Exodus 21-Outline

Exodus 21

Study: The Establishment of the Laws

Store: “Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Apply: God’s Deliverance

Learn: What’s Right and What’s Wrong

·       Exodus 21

o   2 Focus Points

§  1. Fair Treatment of Slaves/Servants-Exodus 21:1-11

§  2. Cases of Personal Injury-Exodus 21:12-36

1.    Fair Treatment of Slaves/Servants

-Exodus 21:1-11

v  The Israelites were very familiar with slavery. They lived in slavery for over 400 years. It was brutal and hard. They often times were mistreated and abused. Before Moses, it seemed as though there was no end in sight.

Ø  Let’s remember four important points regarding slavery.

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1. Slavery has always existed, but has never been encouraged.

2. Slavery in the Bible is completely different than slavery from man’s viewpoint. Slavery in the Bible has NOTHING to do with African Americans verse White.  A person who became a servant was because of a debt, extreme poverty, the selling of one to another, bankruptcy, and restitution.

3. There was a limit of time served and rule of treatment to those who had servants/slaves.

4.  God’s rules and laws were set to remind the Israelites of their slavery in Egypt.  He wanted them to treat their servants the way they wanted to be treated in Egypt.

Ø  Did you notice right off the bat God lays down the rules regarding servants rather than kings?

§  God went to the bottom of the social ladder first.

§  Jesus also went to the bottom first when He was born

§  According to Genesis 1:26-27 how are we to view all people?

§  Go back and re-read Exodus 20:2. What point was God making to the Israelite people regarding who He was verse who they were?

·       How was this reminder to affect them and the way they treated slaves?

Ø  How long was a Hebrew slave to serve?

§  Why only 6 years?

§  Why was it important for them to be free on the 7^th year?

§  Why did God find it necessary to incorporate the Sabbath in the laws?

Ø  Within those 6 years, many things can change; therefore God established some additional rules.  God is a God of detail. Only He could foresee those changes, therefore setting into place protective borders for all involved.

§  Why was it necessary for the wife and children to stay if the man was married during his six years?

§  What were the benefits for the wife and children staying?

§  According to Deuteronomy 15:13-15 how did God provide for the male servant

§  Why was it necessary for the slave to be marked in verse 6?

·       What marks us today?

§  How does the Lord reveal His love and protection for women in Exodus 21:7-11?

·       D

2. Cases of Personal Injury

                  -Exodus 21:12-36

v  In this part of Exodus 21 we see the establishment of capital punishment in the case of murder with a distinction between accidental and premeditated murder.

Ø  Why did God go into such detail regarding personal injury?

§  Out of the 24 verses listed in Exodus 21:12-36 which ones stand out to you the most? List them.

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§  How many of these verses do we apply in our legal and court systems today?

§  In verses 24-25 why was the “eye for an eye” rule instituted?

·       According to Matthew 5:38-48 what does Jesus say about this rule?

Fighting Temptation

"Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil."  Matthew 4:1

Temptation-to entice to sin; put to the test, make a trial of.

Test- a trial intended to ascertain quality, value, or character; to examine.

Temptation today is strong, real, and literally in our face everyday.  But temptation is not something that has just evolved. It has been around since the beginning. 

It began with Adam and Eve, two people created by God, made perfect. They were the first to be tempted and to give into temptation. 

Through them we see how strong and powerful it is and why it is important to keep our eyes on the Lord.

I have wondered through this new study, why Eve never called on the Lord, and then it hit me, why do I not call on Him.

I too, like Eve have been tempted and have believed or given into those temptations. Satan is so good at twisting things around and making them look good, sound good, feel good, taste good. 

So why, why in those times did I not cry out to Him immediately? Why did I think I could handle it on my own?

Why did I give in?

Why do we give in? 

Jesus tells us He will give us the strength to overcome and resist temptation if we will just look to Him for help.

He knows what we are going through. He was tempted too. 

And He showed us that we can overcome them, just like He did-with the Word.

There will always be temptations, but a lot of them can be avoided by eliminating them from our lives.

The more we fill up on Jesus the less we fill up with the world.

Jesus we come boldly to the throne where mercy is found and grace and help is given. We are in constant need of Your strength and protection. Clothe us with the protection of Your Word. Amen