Exodus 28:23  says, And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.  This is further details about the breast plate.  Verse twenty-four adds, And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.  This was the golden chain described in verse twenty-two.  Verse twenty-five continues, And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.   The golden chains were to be attached to the breast plate at one end and to ephod at the other.  Verse twenty-six says, And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.  There were to be two golden rings on the ends of the breast plate.  Then verse twenty-seven adds, And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.  There were to be two more golden rings on the two sides of the ephod, underneath to serve as a coupling for the curious girdle.  Verse twenty-eight states, And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.  The breast plate and the ephod were to be bound together with piece of blue lace running between the golden rings.  God gave Moses specific details for the wardrobe of Aaron.  The only specific requirement we have in order to come before God today is that we come by the way of the cross.  We don't have to be dressed a specific way and are not limited in our access to God.  Verse twenty-nine declares, And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.  The names of the children of Israel would be close to Aaron's heart when he went into the holy place.  As followers of Christ, wherever we go, the Holy Spirit goes with us to keep us close to the heart of God.

Exodus 28:9 says, And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:  There were to be two oryx stones engraved with the names of the children, or tribes, of Israel.  Verse ten adds, Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.  Six were to be named on one stone and six on the other, according to birth order.  Verse eleven says, With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.  These were to be precious stones, which would represent all the people of Israel appearing before God when the High Priest went in to the holy of holies.  Christ represents each believer by name before God today, and we should realize what a precious thing this is.  Verse twelve states, And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.  Aaron was to bear the two stones, representing all God's people, on his shoulders, just as Christ bears all of those who believe in and follow Him upon His shoulders today.  Verse thirteen says, And thou shalt make ouches of gold;  Verse fourteen adds, And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. This was to be a very precious and ornate garment, much more so than the ordinary priestly garments.  Verse fifteen says, And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.  There was to be a breast plate of judgment made, in the same manner as the ephod.  Verse sixteen states,  Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.  The breast plate was to be of double thickness, or two ply.  These next few verse give details of the breast plate.  Verse seventeen says,  And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. Verse eighteen states, And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.  Verse nineteen adds, And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. Verse twenty continues, And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.   Verse twenty-one concludes, And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.  There were to be a total of twelve different stones, each with the name of one of the tribes of Israel on it.  Though we are all different, like these stones representing the people, we are all equally precious to God, and today Jesus is the One and only One Who can represent us before God.  He is our High Priest.  Verse twenty-two says, And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.  This is simply more of the way the breast plate was to be made ornate.

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving Day.  This is a day set aside to remember and give thanks for all the blessings that we have in life.  Even when we don't have much, if we are still alive then we have reason to celebrate.  As followers of Christ, we have reason to celebrate each day, and setting aside one day in which to celebrate and give thanks to God for all that He has blessed us with is the least we can do.  Thanksgiving Day has been reduced to Turkey day or the day to plan where we are doing to spend Black Friday too often in the world today.  This was not what the Pilgrims had in mind that first Thanksgiving Day.  They were simply thanking God for keeping them safe, and we should return to that same attitude.  So, happy Thanksgiving, and remember to give thanks to God today.

Exodus 28:1 says, And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.  After the specifications for the tabernacle were complete, God told Moses to take Aaron and his sons to minister to God as priests.  Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.  Though God does not call families as preachers all at the same time today, if a person is to be a preacher, it must be because God called him.  The priests were to be God's representatives to the people and were not called simply to lord it over others.  As a priesthood of believers, our task today is to present God and His word to people and not to simply feel morally superior to them.  Verse two states, And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.  Aaron was to have holy garments made for him, for both glory and beauty.  The glory was to be shown to God, not Aaron.  We today have no special garments as Christmas, but whatever we wear should show honor to God.  Verse three says,  And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.  God told Moses that he was to speak to those that were wise hearted so they could make and consecrate the garments for Aaron.  The wise hearted would be those who truly believed in God, and just as Moses called Aaron and his sons to be priests, He called these people to make garments for them.  We do not all serve the same purpose in God's kingdom, but we are all called for a purpose in that kingdom.  Verse four states, And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.  Moses was told what garments in particular were to be made for Aaron and his sons so that they could minister as priests of God.  These garments were to identify Aaron and his sons as priests, so that they might serve God and bring honor to Him.  The call from God, and not the garments, was what made them priests, just as our acceptance of the call to salvation through Christ makes us priests of God today.  Verse five says, And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.  These next few verses are simply details for the garments, beginning with what they were to be made of.  Verse six adds, And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.  This was the specifications for the ephod.  Verse seven adds, It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. Then verse eight concludes, And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

Exodus 27:9 says, And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:  This is a continuation of the instructions for the court of the tabernacle.  Verse ten states,  And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.  The pillars and sockets were to be made of brass, or more for strength, and the hooks and fillets were to be of silver, or more ornate.  I believe that today the church building should be functional, but it should also be made as beautiful as possible to reflect honor to God.  We should never put more money and effort into maintaining the building than we do into maintaining the function of the church, which is to reach the lost and to edify one another.  Verse eleven adds, And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.  This was to be a duplication of the south side.  Verse twelve says, And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.  Moses is now given the specifics for the west side of the tabernacle.  Verse thirteen states, And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.  The east side of the tabernacle was to contain the gate.  Verse fourteen adds, The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.  Then verse fifteen continues,  And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.  The hangings at the gate were to cover thirty of the fifty Curtis.  Verse sixteen concludes, And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.  The other twenty cubits of the gate  were to be of blue, purple and scarlet.  This would be the access point.  Just as there was but one way into the tabernacle then, there is but one way into a saving relationship with God today, and that is through Christ.  Verse seventeen says, All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.  Verse eighteen adds, The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.  Verse nineteen concludes. All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.  This concluded the instructions for building and furnishing the tabernacle.  Verse twenty proclaims, And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.  Moses was to instruct the people of Israel to bring pure olive oil to keep the lamps burning always.  We today as followers of Christ have the command to keep the gospel light shinning in the world always.  Just as providing the oil then was not just a one time thing, but an ongoing one, so is our command to share the gospel today.  Verse twenty-one concludes, In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.  Aaron and his sons were given the responsibility of keeping the areas outside the veil in order.  We today are given the responsibility of keeping the church in order in the world.  This is not the building, but the fellowship of believers.

