Read Exodus 23:1-9

There is a representation of the proper role of the Courts called Lady Justice, who is a blindfolded woman holding a set of scales and a sword. She represents fair and impartial administration of the Law, without corruption, greed, or prejudice. Lady Justice is the ideal of our legal system, whether it reaches that lofty goal or not.

True Justice and Mercy were goals of the Israelite system of justice as well. Both Justice and Mercy reflect God’s character, and should radiate in the lives of God’s people. False witness, mercy to our enemies and to strangers, and ensuring the fair administration of justice were vital parts of the Israelite’s life under the Law. They should equally serve as vital parts of our life today.

In the first three verses of Chapter 23, the Israelites are reminded of the importance of not bearing false witness. Reflecting the Ninth Commandment, the Israelites were instructed that “you shall not spread a false report” (v.1). This was meant both in the strict legal sense, but also in spreading empty, false rumours through gossip.

Not only were they to avoid false reports themselves, but nor were they to “join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness” (v.1). The wicked man is guilty, and by joining hands with him they were conspiring to let him go free, while the innocent suffered.

Going with the crowds did not exempt from doing the right thing either. They were not to let majority opinion shape their interpretation of justice, nor do so explicitly in a court case and thus pervert the course of justice (v.2).

Partiality was not justification for false witness. Even if sympathetic to a poorer person in court, they could not show partiality to the poor man in his lawsuit (v.3). Economic position, whether great or small, should not affect justice.

Partiality can also be shown in preferring those you care for over those you do not know or despise. In verses four and five, and verse nine, mercy to enemies and outsiders is highlighted.

While it might be easy to view an opponent’s distress or loss as their just desserts, Israelites were instructed that “if you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him” (v.4) rather than take advantage of his misfortune.

This duty of care extended to helping him in his time of need. If his donkey, the main method of transportation in those days, had broken down due to bad loading, then an Israelite could not walk by but help him rescue the donkey and rearrange the load (v.5).

Outsiders are also identified as someone to receive justice and mercy. The Israelites were specifically charged “not [to] oppress a sojourner” because they were sojourners once in Egypt and knew oppression (v.9). As outsiders, sojourners could be mistreated since they were often away from their family and kinship groups who could offer support and a watchful eye.

True justice and mercy were also displayed when there was a fair administration of justice in Court. Just as false witness should not occur in favour of the poor (v.3), so too “you shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit” (v.6). Judges should not favour the ruling elites or the powerful and privileged at the expense of the poor.

Nor should justice be used as a veil for evil practice. The Israelites were to keep away from false charges, and not put the innocent to death (v.7). God is the ultimate judge and will ensure all malpractice is judged. That includes malpractice like using the court as a weapon to hurt the innocent.

Finally, judges were not to accept a bribe “for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right” (v.8). A bribe affects the judgement of the person who accepts it, and inevitably causes them to act in a way which perverts justice.

As God’s People today, the same principles should bind us. Most of us will not serve as judges in our lands, but we do judge people every day in our interactions with them. When we spread false rumours, or do not stand up to the crowds when they condemn an innocent person, we fall short of the standard set here.

Jesus suffered the harm of false witness, of evil practice covered with the garments of due process, and the harm of enemies. Even his closest friends abandoned him in his time of need. If Christ suffered injustice, we can expect the same, but that does not mean we should serve the same to our enemies, much less our fellow believers.

Instead, we should treat all others, but especially each other, with the same mercy we have received from God. And in our acts to each other, and in the Church’s discipline (through the elders), we should seek justice through truth, impartiality, and loving care.

In doing so we act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Read Exodus 22:16-31

Our culture talks a good game about protecting the dignity of people, but its practice leaves a lot to be desired. If the value of a society rests in how well it treats the vulnerable, then we fall way short. While we talk of social justice, the reality is often something different.

True social justice is about protecting a just social order, based on a sacred order. God’s laws given to Israel were focused on precisely that. In this passage, God provides rules which protect the social order, the social fabric, and those who exercised different roles in society. Those principles should continue to motivate us, God’s people, today.

The first provision to protect the social order focused on protecting young women. When a young man seduced a young woman into a consensual sexual relationship, the Law required him to take responsibility for his actions and marry her (v.16). He was also required to pay a “bride price”, which was a sum intended to protect the woman in case of his death (there was no widow’s benefit) or a marital breakdown.

If the man was a scoundrel and the father utterly refused to allow the marriage, then he still had to pay the “bride price”, as a penalty for his behaviour and because in their society, a seduced but unmarried woman’s marriage opportunities were more restricted (v.17).

