Exodus 23 – The
listing of wrongs continues: Do not spread false rumors; do not side with
the majority to the perversion of justice;
do NOT favor the poor in a lawsuit when the facts do not support their cause [this
is an interesting one]; do not mistreat foreigners; do not accept
bribes. What to do if you find
lost property; caring for animals—even if they belong to people who hate you
and your help will indirectly help your enemy; do not deny the needy their
rights; avoiding dishonesty of every kind; not condemning the innocent man to
death; not sparing the guilty man.
Then
readers are reminded about not tilling the soil each 7th year so “that
the poor among you may eat of it and the beast of the field may eat what the
poor leave”; the Sabbath rest; celebration of the pilgrim feasts—Passover,
Pentecost (Shavu’ot or Weeks—wheat
harvest and first fruits in early June) and booths (final grape harvest in late
September or early October—called Sukkot or Huts); offerings; not boiling a kid
in its mother’s milk.
God
is sending his angel “to guard you. . . and bring you to the place I have
prepared. Be attentive to him and
heed his voice.” The Lord promises his blessings on those who are faithful—fertility,
health, fullness of life (23:25). The victory over those in the land will not
be quick but little by little (23:30).
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