Now suppose someone leaves a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal with a neighbor for safekeeping, but it dies or is injured or is taken away, and no one sees what happened. The neighbor must then take an oath in the presence of the Lord. If the Lord confirms that the neighbor did not steal the property, the owner must accept the verdict, …zzzzzz - snore - zzzzzz - snore - zzzzzz - snore (Exodus 22:10-11)
As I’m reading this passage and the commentary that accompanies it, I find myself wondering why I’m reading it. I keep glancing ahead to see how much more of this there is. Because this is boring stuff. And I haven’t even gotten to Numbers or Leviticus. Well, it was while I was out walking later in the day that all these “boring” verses began to make sense.
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. They had no idea how to live any other way, how to treat people any other way and their animals any other way. They only knew the Egyptian way.
PLUS he called them His people, His HOLY people, His CHOSEN people. People to bless all other nations. Goodness! Imagine coming from a place where all you knew was how to abuse others, how to look out for only yourself, how to lie, steal, manipulate, worship and sacrifice to a slew of gods - all in order to stay alive and to provide for your family. You had no idea what it meant to think of others before yourself. To show honor and respect to both people and animals. To believe in only one God. As I often say to my counselor when she asks how I could respond differently to a situation, I just look at her with a blank face, telling her that that specific file folder is empty. I have no idea. And that must have been how the Israelites felt. They had a warehouse of empty file folders.
But the great thing about God is that he’s a follow-througher. He didn’t just set the Israelites free and call them to be his children, he followed it up with extensive teaching and attention to every single aspect of their lives. Giving them not just suggestions, but 613 laws to be exact. That’s a lot of laws to follow, but it’s what God had to do in order to show the Israelites what it meant to be holy and set apart. Which is where I’ve been living this week.
Do I live a life that is holy and set apart? Am I a blessing to the “nations” around me? These verses in Exodus rightfully remind me that every single person I come into contact with matters and are worthy of respect. And even though I haven’t gotten to the other 600+ laws, there are some “laws” that Jesus gave me that are equally specific and challenging. To love the Lord with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind. And to love my neighbor as myself. To forgive 70 X 7. To bless those who persecute me and pray for those who wish to do me harm.
So, these “boring” verses in Exodus (with more to come) have shaken me up a bit. Because they are challenging me to look within. And without. To my heart, to my mind, to my actions. To begin now, each day, before I even leave my bed, to beseech God to help me to live differently. To be holy and set apart. And to keep reading, not jumping ahead. Because there's more good stuff to come.
Comments