Secondly, this passage provides laws protecting the social fabric. Witchcraft, beastiality, and idolatry were explicitly banned in Israel, on penalty of death (vv.18-20). These activities were implicitly or explicitly associated with worship of false gods, and attacked the basic order of Creation and the right of God their covenant king to exclusive worship rights. When Israelite society went after false idols, disaster usually fell on their society (eg, Judges).

Thirdly, this passage provides laws protecting the weak from harm and exploitation. Believers were not to harm the “sojourner” or “any widow or fatherless child” (vv.21-2). Immigrants (or “temporary visa holders”), or those who had lost the breadwinner of the family were in vulnerable economic situations. 

These folk relied on the goodwill of society, and were prone to exploitation. God warned that if Israelites did that to the vulnerable, their own dependents would find themselves in the same vulnerable place (vv.23-4).

Another provision to protect the vulnerable of society existed in their credit laws. The first aspect of this was to require loans without interest (v.25). Loans were usually taken because of a difficult financial position (eg, a loss of harvest or income) and putting interest on these people just dug them further into debt.

The second aspect of their credit laws was a limit on what could be taken as collateral. For some poor, the only thing they had left was their cloak in which they could keep warm and sleep. 

If the cloak was taken as security, God expected its return (vv.26-7). You could not strip a man of his dignity, even his clothes and his bed. Anyone who did so could expect God to take up the poor man’s cause (v.27).

The fourth way in which social order was protected under God’s Law was in protecting positions of privilege from disrespect. God’s people were not to disrespect God or the rulers he appointed over them (v.28). They were to show honour.

This extended to the respect shown to the highest person of privilege, God! They were not to be stingy with giving back to God from what he gave them (v.29), nor to the firstborn son or firstborn oxen and sheep (vv.29-30). These were to be devoted to God, and in the case of sons ransomed through a cash payment to the Temple (Num. 18:15-16). 

Likewise, they were to keep their ceremonially holy status by not eating meat from animals killed by wild animals (v.31). Showing honour by behaving in ways which God honoured, and giving him his due, protected the social order from disintegration through judgement because of God’s punishment.

Underlying all these laws is respect for God, and respect for those made in God’s image. A society which is stable, where God is honoured and respected, is a society where true justice can flourish. And in that society, true justice occurs when society protects those of whom someone may take advantage.

While this may not be the culture of the society we live in, or at least seriously lacking in a few places, the respect for each other and for God reflected in these laws should be something that we see in the Church.

The Church should be a place where people take responsibility for their actions, and seek to preserve the chastity and purity of others. A place where people worship God alone, and give him his due. A place where the poor and disadvantaged are welcomed and cared for, not exploited or deprived of even basic needs for our own gain.

A place where all these things happen may be a beacon of Gospel light in a world full of too much social injustice.

Read Exodus 21:1-15

It seems like every week there is another news article or clip about someone in Court for stealing, from small goods to multi-million dollar Ponzi schemes. Theft is a common sin of people today, rich or poor. Sadly, little has changed over thousands of years, and will not change either until the Lord returns.

Because theft is a perpetual problem, in addition to laws which punished harm against people and sought to protect their essential dignity, the Law also contained various laws to protect the property of people. These laws covered payments to replace the harm caused by theft, negligent acts, and when borrowing was involved.

The first category of crimes relating to property involved theft (vv.1-4). Stiff penalties were applied for theft when the animal was killed or on-sold. If you stole a sheep, you had to pay back four, if you stole an oxen (a bigger animal requiring plenty of training to pull your plow, so a more harmful theft), then you had to repay five (v.1).

If the animal was in the thief’s possession when caught, the penalty was double repayment (v.4). This recognised that the harm was only temporary, since the Israelite was reunited with his wealth.

But these laws also protected the thief from a guaranteed death sentence. At night, if a thief attempted breaking and entering, the homeowner could think they were actually there to commit murder. In that case, a homeowner was innocent of killing to protect life and property (v.2). But if this happened during the day, then killing was not justified (v.3).

Finally, because considerable debts were owed for theft, sometimes someone could not pay. In that case, it was not reparation at $20 a week, but instead the thief would be sold into servitude to repay the debt (v.3), and treated according to the laws for servants and slaves in chapter 21.

The second category of property crimes were those of loss due to negligence (vv.5-6). For instance, if an owner of animals carelessly let his flock eat someone else’s crops, he had to repay the loss (v.5). If he set a fire to clear land for grazing and through carelessness or accident (eg, wind gust) caused a wildfire and property damage or loss, he had to repay the loss (v.6).

The third category related to borrowed or entrusted property (vv.7-15). In a world without banks, safe deposit boxes, and Hirepool, your neighbours were often entrusted with your prized possessions. In those situations, things could go wrong.

