Monday 10/27/14

This week’s Monday Morning Bible Breakdown is on the first reading: Exodus 22:20-26.

Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."

Let’s begin by setting the stage. The ancient Hebrew people had been led out of Egypt by Moses, but had not yet reached the Promised Land. They had been wandering in the desert for some time, and the people were hungry, sore, tired, and frustrated. They were grumbling against God and against Moses. Frustrated himself, Moses went up to the top of Mount Sinai, a place where he encountered God. It was there that he was famously given the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets. That was not all he was given, though. God also instructed him on what the new laws should be. After all, they were no longer under Egyptian authority, and they needed some rules to govern their new society. This passage is from that set of rules.

The first law listed seems to be a pretty reasonable one. It is easy to forgive thoughtlessness. Imagine that you asked someone on a date and they said no. Later that day, at lunch, a friend who had no idea what happened that morning made a comment about your hopeless romantic situation. Sure, it would sting, but you know that they did not mean for that comment to be as painful as it was. On the other hand, if a friend who knew what had happened that morning made the same comment, it would be harder to forgive. That friend should have known better. The Hebrew people’s time in Egypt means that now they know better. They need to treat foreigners with respect and dignity, because they understand what it is like to not be treated this way.

The second rule in this passage deals with the treatment of widows and orphans. Whenever widows and orphans are mentioned in the Bible, I always think about kings. Widows and orphans were incredibly vulnerable because the ancient Jews lived in a patriarchal society. It was men who made the money and the rules and had all of the rights. A woman without a husband or a child without a father was likely to be poor and easily taken advantage of. As a result, it was one of the chief roles of the king and his guard to ensure that widows and orphans were taken care of and received proper treatment throughout the kingdom. God vows that those who oppress widows and orphans will be cut down, and that their children will be orphans and their wives widows. By establishing himself as the executor of justice in matters of orphans and widows, God is making himself “king” over the Jewish people. He is ensuring that He is not just the head of their spiritual lives, but the head of their civil lives as well.

These rules also have to do with power. Both of the first rules have to do with the treatment of those who lack power: foreigners, widows, and orphans. God wants to ensure that those with power do not use it to take advantage of those without power. This theme will carry through the rest of the passage.

It goes on to talk about lending money. In the ancient world, much like in our world, money often translated to power. Rich men could buy influence. They could pay personal guards to watch their property while they were sleeping. They could buy luxuries that less fortunate people could not. They also had the ability to lend money. God wants to make sure that the power derived from wealth is not used to oppress those who are not as wealthy. High interest loans help to make money for the lender by essentially milking the pocket of the borrower for extensive periods of time. Unfortunately, this means that the borrower is unlikely to get out of debt or build any wealth for himself. As a result, God forbids lending with interest.

The last rule God lays out in this passage deals with lending as well. He wants to ensure that people who are taking a loan are still able to live a dignified life. When a person takes a loan, he usually has to put up some sort of collateral. Sometimes the purpose of the loan becomes the collateral itself. For example, if you got a mortgage to buy a house, the house itself would become the collateral. If you stopped paying your mortgage, the lender can take the house. It is basically the lender’s way of protecting himself. Here God uses the example of a cloak, and it is a good one. God demands that if an object which is essential to everyday life is used as collateral, that the lender let the borrower use it during the loan. It would not be fair to deprive the borrower of his only cloak, because then he would either have to use the loan to buy a new cloak or go cold. The lender already has a cloak, so the borrower’s cloak would go unused. That does not fit God’s justice.

The last line is my favorite, though. Often times, people try to say that God seems mean in the Old Testament. They say that he threatens destruction and hurts people. The last line of the passage reminds us that God’s rules are not just rules for the sake of rules, they are rules for the sake of us. It is not that God doesn’t want the rich people to be successful, it is that He cares about the poor people. He has compassion, and will not stand by when the powerful take advantage of the powerless.