Working out our salvation II – an undivided heart (Exod 23:10-19)
Exod 23:10-19 Sitting in a restaurant or café, the most common sight one sees is couples or groups scrolling through their phone or typing messages while talking. Our attention is claimed by many things; we are bombarded with messages through…
Working out our salvation I – a generous spirit (Exod 23:10-19)
Exod 23:10-19 A blogger I follow spent several years in foster care and heard the dismal statistics that the overwhelming majority of young people who leave the system at 18 end up on the street, in prostitution, and/or doing drugs.…
In the footsteps of the Lord (Exod 22:21-23:9)
Exod 22:21-31; 23:1-9 A young friend of mine struggled with an older woman in her church, who was sharp-tongued and opinionated, especially when it concerned young people’s manners, morals and dress sense. Perhaps because my friend lost her parents and…
Insatiable appetites, destructive unions (Exod 22:16-20)
Exod 22:16-20 When I was a student, I shared accommodation with four other girls, one of whom lived together with her boyfriend. Despite the obviously happy relationship she found herself in, she was musing one day how she would love…
Make it count! – Theft and damage to property (Exod 22:1-15)
Exod 22:1-15 One of the cheapest words in our vocabulary today is the word ‘sorry’. ‘Sorry for the inconvenience’, says the station announcement when all trains are cancelled, and you are stranded at night trying to find an Uber for…
- An eye for an eye (lex talionis), Bible reading notes, Exodus, Exodus 20-24 (Book of the Covenant), Topical
Protection and justice for all (Exod 21:18-36)
Exod 21:18-36 As a relative newcomer to NZ, I am nevertheless aware of Māori who rightly feel bitter about their historic grievances (loss of ancestral land, destruction of their identities and their way of life) whose impact reaches into the…
A matter of life and death – disrespect for parents (Exod 21:15, 17)
Exod 21:15, 17 The regulations we encounter in today’s reading are a good example of what readers struggle with concerning OT law. For most of us, the death penalty seems an unduly harsh punishment, especially for the kind of thing…
Lost lives, stolen years – murder and kidnapping (Exod 21:12-14, 16)
Exod 21:12-14, 16 A girl I know quickly got into a relationship as she started her undergraduate studies at uni. However, her boyfriend turned out to be very possessive and controlling, unhappy to let her meet with friends without him.…
Betrothed forever (Exod 21:7-11)
Exod 21:7-11 As noted in the previous post (see it here), these initial laws on slaves seem to be as much a commentary on Israel’s experience with God as they are instructions on how the people should conduct themselves. Other…
Shaped by our experience of God (Exod 21:1-6)
Exod 21:1-6 A friend, who worked in IT and was nearing retirement, decided to take a significant salary cut by leaving his well-paying job to support a rather smaller Christian institution. He asked and was promised flexible hours, since some…