Exodus 27:1 says, And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.  There was to be an altar in the tabernacle.  I believe that today we could say that our heart is the altar of our tabernacle, where we should place everything as a sacrifice to God.  Verse two states,  And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.  There were to be horns of brass on the four corners of the altar.  The brass would keep the wood from being burned up when the fire came down from heaven.  The altar was not a place of beauty, but of sacrifice, just as it should be today.  Verse three adds, And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.  As just stated, this was to be a place of death, not beauty.  When we come to the altar today, it should be to die to self.  Verse four continues, And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.  There was to be a brass net under the altar.  Verse five says, And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.  The net was to be placed under the altar in the middle of it.  Verse six states, And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.  Verse seven adds, And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.  Then verse eight concludes, Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.  These staves were to be made to fit into the net, just as God had instructed Moses to make it.  Just like the altar, the cross was not a place of beauty, but a place of death.  We today must sacrifice everything to God at the cross when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

Exodus 26:31 says,And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:   The veils were to separate the holy place from the most holy place.  Only priest were allowed to go beyond the first veil.  There was limited access to God's holiest place.  This is the veil that was wrent in two when Jesus died for our sins, and as follows of Christ, we are all a part of the priesthood of believers.  Through our faith in Christ, nothing stands between God and us.  Verse thirty-two states, And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.  Then verse thirty-three adds, And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.  The ark of testimony was to be behind the veil, which separated the holy place from the most holy place.  Verse thirty-four says, And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.  The mercy seat was to be placed on the ark of the covenant,in the most holy place.  When we come to God through His mercy shown to us through the death of Christ on the cross, we see God at His most holiest.  Verse thirty-five states, And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.  Verse thirty-six says, And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.  Then verse thirty-seven adds, And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.  There was to be an ornate covering for the door.

Exodus 26:15 says, And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.  These next few verse give the specifications for the boards of the tabernacle.  Verse sixteen states, Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.  Verse seventeen adds, Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.  Verse eighteen continues, And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.  This was not to be a small tabernacle, yet it was still designed to be mobile.  Verse nineteen says, And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.  Verse twenty states, And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:  Verse twenty-one adds, And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.  Verse twenty-two continues, And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.  The tabernacle was to be rectangular in shape, with the north and south sides being longer.  Verse twenty-three says, And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.  Verse twenty-four states, And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.  Verse twenty-five adds, And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. Then verse twenty-six continues, And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,  I believe the main thing that we can learn from this is that God has specific instructions for those who follow Him, and He expects us to obey His instructions.  Verse twenty seven says, And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.  Verse twenty-eight states, And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.  Verse twenty-nine continues, And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.  Verse thirty concludes,And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.  We today as followers of Christ do not have a tabernacle made by hands, but a tabernacle made by faith in Him.  The Holy Spirit indwells us, and we become a living tabernacle of God.

Exodus 26:1 says, Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.  This verse and the next several are details of how the tabernacle was to be built.  There was to be an inner curtain and an outer one.  The tabernacle was to be mobile, since God's people had no permanent home, and we as God's people have no permanent home in the world today, so we should be mobile as a church.  There were to be cherubim made in the curtains to overlook the mercy seat.  Verse two states, The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.  Verse three adds, The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.  This gives the dimensions of the curtains and how they were to be fastened together.  This was not Moses' design but God's design.  When we are building God's church today, and I don't mean the buildings but the people who are God's church, we must follow His design.  Verse four says, And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.  Then verse five adds, Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.  Then verse six continues, And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.  The curtains were to be made so that they would fit together and be one tabernacle.  We today, as God's people, are to fit together as one church.  God wants His people to be one people, no matter how they may in separated by the world.  Verse seven says, And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.  These were to be the outer curtains, and they were to be more durable.  Verse eight states, The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure. The dimensions of the outer curtain are given.  Verse nine adds, And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.  Verse ten continues, And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.  Verse eleven concludes, And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.  This outer curtain was not to be as pretty as the inner curtain, and it was to fit together as one curtain.  We, as followers of Christ should be more beautiful, on the inside, in our soul, than we are on the outside, or our physical being.  It doesn't matter what we look like physically, as long as we are dedicated to following God's will.  We should never put more emphasis on how a church building looks than on how the people inside function in God's kingdom.  We must also fit together as one church.  Verse twelve says, And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.  Verse thirteen adds, And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it. Then verse fourteen concludes, And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers’ skins.  The tabernacle was to be ornate on the inside and durable on the outside and it was to be mobile.  We as the church should be ornate on the inside, filled with God's presence, and durable on the outside, not giving in to the pressures that the world may place on us.  Also, we must be mobile, going into the world as God sends us to share the gospel with the lost world.

Exodus 25:31 says  And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.  God begins to give Moses the instructions for making the candlesticks.  Verse thirty-two states,  And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:  The candlesticks were to have three branches out each side, for a total of six.  These candlesticks were to be to shine light in the tabernacle which had no windows.  God alone can provide us with spiritual light in the world filled with the darkness of sin.  Verse thirty three adds, Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.  The six branches were not to be identical, but they were to be both ornate and functional.  All were to have their own bowl for oil and a knop, or ornamental loop.  Matthew Henry says that he churches are the golden candlesticks today, shining spiritual light into the dark world.  The branches of the candlesticks represents the spreading of the gospel in all directions.  Verse thirty-four states, And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.  Verse thirty-five adds, And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.  Two branches were to share a knop.  Verse thirty-six says, Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.  Verse  thirty-seven adds, And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.  There were to be seven lamps made of pure gold to shed light in God's tabernacle.  Their were to be seven of these lamps.  We today as followers of  Christ are called to shed God's light in the world, and we can only do this by allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us with God's strength and knowledge.  Verse thirty-eight continues,  And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.  Then verse thirty-nine concludes, Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.  God gave Moses specific instructions about the candlesticks and lamps, just as he gives us a specific task today, and that is to spread the gospel, the only spiritual light in the world.  They were to make them out of the finest gold, which God had supplied them with to start with.  Today, we are to give the best we have to God, because He has provided it for us to start with.  Verse forty declares, And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount. Moses was warned to make them according to the pattern that God had given Him.  We today must share the gospel exactly as God has given it to us.  We cannot add nor take anything away from it.

