EXODUS –LESSON 38
LEARN: John 1:14-17
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
READ: Exodus 21:1-36
NOTE: Exodus 21:1-6 are laws concerning Hebrew slaves. Laws concerning foreign slaves are found in Leviticus 25:44-46.
1.From Psalm 19:9, what do we know about the judgments that God sets forth?
2. From verse 2 of Exodus 21, how should the Hebrew slave be regarded?
3. Was the Hebrew slave to be a perpetual slave? Explain.
4. What are the stipulations concerning a Hebrew slave’s family? vv 3, 4
5. For what reason – and by what means- would a Hebrew slave continue in the service of his master, once the 6 year service debt had been paid? vv 5, 6
6. What 3 things could a Hebrew slave girl expect when sold by her father? vv 7, 8a, 9, 10
7. If none of the 3 provisions prescribed for the Hebrew slave girl is carried out, what must be done for her? v 11
8. What could not be done with a Hebrew slave girl? v 8b
9. According to Leviticus 25:44-46, what was different for non- Hebrew slaves?
10. God gave Israel personal injury laws that were very specific, and because we know that God is just, we know that the laws that he gave were also perfectly just as well. From the following verses, list the personal injury, and the punishment required by God for committing it:
vv 12, 14
v 13
v 15
NOTE: Smite here means hit, not kill.
v 16
v 17
vv 18, 19
vv 20, 21, 26, 27
NOTE: Slaves were protected from brutality by their masters, as was not the case in other cultures, except Athens.
vv 22, 23 “mischief follow”= the death of the woman
11. What is the “law of retaliation” as given in vv 24, 25? It is also seen in Leviticus 24:19, 20; Deuteronomy 19:15-21.
12. Use Matthew 5:38, 39 to explain what Jesus taught to help us understand how such a situation of retaliation should be addressed.
13. We understand that the Mosaic law was given to the Nation of Israel by God to be applied in the Land of Israel. Many of the laws given are very practical and would bring a just way of dealing with sinful man to any nation. But as we see in Matthew 5:38, 39 some areas of the code are to be moderated by mercy. Find other Scripture that deals with retaliation in the New Testament, since believers are not under the law, but under grace.
14. List further personal injuries and how they were to be dealt with under the law given to Israel:
v 28
vv 29-31
v 32
v 33, 34
v 35
v 36
15. Use verses 28-36, God’s law given to Israel, to comment on the value of a person and the culpability of owners of animals in cases that have occurred quite often in recent years?
16. Find Scripture that shows why a human being is of infinite value, while an animal is not.
17. What is the reason for a society putting the value of animals and animal welfare before and above the value of people? Use Scripture to verify your answer.