consider what we are doing.  In Exodus chapter
23, verse 13 we read, "And in all [things] that I have said unto you
be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither
let it be heard out of thy mouth." We can easily see that God is
displeased, even at the mention of a false god.

    Exodus 22:29  "Thou shalt not delay [to offer] the first of thy
ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou
give unto me."

    Here, "liquors" mean steeped juice.  This Scripture was just
explaining that whatever we have, the tithe should be paid of it
first. We must not try to give God leftovers.  He wants the first of
the crop, and that goes for children, as well.  God wants our beloved,
our first born. God required the firstfruit not only of their
children, but of all their animals, and of all of their crops.  Whatever
we treasure the most is what God wants. We must have no other gods
before Him. The firstborn son had to be redeemed with a money
payment. We will see later on, that they had to be taken to the temple
and dedicated to God on the fortieth day. We must not give
reluctantly, but freely, to get a blessing.

    Exodus 22:30 "Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, [and] with
thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou
shalt give it me."

    The "dam" was the mother. At birth there was an interval of time
called a time of uncleanliness.  Possibly, that is what is meant here.
Boy children were circumcised on the eighth day and dedicated on the
fortieth day in the temple Perhaps this is connected with that time.
God has a time table that we do not fully understand. The number
"eight" in Scripture seems to indicate new beginnings. All of this
would fit right in together.  When a child is dedicated to God, it
truly is a beginning of a dedicated life to God. What is meant, here, by
giving the animal to God, perhaps, meant sacrificing it to God.

    Exodus 22:31  "And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye
eat [any] flesh [that is] torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast
it to the dogs."

    God's chosen people had to be holy.  They cannot do things of the
world, and be classed as belonging to God.  God requires them to be a
separate people, a peculiar people; a holy nation.

    In Second Corinthians chapter 6, verse 17 and 18 we read,
II Corinthians 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I
will receive you," II Corinthians 6:18 "And will be a Father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

    We read in First Peter chapter 2, verse 9: I Peter 2:9 "But ye
[are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath
called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" You see, these
chosen of God (physical Israel) and we, believers, (spiritual Israel)
are not to be like the rest of the world.  We are to be separated to
God. Pleasing God every day in everything we do, should be our desire.
He (God) has chosen us to bless us. Every restriction God puts on His
people (like not eating an animal torn of beasts) is to help us. This
animal might have been diseased, or might have been sitting there too
long, or might have not been properly bled. In other words, it could
make us very ill. This, like other restrictions that God puts on us,
is for our protection.  Giving it to the dogs is a useful way of
disposing of it. Animals were not forbidden to eat unclean things. In
fact, that was one of their purposes.



















                          Exodus 39 Questions


1.  Why were they not to vex or opress a stranger?
2.  What does "vex" mean?
3.  In V-22, who were they not to mistreat?
4.  If you mistreated them, who punished you?
5.  What was the name of the prophetess, who recognized Jesus in the
    temple?
6.  What prophet did a widow allow to live and eat with her in a great
    famine?
7.  If you lend money to God's people, what must you not do?
8.  What is "usury"?
9.  What is usury in our society today?
10. If you take ------------ to pledge, you must return it before
    dark.
11. What was used for a cover to sleep under in the desert?
12. Who should we not curse, mentioned in V-28?
13. What do we learn from Jude 8 about rulers?
14. In Exodus chapter 23, verse 13, we read we are not to even mention
    what?
15. What should they not delay?
16. What does "liquors" mean, here?
17. How could the firstborn son be redeemed?
18. On what day was the son taken to the temple for dedication?
19. How long was a baby sheep to stay with its mother, before it was
    given to God?
20. What does "dam", in V-30, mean?
21. What does the author believe the number "eight" symbolizes?
22. What kind of men were they to be?
23. What restriction on eating meat did God give them?
024. In Second Corinthians chapter 6, verses 17 and 18, what does God
    tell His people to do?
25. In First Peter chapter 2, verse 9, God's people are called what?
26. Who is spiritual Israel symbolic of?
27. Why does God put restrictions on His children?
28. Why did God tell them to give the torn meat to the dogs?