Exodus 25:17 says, And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.  Moses was next told to build a mercy seat and what its dimensions were to be  We certainly need to come to the mercy seat of God today, and the only way to do so is through the cross of Jesus.  We no longer have a physical mercy seat that we carry around with us, but we have the Holy Spirit with us if we have accepted God's mercy through our faith in Christ.  Verse eighteen states,  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.  There were to be two golden cherubim in the two ends of the mercy seat.  Verse nineteen adds, And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.  The cherubim were to be seated on each end of the mercy seat.  Then verse twenty concludes, And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.  The cherubim were to have their wings spread out covering the mercy seat, their faces toward each other and looking down at the mercy seat.  Matthew Henry said these cherubim, which represented God's holy angels, also represented God's mercy which was covered by the law.  God's mercy to us today is only covered by the blood of Christ, and once we accept this merciful gift, then His mercy is no longer covered by anything.  Verse twenty-one says, And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.  The mercy seat was to be on the ark, and the testimony, or law, that God was to give to Moses was to be in the ark.  This was to be a representation of God's law and mercy being with the people of Israel at all times.  We today have God with us at all times through the Holy Spirit, but and if we have accepted the mercy of God, we are also subjected to the law of God.  We are not saved by the law, but we are still to obey it.  Verse twenty-two states, And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.  God said He would meet and commune with them from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim.  God was to teach them about His law, which he was going to give to Moses.  God today will speak to us from his mercy seat of we are a follower of Christ.  If we aren't, then He will speak to us strictly from His judgment seat.  Verse twenty-three says, Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.  Verse twenty-four states, And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.  Verse twenty-five adds, And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.  Verse twenty six continues, And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.  Verse twenty-seven says, Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.  Then verse twenty-eight concludes, And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.  The table was to be made according to God's design and was to be made so it could be easily transported.  Verse twenty-nine states, And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.  Verse thirty adds, And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.  The people of Israel were to make dishes to contain the shew bread, which would always be before God.  The table and dishes were not to go into the holy of holies as we shall see.

Exodus 25:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Then verse two states, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.  God instructed Moses to collect an offer to God from the people and that Moses was to accept the offering from everyman who gave willingly from his heart.  When we give offerings, or even pay our tithes today, it should be done willingly from the heart.  Verse three states, And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,  Verse four adds, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,  Verse five continues, And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,  Verse six still continues, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,  Verse seven concludes, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.  God had richly blessed the people of Israel when they left Egypt, and now He was asking that show their gratitude to Him by returning some of the best of the things that He had blessed them with to Him.  These things would be used to do God's work and to show His glory to the rest of the world.  Today, God has so richly blessed us by giving us salvation through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and we should willingly give to Him anything He asks of us so that His work may be done and that He may be glorified.  When we give an offering to God, it should be the best that we have to give.  Verse eight says, And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.  Moses was told that the people of Israel were to build a sanctuary for God, that He might live among them.  Today, the sanctuary that God lives in is not a church building, but the heart of each follower of Christ.  Through the Holy Spirit, God constantly dwells with us.  Verse nine states, According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.  God told Moses that He would give him the specifications for the sanctuary.  When we build a physical sanctuary for God today, we need to ensure that we are building according to His plans.  We cannot allow a physical sanctuary to become more important than spreading the gospel.  Verse ten declares, And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.  God said they were to make an ark, then He specified the dimensions.  Verse eleven adds, And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.  God said the wood was to be overlaid with gold. in side and out.  Verse twelve continues, And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.  These rings were to be used when transporting the sanctuary, because unlike altars which were fixed in place, the sanctuary was ro move with the people of Israel.  Today, the church building is a fixed place, but the body of the believer is the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, so He goes with us wherever we go.  Verse thirteen says, And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. Then verse fourteen adds, And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.  The people of Israel were to make gold overlaid staves to carry the ark.  Verse fifteen adds, The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.  The staves were to always remain in the rings of the ark so that it would always be ready to transport.  As followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us, so wherever we go, God with us.  Verse sixteen concludes, And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.  The ark was to be used to transport the testimony, which God would give to Moses to share with the people.  God today gives us the testimony to share with our fellow believers, but more importantly with the lost people of the world.

Exodus 24:11 says, And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink  These noble men, or elders of Israel, saw God and were not destroyed.  Though they may have been seen as noble men by those around them, they were still but sinners standing before God.  It was due to His mercy that they were not destroyed.  When we first come before God we are but sinful people, but through Christ we can look upon God and not be destroyed because of God's mercy to us.  Verse twelve states, And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.  God told Moses to come on up the mountain and God would give him tablets of stone and His law and commandments which He had written.  Moses was told that he was to be prepared to stay there for awhile.  When we come to God through our faith in Christ, we do not write the laws that we are to live by, but God does.  As a matter of fact, God has already written them, and we just have to accept them.  Moses was to teach God's laws to the people of Israel, and we today are to teach people God's laws once we become a follower of Christ.  Verse thirteen declares, And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.  Moses rose up and Joshua, his minister, rose up with him.  Though Moses was probably comforted by having Joshua with him, this was not what God had instructed him to do.  We might be comforted by having someone else come with us when we come to Christ, but we much each come alone.   Verse fourteen adds, And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.  Moses told the rest of those with him to remain there, and that Aaron and Hur would settle any matters that they were concerned about.  We are never alone in our service to God, but there are others who are serving in their own way.  Verse fifteen declares, And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.  As Moses went up the mountain, a cloud covered the mountain.  Those below were blocked from seeing what was going on up on the mountain.  Until we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, there is always going to be a cloud separating us from God.  Verse sixteen states, And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.  Moses was in the cloud for six days, and on the seventh day, God called him out of the cloud.  Matthew Henry says this was to test Moses' patience or faith.  Had Moses decided before the six days were up that he had waited ling enough, He never would have received God's law.  When we know that we are where God wants us to be, we cannot become impatient for results and give up.  When the time is right, just as God did with Moses, He will call us out of the cloud that seems to surround us.  Verse seventeen proclaims, And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.  When Moses was called out of the clouds, the people below saw a devouring fire on the top of the mountain.  When we look to God, we must acknowledge His power and His mercy.  If we do not accept God's mercy to us by accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we will see His devouring fire forever after His judgment comes.  Verse eighteen adds, And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.  Moses went back into the cloud alone, without Joshua, and was there for forty days.  This did not count the seven days that Moses was in the cloud with Joshua.  Until we accept Christ individually, we will never see God, no matter  who we are with.  We know from the rest of the story that Joshua was a man of faith, but he was not called to receive the law of God.  There are many great men of faith around us today, but they cannot fulfill our purpose in God's kingdom as well as we can if we have been called to a particular task.  This does not mean that God's work won't get done, but that if God had chosen to allow us to do fill a particular purpose in His kingdom, then we sre the best person to fill it.

