Saying that post-exodus Israel was a lawless society might be overstating the situation, but regardless, God set forth to establish regulations for His people where before none had officially existed. Prior to these institutions, there were no official policies regarding victim’s rights and restitution and every man was simply doing what they considered to be proper in their own eyes—sometimes justice was fair and sometimes it was not. By the establishment of and adherence to these laws, a certain degree of equity could be guaranteed.
But There is More
While the implementation of these devices served a specific legal purpose, they also were the vehicle by which God could begin to establish biblical models on a grander scale. Prior to this, concepts such as mercy, grace, and restitution were left up to individual interpretation. God was laying down the ground work for what these things looked like from a heavenly perspective.
Perhaps the most significant lesson being taught here is that the compensation we remit for the offenses we commit tender only partial restitution at best. The ideal that is being sketched-out by God is that full restitution can only come from one source ultimately, His Son Jesus Christ. By introducing His people to this notion now, when Jesus is offered as the propitiation for our sins the concept would not be unfamiliar.
“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:2
God’s Priority
As I was going through Exodus 22, one particular passage jumped out at me—the one I featured at the beginning of this blog. It leapt off the page because it is the first of these regulations that God shifts gears, so to speak. Prior to verse twenty-two, the guidelines focused upon how victims were to deal with offenders interpersonally and visa versa, but when the victims are orphans and widows, God will take exceptional interest. God declares in their affliction, “(His) wrath will become hot, and (He) will kill you with the sword…”. Looking around the world today, it would appear that the Christian community has not taken this pronouncement of the Lord very seriously.
I raise that issue not so much as a rebuke towards the Church, but rather as a reminder for her. God is very adamant about His position regarding how believers are to respond to those who are unable to help themselves. Griping about our obligation to the poor or debating the issue of why some find themselves mired in poverty is not a part of God’s solution. The Law of Moses should serve to put each of us in the position of the victim and then ponder how it is we would want to be treated. Mercy and grace ought to be the two attributes that always rise to the top.
He Dwells -- The B'log in My Eye 