God gives property law and moral law

This chapter contniues on with some of the laws for the children of Israel. These laws are not religious laws, dare I say. They are the "THE LAW" when theologians talk about Law (Old Testament) versus Grace (New Testament). The laws given here are for the everyday living of the people and are also supposed to be enforced.

When I first read these detailed laws in the Bible many years ago, my impression was that God really cares for his people and provides details to govern them at the minutest level. My second impression was that if humans were the sole authors of the Bible for whatever reasons, they simply cannot be bothered with including such mundane details. If the human writers were not bored themselves, they would imagine the readers being bored and would no doubt not include these details. One popular argument about the authorship of the Bible was that it was written by humans during the Jewish exile in Babylon, to inspire and preserve the Jewish culture. If so, there would be no need to include such practical laws because Babylon would have a civilised legal system. Therefore it could only be the will and authorship of God that these detailed laws are included in His Book.

From the laws below, we see the the Jewish society has private ownership and the laws described here concerns theft, arson, trespassing and damages to private property. The second set of laws involve moral conduct and include such things as not having intercourse with animals (which infer that such acts also exists in those times), compassionate treatment of the foreigner or refugee in your country and tithes. There is a warning to those who harm the widow and orphans and God said "My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword" - God is extremely serious about the disadvantaged and the widow and orphans are repeatedly mention in these laws.

A few other interesting things:
- "You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people" - this sort of rules out bad-mouthing our politicians doesn't it?
- "If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest." - interest free loan to the poor is God's idea.



Exodus 22

Responsibility for Property

 1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. 3 If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.
5 “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
6 “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
7 “If a man delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. 8 If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.
9 “For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. 10 If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, 11 then an oath of the LORD shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. 12 But if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it. 13 If it is torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.
14 “And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. 15 If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.


Moral and Ceremonial Principles
  
16 “If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the bride-price of virgins.
18 “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19 “Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.
20 “He who sacrifices to any god, except to the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
21 “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22 “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24 and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25 “If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. 26 If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
28 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
29 “You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. 30 Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.
31 “And you shall be holy men to Me: you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.