Exodus 24:1 says,  And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.  God told Moses to bring Aaron, Nadad, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel up to the LORD, and worship afar off.  We know who Aaron was, and the other two named were his sons, but the seventy elders we really don't know much about.  When we worship God today, we should do so reverently and we must realize that there are people all over the  world that we know little about who are worshipping Him as well.  Verse two states, And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.  Moses alone was to come near God, with Aaron and the rest of the group a little farther back and the rest of the people of Israel even farther back.  Ultimately, we must all come to God alone to receive His gift of salvation.  Verse three declares, And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.  Moses came to the people and told them all the words and judgments of God, and the people declared that they would follow God's laws.  This was a covenant between the people and God.  When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord today, we enter into a covenant relationship with Him.  Just like the people of Israel, we must accept God's word as our guiding principle in life.  Verse four states, And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.  Moses wrote all the words of God down.  This was quite a responsibility, but Moses completed the task that God had called him to do.  Early the next morning, Moses built an altar and put up twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.  Everyone was to be included in the worship service.  Verse five adds, And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.  Moses sent young men to offer offerings to God.  They offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.  I believe that we should always include the young people in our worship time.  Verse six continues, And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.  Matthew Henry says that Moses sprinkled half the blood of the sacrifice on the people or the pillars that represented them and half on the altar.  This was a sign that the people and the altar were consecrated to God.  When we stand before God today, we must stand under the blood of Christ if we are to be consecrated to God.  Verse seven declares, And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.  Moses read the book of the covenant to the people and they all said that they would obey the word of God.  We today must agree to follow the word of God if we are to be successful in our service to Him.  Verse eight adds, And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.  Moses sprinkled the blood on the people and said it was the blood of the covenant which the people had made with God that day.  As stated, we today come to God through the blood of Christ and enter into a covenant relationship with Him.  Verse nine states, Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:  Then verse ten adds, And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.  Moses, Aaron, Nadad, Abihu and the elders went back up the mountain and saw God in His glory.  Likewise, we will one day go up to heaven to see God in all His glory if we are follwers of Christ.

Exodus 23:20 says, Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.  God was going to send an Angel before the people of Israel to guide them.  Some see this Angel as Jesus before His incarnation, but whether it was or not, it was a special agent of God who was to lead them.  We today may not have an angel, but we doe have the Holy Spirit to guide us, and He is with us to guide us no matter where we go.  Verse twenty-one states, Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.  The people of Israel were to follow and not provoke the Angel, who would not pardon their transgressions if they did, because he represented God.  This would seem to further indicate that the Angel was Christ, since we cannot be forgiven if we reject and provoke Him by our failure to accept and follow Him.  Verse twenty-two declares, But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.  Here is one of those but ifs of the bible.  The people of Israel were required to follow the Angel, and if they did, then God would be an enemy to their enemies, but if they didn't, He would not be.  The same is true for us today.  If we follow Christ faithfully, God will be an enemy to our enemies, but if we stray, this will not be true.   Verse twenty-three adds, For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.  God told the people of Israel that His Angel would go before them and cut off all their enemies.  Christ cut off the power of all our enemies when He died for us on the cross, and the Holy Spirit is with us today to keep us spiritually safe as we travel through this world.  Verse twenty-four states, Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.  They were commanded to not bow down to any other gods, but to destroy them instead.  Anything that we value more than God's will today becomes an idol that we are bowing down to, and we must utterly deatroy it to be successful in following Christ.  Verse twenty-five declares,  And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.  God made a promise to the people of Israel, and it was not to make them materially rich.  If they served the LORD, He would bless their bread and water and take sickness away from their midst.  Today, we need to realize that God has not promised to make us rich materially, but to provide for our daily needs.  God also takes away our spiritual sickness if we put our faith in Christ.  Verse twenty-six states, There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.  God said that their cattle would not be barren in their land for the number of days until His promise was fulfilled.  Matthew Henry said that their cattle were a sign of prosperity, but I don't believe this was a promise of great wealth.  Verse twenty-seven proclaims, I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.  God said He would destroy all the enemies of the people of Israel, just as He will destroy all our spiritual enemies today if we follow His will.  I do not believe that there will never be a time when we are not defeated physically, but we will never be defeated spiritually if we follow God's guidance through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-eight states, And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.  God did not say that He would send a legion of angels to defeat the enemies of Israel, but that He would send hornets to drive them out.  We need to realize that God can and does work through ordinary things to keep us safe today.  Verse twenty-nine declares, I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.  The enemies of Israel were not to be driven out immediately.  Our enemies today may not be driven out immediately, but if we put our faith in Christ, we know that the victory is already assured.  Verse thirty adds, By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.  God said He would drive Israel's enemies out little by little.  When we walk with Christ, not all of our enemies are driven out at once, but little by little we face fewer spiritual enemies.  Verse thirty-one continues, And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.  God told the people of the boundaries of the land that He would give them, and said that they would drive  their enemies out of the land because God had delivered them to the hands of the Israelites.   Even though God delivers us from the power of sin, it is still up to us to do our part in overcoming it.  Verse thirty-two states, Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.  Like the people of Israel, as followers of Christ we can make no compromises with the world and its gods.  Verse thirty-three proclaims. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.  Just like the people of Israel, if we allow the beliefs of the world to exist in our lives, we will be led to compromise our faith.  There are many snares to following Christ today, but we should never allow them to entrap us.