For instance, while in their house, your things could be stolen (v.7). The thief was still liable as before. If the goods were recovered, then a fine of double the value was required.

But what if the thief could not be found? Perhaps it was all a story from the borrower or trustee to “liberate” the goods for themselves. In that case, the trustee was to submit himself to God and the elders to investigate if he was the thief or telling the truth (v.8). If he was defrauding the owner, then he had to pay double for the loss (v.9).

Sometimes, animals disappeared. If the borrower was not to blame, he was to swear before God that he was not to blame, and the owner had to take his word (vv.10-11). But if he knows it was stolen (and by implication, failed to stop it), he was to pay to make it right (v.12). If there was evidence the animal was attacked by a wild animal, he should present that evidence to clear himself of wrongdoing (v.13).

The final example is where an animal was borrowed. If it died without the owner present, the borrower owned the risk and had to make payment (v.14). If the owner was present, the borrower was not liable. And if he had hired the animal, then the owner was being compensated for the risk in his hiring fee (v.15).

These examples show that justice goes beyond punishment to putting things right. A repentant thief got a steep discount – only twenty percent extra repayment (Lev. 6:4-5). Rich or poor, they paid. Repentant or not though, the victim of the crime was put right financially…but the thief still had a right to life. It is my property, yes, but it is only my property.

This principle should extend to how we treat others’ property. If we break it, we should fix or replace it. We should not make the other party suffer the loss for us. Justice in God’s eyes sees things put right for the victim.

When we are reminded of God’s justice, it makes even starker the riches of God’s mercy. We are all thieves, and owe God our lives as the punishment for our sin. But God showers us with his love and mercy, because Christ paid the restitution we could not to satisfy God’s justice. He frees us from the penalty of sin to love God and love each other, respecting what is theirs.

Read Exodus 21:12-36

I think we have this view of ancient justice which suggests it was entirely cruel and unusual. Kill someone? Death. Get into a fight? Death. Steal a pear? Death. No understanding of the context or the relative harm caused, unlike in our supposedly enlightened age.

The truth is rather different. While some societies could be very cruel, God’s laws were not. In this passage, God addresses a variety of crimes of different severity, and the penalties for each.This passage not only helps us understand the way our own legal system is structured, but how we think about the value of life and justice in a world where justice is imperfect at best.

The first group of crimes described involve capital punishment (vv.12-17). The general principle was “whoever strikes a man so that he dies”, violating the Sixth Commandment, should be sentenced to death (v.12). 

But there were circumstances where death was not appropriate. For instance, where the death was unintentional (v.13), what we call manslaughter, then death was not inevitable. The offender could flee to designated cities of refuge, where the case was investigated. 

If guilty of murder (but attempting to escape justice), his sentence was death (v.14). However, if the killing was unintentional, the sentence was effectively commuted to a period of internal exile (cf. Numbers 35).

The next example related to offences against parents, the foundation of social order (Fifth Commandment). Attempted murder of parents merited the death penalty (v.15). Likewise, someone who cursed (effectively repudiated) their parents was also liable to death (v.17).

Finally, to kidnap someone and sell them into slavery, or possess a kidnapped person sold into your hands, attracted the death penalty (v.16). This killing of a person’s freedom is an assault on their image-bearing nature.

The second group of crimes discussed are crimes of assault (vv.18-27). The first example is a disagreement which flares into a fight involving fists and weapons, leaving one party injured. This required compensation of lost earnings and costs of healing (vv.18-19).

Sometimes a master would beat a slave as punishment. If the slave died, then the master died too (v.20). However, if the slave died later, there was no compensation, because the slave worked for the master: so he had harmed himself (v.21).

If a pregnant woman is injured in a fight (eg, a bystander), then if serious injury fell to the mother or child, the offender suffered severely in proportion to harm (vv.23-5). But if there was no ultimate harm then a fine was imposed (v.22).

Finally, injury to a slave causing permanent harm resulted in immediate freedom (vv.26-7). A master’s right to punish a slave was not absolute, and if he abused his slaves, then he too suffered immediate economic hurt for his acts.

The final group of crimes are those of negligence, often involving animals (vv.28-36). In the first example, an animal with no history of violence attacks causing death (v.28). The animal would be destroyed and not eaten, since it had taken life and was ritually unclean. No penalty fell on the owner besides loss of property.

But if the animal was a known aggressor, then not only was the animal killed, but the owner (v.29) for negligence. In some circumstances, the owner may have been able to pay a high ransom to avoid death (v.30).

The same principles applied whether it was “a man’s son or daughter” (v.31). The same value applies to people, as bearers of God’s image (Gen 1:26-28). When a slave was the victim, the animal must still be stoned, but the slave’s master is also due restitution for the price of a slave (v.32).

