Exodus 22
Summary for Exod 22:16-31: 22:16-31 a These miscellaneous cases involving social responsibility are not categorized. All parts of life are an expression of one’s obedience to God (see study note on 21:1–23:19).22:18 b The practices of a sorceress represented the pagan worldview from which God was delivering his people. That worldview was utterly incompatible with the biblical one (see 20:3 c; 23:13 d).
22:20 e must be destroyed: See thematic note for Complete Dedication at end of chapter.
22:21 f The Hebrews were to treat foreigners kindly because they, too, had once been foreigners (see also 23:9 g; Deut 10:18-19 h). For further development of the principle, see Luke 6:31 i.
Summary for Exod 22:22-23: 22:22-23 j The widow, the orphan, and the foreigner were in a helpless and economically disadvantaged position. God, by his protective stance toward these persons, demonstrated that he does not value people on the basis of their power or wealth, the standards accepted by most humans. Instead, God values people because they share his image (Gen 1:27 k).
Summary for Exod 22:25-27: 22:25-27 l Although interest could not be charged on a loan to another Israelite, collateral, or security, could be required. However, even the security had to be handled in a humane way. The requirements of the covenant mirrored the character of God.
22:30 m God is considerate even of animals (see Jon 4:11 n).
22:31 o Because of the symbolic significance of blood as life itself, God forbade eating meat with the blood still in it (see Lev 17:10-16 p).
Thematic note: Complete Dedication
The Hebrew word kherem (“specially set apart”) is difficult to translate because it represents a concept for which there is no exact parallel in modern English. In the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, kherem designated something that was dedicated to a pagan god and therefore hostile to the Lord. Such things were to be destroyed (see Josh 6:18 q). In the case of valuable metal items, they were brought to the sanctuary, where they became holy to the Lord (Lev 27:28 r; see also Josh 6:19 s, 24 t). The concept of being “specially set apart” was also applied to Israel’s enemies when they and their property were destroyed (Josh 6:17-19 u; 1 Sam 15:2-3 v).
In Leviticus 27:21 w, 28 x, kherem indicates an acceptable vow devoting something to the Lord for use in the sanctuary (see Num 18:14 y). This made the item, land, or person holy. The thing or person could not be bought back; it remained in the Lord’s service permanently.
The concept of complete dedication through total destruction underlies several passages in the apostle Paul’s writings. In Romans 9:3 z, Paul was even willing to be declared anathema (the Greek equivalent of kherem) if it would bring about the salvation of his fellow Jews. In Galatians 1:8-9 aa, the same Greek word indicates an appropriate end for those who preach a false gospel. In 1 Corinthians 12:3 ab, Paul warns that no one speaking in the Spirit can call Jesus anathema, that is, no one who has God’s Spirit will interpret Jesus’ crucifixion as a sign of God’s rejection of him, as the Jews of Paul’s day did. Instead, they will recognize it as an act of atonement for sinful humanity.
Passages for Further Study
Exod 22:20 ac; Lev 27:28-29 ad; Num 18:8-14 ae; 21:2-3 af; Deut 7:1-6 ag, 26 ah; 13:12-18 ai; Josh 6:17-19 aj, 24 ak; 7:11-15 al; 1 Sam 15:2-3 am; 1 Kgs 20:42 an; Isa 43:26-28 ao; Mal 4:5-6 ap; Rom 9:3 aq; 1 Cor 16:22 ar; Gal 1:8-9 as
Copyright information for
TNotes