Do not Oppress the Widow or the Fatherless

The Israelites have been returned to their homeland and now during the reign of King Darius in the Persian Empire, a group of seemingly devoted Israelites came to the temple to pray and ask God if they should continue fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh month. The Lord who knew anticipated their question gave the answer through Zechariah. The Lord's answer was indirect and first asked if they were sincere in their fast. The second point was that instead of fasting, it would have been better for them if they had initially obeyed God before the invasion by Babylon.

God continued passing His message through Zechariah that His desire are for His people to show justice, mercy, compassion, not oppress the widow, orphans, foreigner and the poor, also not to have evil in their hearts toward each other. And God described how they disobeyed and went against all His desires. They ignored God's true prophets and their messages. The result is that God did not listen to them when they asked for help, when God used their enemies to scatter His people.




Zechariah 7
Obedience Better than Fasting

1 Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev, 2 when the people[a] sent Sherezer,[b] with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God,[c] to pray before the Lord, 3 and to ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”

4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? 6 When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South[d] and the Lowland were inhabited?’”

Disobedience Resulted in Captivity

8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
11 “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. 12 Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. 13 Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. 14 “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

Amid the gloom prophesies, this chapter reveals the Hope who is the Son, and the Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. It mentions the "Galilee of the Gentiles" pointing to our Lord Jesus who spent much time in Galilee and the salvation which is to reach the Gentiles. He will be a light shining out of the darkness where the people are in. This is the revelation of the Messiah who will be from the line of David and His Kingdom will be everlasting. The zeal or passion of the LORD will ensure this.

The second part continues with the prophecy of the destruction of Israel and Samaria. It seems that nothing can save them from the judgement at that time. The severity of their wickedness is such that no mercy will be granted even to the widows and fatherless - groups of people whom the LORD usually reminds us to care for - because they have all become hypocrites and evildoers. Their prophets and leaders have lied and caused them to fall. And so God's anger is not turned away.



Isaiah 9
The Government of the Promised Son

1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And increased its joy;[a]
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The Punishment of Samaria

8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9 All the people will know—
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
15 The elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks folly.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied;
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be against Judah.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

You Shall Eat the Good of the Land

This chapter starts with a description of the spiritual state of Israel which has been declined. The Lord was describing how even animals know their masters but Israel do not. As a nation, Israel had forsaken the Lord and by its actions, had angered God. The sin has caused the nation to be desolate, and defeated.

God asks what is the use of sacrifices if their heart is not there and they pursue their own ways apart from God. The sacrifices have become an abomination to God. Yet in this state, God calls them back. God calls on them to leave evil, pursue justice, stand against the oppressor, care for the orphan and widow. Then God made the promise that their sins will be cleaned as white as snow if they repent and become obedient to the Lord.

The second part continues with the description of the fallen state of the city where justice was forsaken, there were murderers, the princes were rebellious, bribing pervasive, the fatherless and widow were not protected. And God promised judgement and those who have forsaken Him will be punished. However, God also promised restoration and redemption, and finally the city will be called a city of righteousness.




Isaiah 1
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The Wickedness of Judah

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
3 The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s crib;
But Israel does not know,
My people do not consider.”
4 Alas, sinful nation,
A people laden with iniquity,
A brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.
5 Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
7 Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard,
As a hut in a garden of cucumbers,
As a besieged city.
9 Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like Sodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:
11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.
12 “When you come to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more futile sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;[a]
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.



The Degenerate City

21 How the faithful city has become a harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord says,
The Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,
“Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,
And take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And thoroughly purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her penitents with righteousness.
28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 For they[b] shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees
Which you have desired;
And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
Which you have chosen.
30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
31 The strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall quench them.

For Surely There Is A Hereafter, And Your Hope Will Not Be Cut Off.

The first section seems to be teaching us not only manners but perhaps to be mindful of our position in the presence of a king or authority. It also discourages us to envy or covetousness. In addition it also warns that sometimes we will be offered things by people who do not really mean it. Several verses later, food is again used to illustrate and teach about being wise and in control of our wants and also to increase our understanding.

The next topic is not to withold discipline from children - the verses are:
13 Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
14 You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.[b]

Another set of verses teaching us how we should relate to our mother and father.
22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice.



Proverbs 23
1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is before you;

2 And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man given to appetite.

3 Do not desire his delicacies,
For they are deceptive food.

4 Do not overwork to be rich;
Because of your own understanding, cease!

5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings;
They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

6 Do not eat the bread of a miser,[a]
Nor desire his delicacies;

7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you.

8 The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up,
And waste your pleasant words.

9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not remove the ancient landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;

11 For their Redeemer is mighty;
He will plead their cause against you.

12 Apply your heart to instruction,
And your ears to words of knowledge.

13 Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.

14 You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from hell.[b]

15 My son, if your heart is wise,
My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself;

16 Yes, my inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak right things.

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;

18 For surely there is a hereafter,
And your hope will not be cut off.

19 Hear, my son, and be wise;
And guide your heart in the way.

20 Do not mix with winebibbers,
Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;

21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

22 Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.

23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it,
Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.

25 Let your father and your mother be glad,
And let her who bore you rejoice.

26 My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways.

27 For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.

28 She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.

29 Who has woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?

30 Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of mixed wine.

31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it swirls around smoothly;

32 At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper.

33 Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things.

34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying:

35 “They have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”

Happy Is He Who Has The God Of Jacob For His Help

The psalmist has many reasons to praise God. Here he encourages us not to put our trust on any man, because they are fallible just like anyone. But instead trust in God who is infallible. So he says "Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,"

God is the creator of the Universe. In addition, God also attend to the needs of his people. God cares for the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, the strangers, the fatherless, the widow but not the wicked. Also God loves the righteous but not that in God's eyes it is faith that is seen as righteousness as oppose to doing the right thing only.