If someone failed to cover a well or pit into which an animal fell to their injury or death, the negligent person had to pay restitution to the owner (vv.33-4).

Finally, if two animals fought and one was killed, each party shared the cost (v.35). However, if one animal was a known aggressor, then the negligent owner suffered the cost alone (v.36).

In all of these situations, the sentence is proportionate to the crime and the loss. This is the true meaning of “an eye for an eye” (v. 24). Lesser crimes carried lesser penalties, crimes involving death carried greater sentences. But many of these punishments were focused on making things right… at least, as much right as possible in a sinful world.

This principle exists in our laws today. We reserve the worst sentences for murderers, while lesser crimes carry lesser sentences. These crimes and punishments remind us that everyone is worthy of dignity and respect, and justice when wronged.

Sadly justice in our world is imperfect, as Jesus himself was killed despite his innocence. But in God’s justice, the world’s injustice against Christ satisfied God’s justice for the sin of his people, and led to mercy for many, including us. 

So instead of demanding vengeance for wrongdoing against us, perhaps we should seek mercy, and leave justice to God.

Read Exodus 21:1-11

After God’s rescue of the Israelites from Egypt, their journey to Sinai, and hearing God proclaiming the Ten Commandments, the next few chapters of Exodus can feel like an anti-climax. Ordinary even. Boring.

While in comparison to earlier chapters that is true, the reality is we all live in the ordinary. We take the grand redemptive story of Scripture and its implications for living, and we work them out in ordinary daily life.

In this section of Exodus, we are seeing practical advice from God on how to live in the ordinary. While some of it is culturally distant and distasteful to us, like this section on servanthood (Exodus 21:1-11), the general principles have relevance to us today.

With the Ten Commandments as the standard for community life, how were God’s people to operate every day? God proclaims to Moses “these are the rules that you shall set before them” (Ex. 21:1), before setting out example situations which could serve as precedents for daily living.

The first example was when an Israelite purchased a “Hebrew slave” (or servant, the Hebrew word refers to both). We understandably gasp at slavery’s mention, especially given the awful examples of history. Slavery in Moses’ day could sometimes take a different form, and the example here is one of voluntary servitude. For instance, because of poverty or to pay off a debt.

This servitude wasn’t forever, it was limited to six years (v.2). In the seventh year, they left free with nothing further required of them (v.2). If they went in single, they left single, if married, their family went free with them (v.3). Moreover, their former master was to liberally set them up for future success from his own possessions (Deut. 15:12-15).

The servanthood envisaged here, while not an appropriate employment model today, was meant to help someone start over. Their debts were repaid, they lived and learnt from someone successful how to manage finances better, and were released with the means to start again; hopefully successfully. They became, in a sense, part of a new family. Exploitation by the master was not on the menu.

That may explain why, in verse four, a single man who married a woman given by his master did not automatically take her with him. Odd as it seems, this would be a safety net for his wife and kids to protect them from falling into hard times if he had not learnt his lesson. If he had, he could quickly pay to redeem them from his old master.

Sometimes, the new setup was ideal for the servant and he did not want to go back to making his own way in the world. He was welcomed into the family and an affection had grown between them. In this instance, a solemn and public vow was made before God which bound the servant to the master (and family) for the rest of his life (vv.5-6). He became part of their household.

A second, similar example is described in verses seven to eleven. Marriages were often arranged. For some poor families, the daughter was “sold” to a man as a servant, with the chance of becoming a wife to the master or a wife to a son (v.7). For a poor family, this offered the prospect of their daughter (and grandchildren) enjoying a better future than they could provide.

Unfortunately this could lead to exploitation. If for some reason it didn’t work out, God forbade selling the daughter to foreigners (v.8) and if she was viewed as a desirable match for a son, she was to be treated like their own daughter even before the marriage vows (v.9). 

If a “second” wife, she could not be deprived of food or marital rights so she would run away (v.10), and would be free to leave the arrangement if he refused to treat her with the respect due to a wife and fellow human (v.11).

Behind these foreign examples to us today are the principles of respect and decency. People before gain. The first examples given in this part of Exodus relate to people, not possessions.

The voluntary servant relationship may not exist today, but employers treating staff well should. Encourage them to improve themselves in their careers beyond your immediate gain. More broadly: someone owes you money? Give them a chance to pay you back, but also help them manage their finances better.

Likewise in relationships, there should not be exploitation. Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church (Eph. 5), and part of that sacrificial love is providing for her needs and marital rights.

But there is one more way this passage is relevant to us. Some servants were so taken by the love shown to them that they did not want to leave. God demonstrates his love for us in sending Christ to die for our sins, when we were his enemies. As God’s servants, let’s enjoy God’s love for us so much that we are willing to serve for life in God’s household.