Exodus 23:10 says, And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:  Then verse eleven adds, But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.  The owners of the land were to plant and harvest the land for six years, and then the seventh year the land and the crops were to be harvested by the poor and what they didn't use was to be left for the animals.  God has always been concerned for the poor, and He has always expected His people to help them out.  We today might say that the owner has the right to everything that he can produce every year and has no obligation to the poor, but this is not what God says.  Verse twelve says, Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.  God said that the seventh day was to be a day of rest for all people and their working animals.  We today choose the Lord's Day, Sunday, and yet for too many people it is not even a day of rest, much less a day of worship.  God said this was to be a day to be refreshed.  We still need that time to rest and worship God.  Verse thirteen declares, And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.  The people of Israel were told to be circumspect, which means wary and unwilling to take risks, in all things, and they were not to even mention other gods.  As followers of Christ, this still applies to us today.  If we follow astrological signs and horoscopes, for example, we are following another god, even if we say that there is no harm in it.  Verse fourteen proclaims, Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.  God is going to tell the people some particular days that they should worship Him, and how they should worship Him.  Though we should worship God daily, we do know that He expects us to set aside one day exclusively for worshipping Him.  I believe that God should also determine how we worship Him, and that it should not be determined simply by what makes us feel good or by what everyone else is doing.  Verse fifteen states,Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)  God said they were to keep the feast of unleavened bread by eating unleavened bread for one week each year, and that none should go hungry.  This was to be a reminder of when God delivered them from Egypt.  When we think of a feast, we usually think of delicious food and lots of it, but this was to be a feast of remembrance of what God had done for them.  Verse sixteen adds, And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.  They were also to observe the feast of the harvest and the feast of the ingathering.  This was to dedicate what they had to God.  We should always give thanks to God, and we celebrate Thanksgiving every year, but it has been swallowed up by Christmas, which itself has lost much of its meaning in the world today.  Thanksgiving has become a day of overeating and waiting for the day after sales to begin, and Christmas has become a day of commerce more than a day for the celebration of the birth of Christ   Verse seventeen declares, Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.  All males were also to appear before God three times a year.  Verse eighteen adds, Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.  Sacrifices were not to be offered with leavened bread, and nothing was to be left until morning.  When we give our self to the Lord, we should not attempt to keep anything anything back.  Verse nineteen concludes,The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.  The people of Israel were told to bring their first fruits to God, and I believe that we today must give to God first before we worry about what to do with the rest of what He has blessed us with.

Exodus 23:1 says, Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.  Bearing false witness was a sin in God's eyes, and it still is today.  We hear a lot today about someone being accused of lying about someone else, but as followers of Christ, we should make sure that we are not guilty of doing so.  In the day of social media, which is often very unsocial, it is easy to repeat lies, but I believe that we have a responsibility to make sure that what we are saying is the truth.  Verse two states, Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:  The Israelites were warned to not just follow the crowd in what they were saying.  Likewise, we today cannot just base what we say on what most of those around us believe, but we must seek the truth and only proclaim what is consistent with God's truth.  Just because everyone says a certain thing does not make it true.  Verse three adds, Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.  People were not to be judged differently just because they were poor.  The poor may not have been able to afford to defend themselves well in court, but they were to be given a fair trial.  There is too much difference today in how the rich and poor are treated in court, and often in the sentences that they receive if found guilt.  This is not what God expects from His people.  Verse four declares, If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.  The Israelites were not just expected to deal honestly with their friends, but with their enemies also.  Just because someone was their enemy didn't give them the right to keep something that belonged to the enemy if they found it.  God tells us that we are to love our enemies, and we cannot treat them unfairly if we do.  Verse five adds, If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.  Not only were the people of Israel to return something that they found that belonged to an enemy, if they saw someone who hated them struggling under a heavy burden, they were to help them as well.  How often do we delight to see those that hate us struggling or suffering and feel that they deserve it and not only don't help them but rejoice in their suffering?  This is not what God's word teaches us.  Verse six says, Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.  This is an expansion on treating the poor unfairly.  We are not to have one system of justice for the rich and another for the poor.  Verse seven states, Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.  Just like the people of Israel, we are not to join those around us in following a falsehood.  As a matter of fact, we are to keep far from it.  We are not to kill the righteous, but we are to allow God to be the judge of all.  Our task is not to judge, but to reach the lost with the gospel of Christ.  Verse eight declares, And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.  Judges and witnesses were not to accept gifts because that could lead them to pervert the truth, or the words of the righteous.  If we have a question about the truth of something today, we cannot just repeat it or do what benefits us most financially, but we must seek God's guidance as to what we should do or say.  Verse nine proclaims, Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.  The Israelites were not to oppress the stranger, because they knew what it was like to be a stranger from their experience in Egypt.  God freed them from that oppression, and if we are followers of Christ today, He has freed us from the oppression of sin.  We should remember this when we deal with the strangers, or lost people around us.

Exodus 22:25 says, If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.  The Israelites were not to charge interest on loans made to any poor person.  This would not play well in the world today, where poor people are still charged great amounts of interest on loans, especially credit card and pay day loans.  Verse twenty-six states, If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:  If a person gave their raiment for a pledge, it was to be returned by night fall.  Verse twenty-seven adds, For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.  This is the reason that the raiment was to be returned.  The borrower would be cold at night without it.  In other words, the welfare of the borrower was to be considered.  God said if the person cried out to Him because this didn't happen that He would hear, because He is a gracious God.  How can we serve a gracious God and not be expected to be a gracious people?  We say that we can never outgive God, but do we believe it?  Verse twenty-eight states, Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.  Since there is but one God, and this doesn't seem to be referring to Him.  Matthew Henry says it refers to the judges, but I am not sure why they were referred to as gods.  I do know what God meant when He said that we are not to revile the rulers.  That means we are not to speak badly about those in power, and not just those that we like.  I personally don't believe there is any benefit in continuing to speak badly about former rulers.  Verse twenty-nine declares, Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.  The people of Israel were told not to delay in giving to God what was God's. the first fruits of all that they had.  I believe that likewise we should not delay in bringing our tithes and offerings to God today.  We cannot make this contingent on circumstances, because if we do, then circumstances will never be right.  Verse thirty adds, Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.  New born oxen and sheep were to be given a week with their mother, then they were to be given to God.  Verse thirty-one concludes, And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.  The people of Israel were to be a holy nation to God, not because of their superiority to others, but because of their relationship to God.  They were not to eat animals killed by beasts in the field.  This was not a probation against eating meat, but about eating something that was not pure.  Matthew Henry says it was a call to be conscientious in our diet.

