Today’s passage: Genesis 22:16-23:9
Helpful thoughts:
- Sex is not a pass-time or sport. It matters. God takes it very seriously. The man and woman who join together in it have been joined together.
- God is compassionate and has His eyes on the poor. These laws do not require money be held by the government and given to the poor (Nor would these laws forbid that), but they do prevent those in better conditions from taking advantage of or disregarding the poor.
- It is a perversion of justice when people take bribes, use their positions to oppress the poor, or “side with the many” in order to preserve their reputations in society. These truths are still just as true today as ever.
Questions to consider:
- Which laws stuck out to you the most? Were any surprising? If so, which ones and why?
- In what ways did God provide protection for those who could be taken advantage of in these laws? How do we see His compassion and intent to defend the righteous and oppressed?
- What sins does God see as capital offenses in these verses? How does this point to the importance of sexual purity and then primarily, not having any other gods before Him (Even if that “god” is a community of people)?