Read Exodus:22-26

Some forms have to be filled in precisely and completely. For instance, when I applied for our marriage license many years ago, the official checked I had filled in all parts of the form accurately. It was important to get it right; the form could not be accepted (and marriage license issued) otherwise.

If that is the case for a government issuing a license, how much more for the worship of God?

After the people appointed Moses as their intermediary, God spoke to the people through Moses to remind them to worship him only. They had seen and heard God directly; in their worship, they were only to do so as he required, not as the surrounding nations worshiped.

God’s People at Sinai were blessed with a direct revelation from God. God instructed Moses to remind the Israelites of this. “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven’” (Exodus 20:22).

The Israelites were privileged to have heard and seen God step down from heaven (figuratively) and speak to them, but even with this revelation they could be tempted to leave aside worship of God.

Therefore, so soon after the words spoken by God from the mountain, God reminds them not to violate the First and Second Commandments. “You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold” (Exodus 20:23).

In their day, the pagan nations created idols resembling people or animals from Creation, which were either cast in solid metal or laminated over a wooden shape. Either way, the idol was a very expensive and visible creation of people, not God. However expensive and well-crafted it was, it would not compare to God.

If the Israelites made idols of gold or silver, whether or not it was meant to represent God, they were violating his commands. They had already experienced God’s direct presence, and recognised in it God’s amazing power. They responded in fear and trembling. They should not be foolish enough to follow the pagan nations by trying to contain God.

The same accuracy was required for the altars on which they offered sacrifices. “An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen” (Exodus 20:24). 

The altars that they constructed for their offerings were to be simple affairs. Instead, the focus was on the sacrifices offered. The burnt offering, which symbolised the forgiveness of sin by God, and the peace offering, which symbolised the reconciliation of God and his people (see Leviticus 1 and 3). Both of these sacrifices pointed forward to Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.

Those altars would not have to be scattered around the base of Mount Sinai, but could be anywhere the Israelites went, because “in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you” (Exodus 20:24). God is not located in one place but everywhere, and so worship of him can occur anywhere. And wherever people gather to truly worship God, he will come to bless in turn.

Just as the Israelites were banned from making idols, so they were also banned from making altars like the pagans. “If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it” (Exodus 20:25-6).

These instructions seem odd to us, but essentially they ban Israel from practices of the Canaanites. Hewn stones required great skill and precision, and focused the attention on the beauty of the altar and craftsmanship, not on the beauty of God. Steps raised the altar’s importance, and also provided the possibility of the sexually immoral practices of pagan priests being copied.

Instead, what God desired was worship and sacrifice which focused on him. God had rescued them from slavery, revealed his holy Law to them, and was establishing a system of sacrifice and worship to point forward to his dealing with their sin. He wanted them to follow his instructions, not their own (or others’) examples. Their altars were to focus on him.

We no longer have an altar at the front of our worship service, as Israel did. Instead, we have a pulpit, announcing God’s forgiveness of our sin through Jesus Christ. Like in Moses’ day, our worship should be focused on worshiping God in the way he has instructed us, and focused on God.

We do this because the many altars built pointed forward to the final altar, where Jesus offered himself up as a ransom for many. Through the Cross, which we celebrate weekly and especially at Easter, Jesus took away the wrath for our sins, cleansed us of unrighteousness, and reconciled us to God. 

A simple wooden cross, on a hill hewn by God’s hands. Offered, just as God required.

Read Exodus 20:18-21

I still vividly remember, thirty years on, a holiday to Ohakune when a storm rumbled through. The lightning and thunder in an unfamiliar bed was frightening to a five year old. Even as an adult, I am still awestruck by thunder and lightning, and find it unsettling to hear overhead at night.

When Israel gathered at Sinai to hear God’s Law, they came to God’s presence, demonstrated to them by a booming voice, thunder and lightning, trumpets, and smoke. It was too much to bear. Confronted by God’s holiness and their unworthiness, the people sought refuge in a mediator between them and God. Ultimately, only Jesus can truly mediate between us and God, fulfilling the law on our behalf and freeing us to obey them out of thanks to God.

When God spoke the Ten Commandments, Israel were gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai to hear his commands. What they witnessed was not a “still small voice” but something that instilled fear in them. “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off” (Exodus 20:18).

The presence of God brings a terrible din of noise and the dramatic clash of the elements. Hearing God speak was frightening to them, combined with visual demonstration of his power over all things. They were directly and closely interacting with the holy and righteous God.

The holy words spoke fear into their hearts, as they realised the high standard God required. The holy presence of God, searing the earth of Mount Sinai with lightning flashes and smoke as thunder rolled across the sky spoke fear into their hearts of the judgement that would inevitably come from failing to keep those words. 