Exodus 22:14 says, And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.  If a person borrowed something from his  neighbor and it was hurt or died, the one who borrowed it was to compensate the neighbor with a replacement or with replacement value.  We are responsible for the things we borrow from others, and should never attempt to escape responsibility for returning whatever it is that we borrow in good condition.  Verse fifteen adds, But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.  If the neighbor is there using whatever it is for hire, then the item was not to be replaced.  There is a difference between helping a neighbor for free and charging a neighbor for our help.  This can really apply in families.  Sometimes, even if we borrow something from them and it is broken, we don't feel we should have to replace it.  Sometimes, they are helping us for free, and the same thing applies, but if they are charging us, then the responsibility is theirs.  Verse sixteen states, And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.  A man could not entice a unbetrothed woman and have a sexual relationship with her without marrying her.  This was done for the protection of the woman more than anything.  It would have to be known that this happened. but if no one else knew, the man, woman and God would know.  Verse seventeen adds, If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.  If her father refused to allow her to marry the man, then he was to pay a dowry according to the dowry of virgins.  The woman had very little to say in this whatever happened, other than consenting to be with the man to start with.  In our world today in America, this is hard to understand, especially the fact that the woman had no say in what happened to her.  Verse eighteen declares, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.  Witches existed even then, but they were not to be allowed to live.  I believe this was because they could lead people away from God.  Though I don't believe that we are commanded by God to kill witches today, we certainly should not accept them and what they teach as being perfectly alright.  Verse nineteen  says, Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.  Bestiality also brought a death sentence.  Verse twenty declares, He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.  As bad as some of these other things were, sacrificing to any other god except the one true God, this proclaims that the person was to be utterly destroyed.  This is why we must be careful that we don't begin to sacrifice to anything other than God.  Anything that becomes more important to us than God becomes what we sacrifice to.  Verse twenty-one states, Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.  We today should not vex or oppress strangers, because we are still strangers in this world.  Heaven is our home and we are just passing through wherever we are today on our way to that home.  Verse twenty-two declares, Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.  Since we are God's people, this applies to us just as it did to the Israelites.  We are to care for the widow's and the fatherless children.  Verse twenty-three adds, If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;  God said that if the widow or fatherless child were afflicted at all and cried out to Him that He would hear them.  God has not changed since this command was given, so He still hears them today.  Verse twenty-four concludes, And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.  God takes the mistreatment of widows and fatherless children very serious, and so should we.  I don't believe that God is going to strike someone dead if they do this, but I do believe that there will be an accountability for such actions.  If we are truly following God's will, then we will not be guilty of doing this.

Exodus 22:1 says, If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.  Stealing and killing or selling an ox or a sheep brought a severe penalty.  Oxen were to be repaid at five for one and sheep at four for one.  If we had the same penalties today, we might cut down on theft.  Verse two states, If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. There was a defend your home law even then.  If a thief was accidently killed while breaking in, the one who killed him was not to be held accountable for the thief's death.  Verse three says, If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.  Matthew Henry says this refers to the person in verse one who had stolen the ox or sheep.  If they were able to make restitution the next day, they were to do so, and if they couldn't they were to be sold to pay the debt.  This was still probably a better system than prison, since restitution was made and the person was accountable for it.  Verse four adds, If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.  If the stolen animals were still alive, then the restitution was the be two for one for either animal.  Verse five declares, If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.  There was a penalty for a person  allowing his animals to graze in his neighbors field or vineyard.  If he did so, he was to pay with the best of his crop from his own field or vineyard.  This would imply that the person doing this had a way to feed his animals from his own possessions.  We cannot attempt to use what others own simply to save what we own.  Verse six states, If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.  There was a penalty for starting a fire that got out of control.  This wasn't just about arson, but about any fire that was started that consumed another's property.  We see a lot about fires causing devastation in the world today, but there is usually little restitution even if it was caused by arson and the arsonist is caught.  Verse seven proclaims, If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.  If a neighbor was keeping something of value for another neighbor, and it was stolen and the thief caught, then the thief would be required to pay double what was stolen.  Verse eight adds, If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods.  If the thief were not found in this case, the master, or owner, of the house would be brought before the judges to determine if he had stolen the goods himself.  The theft could not just be written off to some unknown thief.  Just as the master of the house then, we need to be held accountable for protecting the property of others that they may have entrusted us with.  Verse nine declares, For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.  If there was a dispute over the ownership of any property, it was to be brought before the judges.  Whichever person was found to be at fault was to make restitution at double the value of the disputed property.  This should have cut down on false claims and lawsuits.  Verse ten states, If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:  Then verse eleven adds, Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.  If an animal was stolen and could not be found, then there was to be an oath to God that the one in possession had not just taken the animal for his own use.  These were God's people, and we have to assume that taking such an oath would have meant that they were telling the truth.  After the oath, the one in possession of the property would be held unaccountable.  Just like then, especially as God's people, we must respect the rights of our neighbors.  Verse twelve continues, And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.  Then verse thirteen concludes, If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.  If the person was held to have stolen the animal, he would be responsible, but if the animal had been killed and torn to pieces by another animal or person, then the man would not be responsible.

