Exodus 22 - Printer Friendly

The prior chapter recorded laws on subjects such as homicide and assault. This chapter covers a wider range of topics.

Livestock was used for transportation, food, clothing, and labor. Stealing these animals was a serious crime. So, the Law assigns thieves steep penalties. Most involve paying back multiple times what the animal was worth. When the beast could not be recovered, this was four or five times its sale value. Recovered animals still required the thief to pay double. Those who could not pay their restitution could be forced into indentured servitude. Thieves could not be killed when they were clearly only stealing—but those caught breaking in at night were not so protected (Exodus 22:1–4).

Losses due to negligence are also part of the Law. Letting one's animals damage another's field required restitution. Fires which ran out of control also meant repayment to victims. If property was stolen while being guarded by someone else, thieves were to repay twice the cost. If no thief were caught, the two sides would enter arbitration. The same applies to animals which are stolen, lost, or killed by predators (Exodus 22:5–15).

Female virginity was extremely valuable in the ancient world. It guaranteed that a husband would be the father of that woman's children. This meant the husband would be working to support his own family, and not someone else's. Women who had been widowed, divorced, or were not virgins had limited prospects. Here, Israel's law punishes men for seducing young women. Their penalty is either to marry her—and be subject to divorce restrictions—or pay as if he were marrying her (Exodus 22:16–17).

Scripture universally condemns any attempt to access spiritual power, or knowledge, other than through God (Leviticus 20: 27; Deuteronomy 18:10–11). Various biblical words include overlapping ideas. "Sorceress," or "witch," was a general term referring to black magic. Other related words are more directly tied to the idea of knowledge. Mediums (Leviticus 19:31; 1 Samuel 28:3), necromancers (Leviticus 20:6), fortune tellers, and diviners (Deuteronomy 18:14) all call on supernatural beings for information. Some pagan rituals involved sexual contact with animals; today this is referred to as "bestiality." These attempts are not only sinful, but they are dangerous. Sorcery and bestiality were intricately connected with idolatry and all the evils which it brought (2 Kings 17:14–17). Those practicing such things were subject to a mandatory death penalty (Exodus 22:18–20).

God's laws for Israel were not merely concerned with religious purity. They were also a framework for a godly sense of social justice. Travelling foreigners, as well as the poor and disadvantaged, were to be treated with the same rights and respect as anyone else. The Lord expected this compassion to extend even to those who borrowed money due to poverty. These declarations are general, but God promises His vengeance on those who disobey (Exodus 22:21–27).

The word translated "revile" here is the same word rendered as "cursing" in earlier passages (Exodus 21:17). The term implies treating something as if it were unimportant; to sneer at it as worthy of contempt. To disrespect the Creator is the ultimate form of this sin (Exodus 20:1–7). Yet applying this attitude towards government leaders is also forbidden. The idea is not that governments are immune from criticism. Rather, it is because government-in-general serves an important purpose (Romans 13:1–7). Hateful defiance of human authority is linked to denial of God's authority (Exodus 22:28).

Israel was God's chosen people (Deuteronomy 14:2). He had rescued them with powerful miracles and guidance (Exodus 14:21–29). It would make sense, then, for the people to honor God with their property and their lifestyles. Other parts of the Mosaic covenant give specific instructions about how and how much to offer. Israel's separation from the rest of the world is also reflected in a policy of never eating carrion: animals killed by other animals in the wild (Exodus 22:29–31).