They trembled. They flinched. They drew back from the mountain, away from the great and terrible presence of God.

Israel could not stand in God’s presence; his greatness was too much to bear. They needed somebody to stand in for them. An advocate; a mediator.

“[They] said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die’” (v.19). The Israelites heard God’s voice, and heard their death coming with it. They could not, sinful as they were, hear God’s voice repeatedly or they would perish. Like Isaiah, they were undone in God’s presence (Is. 6).

So God’s people, who so often grumbled against and questioned Moses’ leadership, ask him to fulfill the role that God appointed him to before. They ask Moses to stand before God and intercede for them, hearing God’s words and relaying them back to Israel.

While this may seem at first glance a sinful attitude, it is actually one deeply rooted in reverence and fear of God. In Deuteronomy 5, Moses makes clear that God approved of their response and agreed to it (Deut. 5:23-31). 

The Law was visually working in its first and second uses. It acted in their hearing as a deterrent to sin, threatening the judgement of fire and doom. It also acted in the second use, revealing to the Israelites their sinfulness and their need for someone to stand between them and God, for fear of death.

But the Law and God’s presence that day would also serve in its third use: bringing obedience. Immediately, Moses instructed the Israelites that everything they had seen and heard had a purpose: “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin” (v.20).

The testing which God visited on Israel was designed to generate the response of reverential fear. Fear that would not lead to anger and the Dark Side, but to obedience. Moses instructs Israel not to tremble in fear, because God had not come that day to bring judgement, but to save them. Instead they should take the visit to heart, trust in the powerful God who is also mighty to save, and obey.

After speaking these words, the people remained far off while Moses went back to God’s presence to intercede for Israel (v.21).

Yet as great a man as Moses was, he too was a sinner in need of intercession. Only Jesus, the mediator of a better covenant, is able to fulfill that role (Hebrews 12:24) for all. Not only is Jesus a better mediator, but he fulfilled the Law on our behalf, succeeding where we fail, so the terrible judgement threatened in thunder and lightning at Sinai does not fall on us.

Coming into God’s presence and hearing his Law should truly reveal to us the depths of our sin and our need for a mediator. And it should drive us to the one mediator between God and man, Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). By resting in Jesus and his perfect intercession for us, we are freed from fear of judgement and freed to worship God as we ought to – by thankfully obeying his holy commandments.

Read Exodus 20:17

An American business magnate was once asked “how much money is enough?” His answer? “Just a little bit more.” That attitude exists all through our society, from young to old, rich to poor. More things, more money, what my neighbour has; the supposed answer to all our ills.

In this spirit of consumerism and desiring what others have that we do not, the Tenth Commandment hits like a hammer. Instead of sinfully desiring in our hearts what God has not given to us, we are called to contentment with the possessions we have, and instead to seek God’s Kingdom and righteousness over the passing things of this age.

The first four commandments dealt with our relationship with God, the next five with our external relationships with each other (and the sinful heart issues that affect our external acts). The Tenth Commandment cuts straight to the heart, speaking to heart inclinations and desires which can lead us to break many of the other commandments.

In the Tenth Commandment, recorded in Exodus 20:17, God commands us not to “covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

To covet is to desire something that does not belong to us, at the time appointed for us to have it. It is an inward sinful desire springing from the heart, even if never followed through by the act. Not all desire is wrong, but to desire something which someone else has and lack willingness or contentment to wait for it (or accept the possibility it may not arrive) is covetousness.

The coveting which God forbids in this commandment is extremely broad, not confined to certain types of things. It forbids desiring property, possessions, people, or anything which belongs to someone else; not to you. It goes beyond the aspiration to own a house, or a boat, or to marry; to wanting his house, her boat, or that person’s spouse as your own.

The problem with the sin of covetousness is that it so frequently leads to outward sinful acts which violate the other commandments. For instance, a desire for John’s laptop may lead you to steal his laptop, instead of saving for your own laptop or accepting you cannot afford one right now.

We see this example play out in Scripture repeatedly. Cain jealously desired God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice, and murder resulted (Gen. 4).

King David desired the wife of one of his finest, most loyal soldiers. He desired, and he took, committing adultery. Then he killed Uriah so he could marry Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11). The Sixth and Seventh Commandments explicitly violated (and more besides), because of violating the Tenth.

King Ahab wanted his neighbour’s vineyard for a vegetable patch, and so his evil wife had Naboth killed (Sixth Commandment) based on a lie (Ninth Commandment). Sinful evil desire, outward sinful acts (1 Kings 21).

