Exodus 22
Exodus 22
Now, this chapter must seem boring and confusing. Why does God care about property rights? But this should only reveal to you how intimate and intentional God is. As God is holy, which means that he is set apart and because he is set apart from all, then his people must be set apart. As we know, humans are such fickle creatures, easily influenced by each other’s sinfulness, so God is helping his people. He does so by creating laws to set all of Israel apart from every other nation. This means property laws, how they treated strangers, and even the laws about sex, rape, and lending people money.
This is hard for all of us to read and understand. Many of us have seen or personally experienced the sinfulness of legalism and the way people have used morality to oppress others. Hence, why we see such a rebellion against authority and throwing out all rules regarding any kind of morality. Yet, we must trust God even when our instinct is to reject the laws. God is good - meaning he cannot know evil. He does not use the Law to oppress, to shame, or even condemn. He uses it to lift not only our eyes but the eyes of Israel and, ultimately, the nations to recognize and bow down to the holiness and righteousness of God himself.
Anytime I wrestle and sneaking doubt tries to come into my heart, I am reminded of Job 38:4 when God responds to Job by saying, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand.” Where were we when God laid the foundation of the world? Where were we when God parted the Red Sea? Where were we when Jesus took on the sin of the world and rose back to life? All of these have one thing in common - do we trust that God is God? Our sin tells us to be skeptical, question, and ultimately reject God as God. Yet, we are no longer bound to such sin but free because Christ empowered us with His Spirit to overcome.
Do we lean in despite our sinful instincts? Do we surrender our angst, the generational sin of our past, and to do bow down at the foot of the throne of our God who laid down these Laws? The very Laws that Jesus has fulfilled.
Can we trust God is God? Because we all know that you and I would be horrible Gods to worship, only lead others to the grave.