Psalm 146
The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2 While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.

4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.

5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

10 The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

God Stands in the Congregation of the Mighty

The Almighty God is mentioned in the context of the lesser gods, elohim, who may be the judges on Earth. A comparison is made and emphasised that these judges are mere mortals and would die like ordinary men. It is not fully clear whether these lesser judges are wicked or righteous but it seems that wickedness prevailed in that society. Hence there is a call to God to show justice and defend the poor, fatherless, afflicted, needy. Verse 5, if it refers to the judges, mean that they have not performed their duties well, hence the call to God to set things right.


Psalm 82
A Psalm of Asaph

 1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
         He judges among the gods.[a]
 2 How long will you judge unjustly,
         And show partiality to the wicked?  Selah 
 3 Defend the poor and fatherless;
         Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
 4 Deliver the poor and needy;
         Free them from the hand of the wicked.
        
 5 They do not know, nor do they understand;
         They walk about in darkness;
         All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
        
 6 I said, “You are gods,[b]
         And all of you are children of the Most High.
 7 But you shall die like men,
         And fall like one of the princes.”
        
 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;
         For You shall inherit all nations.

God’s Triumph over Evil

How often do we think that it seems evil is triumphing since the wicked people get all the victories? The psalmist expresses these thought and questions to God. He asks God about where the judgement is since the wicked people continue to boast their ways. Then the psalmist calls upon God for action, reminding God of His commitment to the helpless and fatherless and to justice.


Psalm 10

A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph over Evil

 1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD?
         Why do You hide in times of trouble?
 2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
         Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
       
 3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;
         He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD.
 4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
         God is in none of his thoughts.
       
 5 His ways are always prospering;
         Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
         As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
 6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
         I shall never be in adversity.”
 7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;
         Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.
       
 8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
         In the secret places he murders the innocent;
         His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.
 9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;
         He lies in wait to catch the poor;
         He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.
 10 So he crouches, he lies low,
         That the helpless may fall by his strength.
 11 He has said in his heart,
         “God has forgotten;
         He hides His face;
         He will never see.”
       
 12 Arise, O LORD!
         O God, lift up Your hand!
         Do not forget the humble.
 13 Why do the wicked renounce God?
         He has said in his heart,
         “You will not require an account.”
       
 14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
         To repay it by Your hand.
         The helpless commits himself to You;
         You are the helper of the fatherless.
 15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
         Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
       
 16 The LORD is King forever and ever;
         The nations have perished out of His land.
 17 LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;
         You will prepare their heart;
         You will cause Your ear to hear,
 18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
         That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Law of Tithings, Israel the Special People

Tithing to God has been there even before Abraham tithed to God in the presence of Melchizedek. Now as the Israelites are preparing to settle in the promised land, God instituted tithing formally. God used tithing to remind the Israelites about their deliverance from Egypt. So tithing follows the rejoicing of the Israelites as they enjoy the blessings of the new land. Tithing is also a sign of obedience as the Israelites obey other laws spelled out by God. The tithes are specifically stated to be given to the Levites, the stranger or the non-Israelite living among them, the fatherless and the widow. The last three groups of people are mentioned in various places in the Old Testament and is the subject of God's compassion.

The last paragraph reminds them that the Israelites are specially chosen by God, set apart from other people - this is a meaning to be holy. They are called to obey God's command and remain faithful.


Deuteronomy 26

Offerings of Firstfruits and Tithes

 1 “And it shall be, when you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, 2 that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the LORD your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. 3 And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the LORD your[a] God that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.’
4 “Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. 5 And you shall answer and say before the LORD your God: ‘My father was a Syrian,[b] about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”;[c] 10 and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O LORD, have given me.’
“Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God. 11 So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.
12 “When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the LORD your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”’[d]

A Special People of God
  
16 “This day the LORD your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice. 18 Also today the LORD has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, 19 and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the LORD your God, just as He has spoken.”

Laws of Divorce and Other Laws

God hates divorce but it is still allowed. However, if a man divorces his wife and the wife remarries another man, and the later husband dies or divorces the woman, then the first husband cannot re-marry the same wife. This is because she is considered defiled and an abomination to God.

An interesting law is for the man to bring happiness to the wife by not going to war or assigned any business for one year.

   Some other laws include:
- Penalty for kidnapping is death.
- Cases of leprosy should be reported to and handled by the Levites since God had instructed them what to do.
- Lenders should exercise compassion in the sense of being flexible to borrowers and not demanding from borrowers the rightful collateral or security if the borrower need them for their well being, eg clothes.
- employers should not oppress their servants.
- judgement and penalty should be upon the offender, not their father or sons.
- justice should be available to all people including non-Israelites living among them. God reminds the Israelites that they too were once aliens in Egypt.
- also a few other laws that promote benefits to a class of people who God cares deeply for, which are the foreign residents, the orphans and widows.




Deuteronomy 24

Law Concerning Divorce

 1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, 4 then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Miscellaneous Laws
  
5 “When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.
6 “No man shall take the lower or the upper millstone in pledge, for he takes one’s living in pledge.
7 “If a man is found kidnapping any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper shall die; and you shall put away the evil from among you.
8 “Take heed in an outbreak of leprosy, that you carefully observe and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you; just as I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do. 9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the way when you came out of Egypt!
10 “When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge. 11 You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you. 12 And if the man is poor, you shall not keep his pledge overnight. 13 You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the LORD your God.
14 “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates. 15 Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the LORD, and it be sin to you.
16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.
17 “You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow’s garment as a pledge. 18 But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing.
19 “When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing.

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.