Like the other commandments, covetousness is no more acceptable to God now than before. Jesus explicitly mentions coveting as the fruit of a sinful heart (Mark 7:20-22), defiling a person. The Apostle Paul uses covetousness as an example of how the Tenth Commandment ultimately revealed to himself his own sinfulness (Rom. 7:7-13). In Ephesians, Paul identifies covetousness as one of a number of sins which is inconsistent with membership in the Kingdom of God (Eph 5:5).

So if we must put off covetousness, what should we put on? The answer according to Scripture is contentment “with our lot.” Godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6), resting in what God has given us for now rather than desiring what he has not given us… which we cannot take with us anyway. 

As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.” We can pursue what God has not chosen to give us, but ultimately we will only find contentment with what God has given us. Seeking what is not ours only leads to emptiness.

That does not mean it will be easy. Seeking contentment in God means recognising that some of the good things we desire, whether that is a material blessing or the blessing of a loving companion, may not in God’s wisdom ever arrive for us. Contentment with what God has given does not mean a lack of sadness over what sin deprives us of, but joy in God despite seasons or fields of failure.

Instead of seeking what God has not chosen to give us, whether just for now or perhaps not in our lifetime, we should set our hearts on the Kingdom of God and treasures in heaven, which will not rust or fade away (Matt. 6:19-21). God has richly blessed us in the heavenly places through salvation in Jesus Christ. If God is lavish with what we need spiritually, he does not deprive us of the material things we truly need. Jesus is everything we need to find true contentment.

Read Exodus 20:16

“How do you know a [insert profession with bad reputation] is lying? Their lips are moving”. This joke plays on the cultural reputation of certain industries and certain people within them to lie, exaggerate, or make false claims to further their interests. Not like us. Honest as the day is long, right?

Wrong. We all lie, deceive, gossip and slander, and fail to stand up for the truth. The Ninth Commandment condemns us. Deceitful words destroy trust in society, in relationships, and offend God.  Using the capstone of truthfulness in court, the Ninth Commandment commands us not to lie and deceive, and to stand for the truth.

The Ninth Commandment forbids bearing “false witness against your neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). In other words, lying, deceiving, or omitting facts and the truth in a legal setting against any person who was on trial.

In New Zealand, lying in Court is taken seriously. The Crimes Act offers penalties for perjury of up to seven years, or fourteen for certain cases (eg, murder). This is with a legal system where we are “innocent until proven guilty” and with forensic evidence, DNA profiling, and at least in criminal cases, guilt beyond “reasonable doubt”. When justice miscarries, there are safeguards and prison is not always forever (though the stain of conviction usually lingers long after the sentence).

In Moses’ day, the stakes were higher. Many crimes were met with death. You were assumed guilty unless proven otherwise (why else would you be in front of the judge?), and conviction or otherwise relied entirely on witnesses… sometimes only one. A false accusation, and false witness could literally condemn someone to death.

This is why the Ninth Commandment singles out false witness in Court as the example of lying and deceit which is forbidden by God. Deceitful words destroy trust in society and destroy justice. False witness was forbidden; further, more than one witness was required in Israel to convict (Deut. 19:15), and failing to speak the truth was equally as wrong as lying (Lev. 5:1).

If this is true of the legal system, how also of everyday life. Lying and deceit ruin friendships, hurt relationships, destroy careers and livelihoods. Spreading gossip and rumours, either false or true (but to ears who do not need to hear), starts a forest fire of destruction (James 3). 

Taking words out of context is just as destructive; it bears false witness about what someone believes, and thinks the worst of them rather than the best. Omitting all the facts misleads and leads people astray. It causes hurt and harm, affecting reputations and relationships, destroying trust in and amongst society. 

Sadly in our society, fighting back against slander and libel takes deep pockets for lawyers expenses and time. False statements in the media can be challenged, but the retraction and apology gets buried far deeper than the original harmful statement. Offensive and demeaning comments flow easily onto social media feeds to reach millions, but the retractions and apologies struggle to reach hundreds.

While the world as a whole might treat the truth casually and relative to the individual (unless they are affected), God does not treat it casually. The Ninth Commandment forbids lies and deceptions that harm others. 

God condemned those who lied and cheated (eg, Hosea 4:2). He demonstrated how seriously he takes lying to him by killing Ananias and Sapphira for attempting to deceive the Church and the Holy Spirit (God himself) of their degree of generosity (Acts 5).

The Apostles single out lying, gossip, and slander as examples of conduct which Christians should not engage in (eg, Romans 3, James 3, 2 Cor. 12, Eph. 4). They did so not just for practical reasons, but because it violates God’s Law and offends his standard of holiness to which we should strive.