Exodus 21:26 says, And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.  If a man blinded his servant, whether male or female, by hitting him or her, he was to free the servant.  We would think that just beating a servant would be reason enough to free them, but I believe that a servant in this case would more accurately be a slave.  Verse twenty-seven states, And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.  The same thing applied to knocking out a tooth, which doesn't seem as severe as the loss of sight, so the law may have been designed to keep masters from severely beating their servants.  Though we today do not own slaves, if we harm those that work for us, we should be responsible for helping them financially.  Verse twenty-eight says, If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.  An ox that killed someone was to be killed and not eaten, but the owner was to otherwise not be held accountable.  It would only cost him the ox.  We cannot always control animals that we own, but if they harm others, especially if they kill them, then we should ensure that it never happens again.  Verse twenty-nine states, But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.  There was an addition to the law.  If the ox had been know to push with his horn in the past, or to be dangerous in other words, and the owner did not keep it away from people and it killed someone, then the ox and the owner were to both be stoned to death.  Though we might not be able to prevent a one time accidental death, if we know an animal has a history of violence against people and we do not keep it away from them, then if it severely harms or kills someone, we are more responsible than we would be in a one time event.  Verse thirty states, If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.  There was evidently a way for the owner to avoid being stoned to death, and that was to pay a specified ransom for his life.  We cannot ransom our life today from the penalty of death due to our sins, but Christ has redeemed us if we accept His redemption.  Verse thirty-one adds, Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.  This would apply to his own family as well.  Just as we are responsible for keeping those who work for us safe to the best of our ability, we are even more responsible for keeping our family safe.  Verse thirty-two proclaims, If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.  There was even a penalty for an ox, or any other animal the man owned, simply harming a person without killing them.  Verse thirty-three  declares, And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;  Then verse thirty-four adds, The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.  A man was responsible for insuring that things that he did would not lead to the harm of someone else's property.  If a man dug a hole and left it uncovered and someone else's animal was harmed, then the man who dug the hole was responsible for the damages.  Verse thirty-five states, And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.  If one man's ox killed another man's ox, then the live one was to be sold and the money divided, as well as the meat from the dead one.  Both would share in the loss of the ox.  Verse thirty-six adds, Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.  If the owner knew that his ox had harmed others in the past, he was to pay the full price of the ox to the other owner.  Though he was not responsible for a one time thing, he was if this was something that happened often.  The owner was responsible for the actions of the ox in both cases, but when he knew that the ox was dangerous and he allowed it to harm another, he was held even more accountable.  Though sin has a death penalty, I believe that when we deliberately sin that we will have more to answer for.  This does not mean that one sin is worse than another in a spiritual sense because of the sin itself, but that when we deliberately sin, then we bear more responsibility before God.  We are still forgiven and redeemed, but we are told that we will one day have to answer to God about our sins.  We certainly should never lead others to sin by our actions.

Exodus 21:12 says, He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.  The penalty for smiting, or murdering, a man, was death.  All life is important to God, and we cannot to murder someone without there being a severe penalty.  Verse thirteen states, And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.  God made a provision for those who did not deliberately kill a person, for those who had not laid in wait, or planned to kill that person.  God would appoint a place for the man who did this to flee.  We don't have such a place today, but we do have different designations for what someone is guilty of if they kill another person.  Verse fourteen declares, But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.  God said this was because the one who killed his neighbor was to be taken from His altar.  We cannot really serve God and hate, much less kill, our neighbor.  The person who deliberately killed his neighbor was to be put to death himself.  Verse fifteen states, And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.  This refers to hitting a parent and not to killing them.  A child should never hit his or her parent out of anger or disrespect.  The penalty for this in the Old Testament was death.  Verse sixteen says, And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.  The penalty for stealing and selling a man was death.  God has always taken relationships between people serious.  Verse seventeen declares, And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.  This takes the treatment of parents a step farther, declaring that simply cursing them brings a death penalty.  I believe that this means when parents are living up to their responsibility as parents and even when they aren't, unless we are in physical danger, we are to show them respect.  Verse eighteen states, And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:  Then verse nineteen adds, If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.  If a man was injured in a fight, and was confined to his bed for a time but recovered, the one who injured him was to be responsible for paying for the time the injured person lost at work.  Verse twenty proclaims, And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.  People were not free to kill their servants.  Just because we are in a superior position to someone else in the eyes of the world does not give us the right to kill or mistreat them.  Verse twenty-one adds, Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money. If the servant was beaten and recovered in a day or two, the master was to be considered to have lost enough because the servant couldn't work during that time.  Verse twenty-two declares, If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.  God said that if a man caused a woman who was pregnant to lose a child, that he should certainly be punished.  It was up to the husband and the judges to determine the penalty.  I don't believe that God has changed His mind about the loss of an unborn due to the actions of others, and I believe that the father still has a right in determining the fate of that child.  Verse twenty-three adds, And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,  Then verse twenty-four adds, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,  Then verse twenty-five concludes, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.  We could say that the punishment was to fit the crime.  God holds all life sacred, and if we abuse or kill someone, then we should be willing to pay the penalty for it.  If we have accepted salvation through Christ, then the most that can be happen is to die physically, and if we haven't accepted Christ, then there will be time to do so.  Of course, as Christians, we shouldn't be guilty of these things to start with, but since we are told that even our thoughts of such things make us guilty, we may be guilty more often than we wish to admit.

Exodus 21:1 says, Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.  God began to establish some of His laws that went beyond the Ten Commandments, which are the framework from which God's overall laws are based.  Verse two states, If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing  Buying a slave was permitted, but there was a limit to their servitude.  They were to be freed the seventh year.  I really don't believe that this was an endorsement of slavery though, but a limit on its use. Verse three adds, If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.  If the man was single when he came into slavery, then he would leave alone, but if he was married, his wife was to leave with him.  Then verse four continues, If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.  If the man was single and when he was bought, then was given a wife by his master, the wife and children would stay with the master when the man left.  I don't believe that we can really relate to this today this today.  Verse five says, And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:  The man was not forced to leave, but could chose to stay with his family and serve his master.  We can say that we are bought with a price when we come to accept Christ, and we are free to stop serving Him at any time, though I believe that if we are truly His through accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord that we are His forever, that our actions should not pull our family away from God.  Verse six declares, Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.  If the man chose to stay, he was to be brought before the judges and marked as being the master's servant for the rest of his life.  As followers of Christ, we are brought before the Judge, God, and proclaimed to be his forever because we are marked by the blood of Jesus.  Verse seven adds, And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.  Women sold into slavery were treated differently.  They were not to be freed after seven years.  I believe this was more for their protection.  They had no rights if they were freed.  Verse eight continues, If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.  The master could not get rid of the female servant just because he was dissatisfied with her, but she was to be treated much as a wife would.  Verse nine states, And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.  If the master had married the slave to his son, then she was to be treated as a daughter would be treated.  Again, I believe these laws were more for the protection of the female slaves than for making things worse for them.  Verse ten adds, If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.  This is not an endorsement of plural marriages, but an acknowledgement that they did happen.  If the man chose to take another wife, he could not diminish the role of the slave who had become his wife.  We know from Abraham's life that taking a servant to fulfill the role of a wife creates problems, but the servant or slave was not to be turned out of the household as Hagar was.  Verse eleven concludes, And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.  If the man would not fulfill his obligations to the slave woman, then she would be free to leave without anyone paying anything for her.  Once more, I don't believe that we can truly understand the culture of that day, but I do believe that these laws were put in place to protect those who were sold into slavery.

