Exodus 22:2-20
IN THESE chapters God gave instructions to His people Israel, telling them how they ought to act toward one another. And what good instructions they are! They could have been no better, nor could any one else have made laws so wise as these God gave Moses for the people to obey. No other nation under heaven was privileged to have such laws as He gave to Israel.
God’s law taught them what was worthy of a man, as God’s creature on earth. It told them in God’s own words what was right and what was wrong. Had they kept these commandments, they would have been wise and good men, fearing God and loving one another. In another book, later on, we hear God saying: “Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it might he well with them, and with their children forever.” Deut. 5:29.
In all these laws we are impressed with the righteousness and justice displayed in them. We as Christians need to read every one carefully and treasure them up in our hearts, for they are all needful and important. We can take lessons from them, remembering that though we are ling in “the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2), though we are not under law but under grace, still God’s character is unchanged, and instead of expecting less from us who are His own now, than He did from Israel, He expects more, seeing He has freely forgiven all our sins by His grace.
God does not give us the law on tablets of stone, which once broken cannot be restored, but He writes them on the fleshly tables of our hearts by His Spirit (2 Cor. 3:3). To us who believe in His dear Son God gives a new life and a new nature, with new thoughts and desires. He also gives us the blessed Spirit of God to abide with us forever, to teach us about the Lord Jesus who is above and to help us to walk like Him down here. We do not have a law but a living Person to honor and obey. “We love Him because He first loved us,” we want to live for Him and to be as nearly like Him as we can.
In the first part of this chapter then we have the law of restitution, or act of restoring, in case of theft. Stealing has been a common form of sin in the world since man fell and many have lived by robbing others. God knew the evil thoughts and desires in the hearts of His people and said: “Thou shalt not steal.” Here we see how He would guard the property of His people, and make all who disregarded His law answerable to Himself.
How wonderful the story of the poor thief, dying for his crimes, crucified with the Lord Jesus, found Him to be the Saviour of sinners, confessed Him as Lord and went to be forever with Him in paradise. Grace triumphs over man’s sin and its penalty.
In verse 16 we have another coon form of sin — impurity in conduct. We live in days when sin is lightly thought of, when moral standards are falling rapidly, but God looks down and sees all. His standards change not; He abides faithful. As Christians, we are called to holiness — “as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (or, manner of life.)" 1 Pet. 1:15. Dear young Christian, we cannot keep our selves, but the Lord can and will keep us, if we desire to be kept.
The prayer of the godly, dependent Man in Psalm 16:1: “Preserve me, O God: for in Thee do I put my trust,” Psalm 16:1, is a good daily prayer for a young believer, and for older ones as well.
ML-02/22/1970