In a world which treats the truth as an internal matter, we are called to a harder task. To mirror the author of truth, and speak the truth… in love (Eph. 4:15). Not using the truth as a blunt weapon which can sometimes wound just like a lie, but lovingly and in a manner which seeks to draw people to Christ.

When others seek to gossip, we should close the conversation down; chances are, we do not need to hear it. When others seek to cut people down, we should seek to lift their reputations up. When others hide the truth to condemn, we should reveal it lovingly to condemn the guilty and free the innocent. When the temptation comes to lash out with untruthful words, we should hold our tongue.

Most of all, we should be truthful when we come in prayer to God, acknowledging our sins and shortcomings, our iniquities and transgressions. Not hiding or sliding, but trustingly confiding.

It was false witnesses, whose testimony did not even agree, that condemned the righteous Jesus to the Cross. There he suffered the ultimate penalty, so that our lies and deceit which just as surely sent him there might be forgiven by God. And then in knowing that truth, we are set free.

Read Exodus 20:15

Last year I saw a picture which stated “cattle on 1001st hill, owner unknown.” This joke refers to God describing how the cattle of a thousand hills belong to him (Psalm 50). Ultimately, everything belongs to God because he created it (Psalm 24:1) but he has granted to us the right to possess and enjoy it.

Since ultimately everything belongs to God and he dishes it out as he wills, God requires us to respect his division of material goods. The Eighth Commandment, which forbids stealing, demands that we respect what others have been given. 

While we tend to think about this purely in relation to people taking our stuff, theft goes beyond “liberating” goods and money to the way in which we interact with each other and God, both as individuals and society. 

Exodus 20:15 provides a straightforward statement commandment – “You shall not steal.” The simplest, and to us the most obvious prohibition here, is to take something that does not belong to us, whether it is money or possessions. 

It is fundamentally wrong for me to walk onto your property and steal your car or your laptop, or to steal your wallet from your pocket. Euphemising it as a “five finger discount” might be humorous in abstract, but when it happens to you, it hurts. Most people know it is wrong by “nature;” that’s why we have laws against it. It disrupts the bonds of trust in a community.

However, the Commandment against stealing goes further than actively taking property. The word for steal also refers to taking through a breach of trust, or taking by deceit. The spam caller who deceives a vulnerable person into handing over their credit card details to fix a “Windows problem” is stealing. So too the person who takes a payment to provide a good or service, and then does not deliver. Or the person who receives a service, then refuses to pay.

Fraud is a form of theft. If I use my privileged position with my employer to divert cash to my bank account, I have defrauded my employer. It’s theft, and I can expect serious consequences from the Law, let alone from God. The employer who does not pay his staff’s wages, or pays them far less than agreed, is equally a thief. 

Deliberately not paying your taxes is theft, as is deceiving the government by suggesting you have earnt less than you did. While I can’t agree with the political position that “taxation is theft”, it is certainly true that a government could use the state’s power to unjustly take property for themselves, or for a privileged group. In some times and places this has been and is the case.

Using positions of relative economic strength to steal from others also violates the spirit of the Eighth Commandment. Scripture encourages liberal giving and (interest free) lending to the poor, particularly amongst God’s people (Lev. 25:35-38). When we, or businesses, entrap the poor and vulnerable with lending which they cannot afford, or we take from them the necessities of life, we violate this commandment. 

On the flip side, those taking well-intended gifts of money or possessions by deceit or borrowing without intending to pay back is also theft.

We can even steal from God. God complained in Malachi that his people withheld tithes they owed him, and encouraged them to give to him and experience the resulting blessings (whether spiritual or physical, Mal. 3:6-12). Achan (in Joshua 7) stole from God and paid the price. 

Ultimately everything belongs to God, and we as believers ought to give cheerfully and sacrificially for his work and the poor (2 Cor. 9:7), not just of our possessions, but by devoting our lives as living sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1).

When we deprive God of his due, or we take from others what belongs to them, we are declaring that we, not God, are better placed to determine what is owed to us. That we know better than God how his possessions should be distributed; primarily to us, not others! 

The truth is, we are all in our own individual ways, thieves. We do not have to have a white striped suit on to be a thief, it is the actions and the intent of the heart that betray us. We may not have stolen a million dollars or a television, but we deprive each other of what we could give, in time, gifts, and out of the richness of possessions we have. We have all deceived for our gain and others’ loss. We all hold back from God what we should give to him.

Thankfully, while we all violate this commandment in our own way, Jesus was numbered with the transgressors, dying next to thieves (Matt. 27:38), so that we may be forgiven by God. Instead of bearing the punishment for our theft, we are freed to enjoy and be good stewards of the things God has given us; to help each other, to share generously with those in need, and to bring glory to God.