Exodus 20:18 says, And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.  When the people of Israel saw and heard what was going on up on the mountain, they stood far away.  When we see God at work in the world today, we should not stand far off, but should come close to be a part of what He is doing.  Of course, the lost of the world are going to stand far off and attempt to discredit or explain away what God is doing.  Verse nineteen states, And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, told Moses to speak to them and they would hear him, but if God spoke to them they would die.  We can never think that we need some other person to stand between us and God, except Jesus Christ, Who took our place before God.  We must go directly to God with our cares and concerns.  Verse twenty declares, And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.  Moses told the people that they were not to be afraid of God, because He had come to cause them to respect Him and to not be guided by sin.  We as followers of Christ should never be afraid of God simply because He is the all powerful God, but we should respect Him enough to not give in to sin.  Verse twenty-one says, And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.  The people of Israel still stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.  For those who do not believe in God, and specifically in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, God will always be hidden in the great darkness of sin, and they will be far off from Him.  When someone comes to God through faith in Christ, the darkness will begin to be lifted, though we will never know everything about God in this lifetime.  Verse twenty-two proclaims, And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.  God began to tell Moses what to say to the people.  The first thing was that they knew that God had spoken to Moses.  When we share the gospel today, we must make sure that people know that it is God's word that we share.  Verse twenty-three adds, Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.  God once again told Moses to tell the people not to make gods of silver or gold.  When we put anything on earth ahead of God, we are making a god of whatever it may be.  We must let nothing come between God and us, and if we do, then we are worshipping a false god.  Verse twenty-four continues, An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.  It is not enough to just not worship false God's, but we must worship God.  I don't believe that we should ever become complacent about God, but must worship Him always.  Verse twenty-five states, And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.  God said that they were not to hew out altars of stone, and if they did they would pollute it.  I believe this was so that the people would not begin to make altars so ornate that the altar itself became more important than God.  We should never allow church buildings to become more important than God.  Verse twenty-six concludes, Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.  I believe this refers to spiritual nakedness more than physical nakedness.  If we attempt to come to God on our own terms, we come before Him spiritually naked.

Exodus 20:1 says, And God spake all these words, saying,  Then verse two adds, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  God first establishes once again Who He is.  God will always make Himself known to people, then He will call them to accept that fact if His deliverance is to be of any effect.  For us, that deliverance is from the penalty of sin through faith in Christ and not from some physical location  Verse three declares, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  This was a requirement for Israel, and it has not changed.  Though all these commandments were given to Israel, they apply to us  today, and I will discuss them as such.  We must first allow nothing else to be more important to us than God, and if we do, then that has become our god.  There really is only one God, so we should not allow some false god to come before Him.  Verse four adds, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  We are not to make or worship idols.  Anything that we make to worship is made from a part of God's creation.  Verse five continues, Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  This tells us that not only are we not to make graven images, but that we are not to worship any that are made.  God, Who created and sustains us, expects us to be loyal to Him.  This also speaks of God bringing iniquity on the third and fourth generation of those who do worship idols, but we know that every person is responsible for their own sins and theirs alone.  The effects of sin may have a lasting impact if not forgiven through faith in Christ though.  Verse six adds, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.  God does show mercy on the thousands who love Him, but He actually shows mercy on everyone.  It is only those who accept His mercy shown through Christ coming as our redeemer who benefit from it.  Verse seven states, Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.  We often confuse this with using profanity, but it is so much deeper than just words.  Anytime we call on God without any belief that He is going to hear us or if we call out to Him simply expecting Him to grant our wants, we are using His name in vain.  Anytime we attempt to use His name to endorse what we are doing without consulting Him and asking His guidance, we are using His name in vain.  Verse nine declares, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Verse nine adds, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  Verse ten continues, But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  Verse eleven concludes, For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.  We are told to keep the Sabbath, which we now celebrate as Sunday, the Lord's Day, holy.  This is to be a day set aside to worship God, and we are given the reason.  God created everything in six days and rested on the Sabbath, and we should likewise rest and worship Him on a day set aside for Him.  These first four commandments have to do with the relationship between God and people.  If we do not keep these commandments, then we cannot hope to keep the other six, and even if we do it will do us no good if we don't keep the first four.  Verse twelve declares, Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD God giveth thee.  The first commandment about relationships between people has to do with children and their parents and comes with a promise.  We are to honor our father and mother, not just part of the time or to a certain age, but as long as they are alive.  When we do, we are promised that our days may be long.  I don't believe that everyone who obeys their parents is guaranteed a long life, but when we obey our parents who are obeying God, then we will tend to enjoy a longer life since they will be looking out for our best interests.  Verse thirteen states, Thou shalt not kill.  I believe this means commit murder, but it also includes our thoughts as well as our actions.  Verse fourteen,Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Again, Christ expanded this to include our thoughts about other people.  We are not to lust after someone else.  Verse fifteen says, Thou shalt not steal.  Seems simple enough, but we can steal by not given our employer a full days worth of work, for instance.  Verse sixteen declares, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.  We live in a time where it is easy to bear false witness against our neighbor, so we need to ensure if we do say something about them that it is the truth and that it is necessary to say it.  Verse seventeen concludes, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.  We are not o covet anything that belongs to our neighbor.  I don't believe that we can justify it by sayin that we want what they have and for them to have something better.