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.