Thru the Bible

Speaker Unknown: Oh, how firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Welcome to Thru the Bible. Today we get a crash course in the law, covering everything from justice to daily life. The ancient commandments found in Exodus still shape the world that we live in today. And as the Bible bus rolls through the whole word of God, we're in chapters 22 and 23 where we're going to discover that God clearly defined right and wrong when he gave the basic social laws for a civilized society. So why don't you hop aboard the Bible bus and find your seat, we got a quick minute to hear from those on the Bible bus with us. First, here's a voicemail from Rich.

Rich: My name is Rich and I live in Nevada County, California. I discovered TTB.org through a different app, actually, the Bible app where I was doing the Bible study on the Book of Revelation and that Bible study was based on the teachings of J. Vernon McGee. And as a result of that, I fell in love with his style of teaching. I've been a Christian most of my life. I accepted Christ when I was a young child, but Dr. McGee has really added a lot of depth to my study and I really enjoy it. So, I just wanted to thank you for doing that. I listen on the app. If possible, I'd like to get some bookmarks and some bus passes as I've told many of my friends about the doctor and it would be nice to have the bus passes that I could just give to them. And it would also be good to have a bookmark so that I would know ahead of time what sections of the Bible we're going to be studying and can read and study ahead of time. So, thank you very much for your mission and I will be a faithful supporter.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Thanks, Rich. I'm sure that our team has already sent you that bookmark and the Bible bus passes. Good job on asking for both. But if anyone else would like them, just call 1-800-65 Bible, by the way. The bookmark reading schedule can also be found in our app or online at TTB.org. And here's one last thought from a listener named Jennifer who joins us by app and says, "I love TTB. It has deepened my knowledge and understanding of scripture so much over the years and encourages me to go even deeper into the word on my own. God's word is an unending treasure trove of life and peace. I'm so grateful for this ministry and Dr. McGee's teaching and for all who serve to get it to the whole world."

Well, it's great to hear from you, Jennifer. I'm so glad that you're aboard with us. And we'd love to hear from you too, by the way. Would you tell us who you've invited to study God's word with you or maybe you could point to one stop on the Bible bus that changed your walk with God? Where would it be and why? Send a note through our app or email us at Biblebus@ttb.org or write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. Or in Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. You can also call and leave a message anytime at 1-800-65 Bible. Let's pray as we begin our study.

Heavenly Father, would you let us see your rules and regulations that they're not meant to restrict our freedom, but to provide the way for us to live freely in you. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Exodus 22 on Thru the Bible.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And now, friends, as we come to the 22nd chapter of the book of Exodus, we're in this section that deals with what we've labeled social legislation. You see the 10 Commandments and the order for the altar were given in chapter 20. Then you have this social legislation, 21 to 24, and then you have the instructions for building the tabernacle, which was part of the Mosaic system. And then the service of it in the book of Leviticus. Now, certain basic social laws are put down here. And these laws are basic for any kind of what we would call a civilized society.

There are those that raise the question about what's right and what's wrong. Well, today, what is right and what's wrong is relative. There's no question about that. A college professor was discussing this with me. He claims to be an atheist. And he said that the right and wrong's relative, it's what you think is right. What I might think is right would be something else and that's true. And he said then, what do you base your dogmatic conclusions? I said, I base them on the word of God. I said, now, very candidly, my nature's like your nature and I'd like to give in certain places and I'd like to let down the bars here and there, but I said there is a standard. And the very interesting thing is that this standard has produced a society in which there has been a measure of law and of justice in the world. And these things you see are basic to that type of thing.

And it gets down and it just deals with everyday living, right down with the nitty-gritty, right where we live today, where we live and move and have our being. And it frankly is very boresome in a way just to read through. It's like almost reading through a law book. And the very interesting thing, our laws are based largely upon this. I'm very happy that the word of God says, Thou shalt not kill. It protects me and my family. It's a law that's been put down. And I'm happy that it says, Thou shalt not steal, because it protects what little property that I've got. And these things you see are basic to any kind of an ordered society.

Now, I'm reading and I'll not read everything through here, but there are certain things we'll lift out. Back in 21, we dealt with the person that there were injuries to the person, laws for the protection of the person. Now you have here the protection of property. I begin reading at verse 1 of Exodus 22. "If a man shall steal an ox or a sheep and kill it or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep." I don't ask me why five oxen should be restored for an ox, or four sheep for a sheep, because I don't know, other than I would say that the sheep would be more valuable actually than the oxen would be. And this we see working itself out.

Remember Zacchaeus said that if he had taken anything from any man by false accusation, he would restore him fourfold. Why did he say that? Well he was referring back, you see, to the Mosaic law. Now our law today would say that a man would be given damages if someone destroys your property. It could be an automobile or something else. Well they don't have to give you five automobiles or four automobiles if they steal yours or destroy yours. But we just ask that they restore the same one or restore that of equal value. But you see this was a great protection that was put down. And I'm of the opinion, it would be a better had we made it like the word of God is.

The very interesting thing is that the word of God seems to hit the nail on the head when we are dealing with human nature, whether it's back 4,000 BC or 2,000 AD. Human nature's always the same and God's always the same and he deals with man on this kind of a basis. Now verse 2, "If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him." That's self-protection. I heard of the ridiculous thing that took place sometime ago in this land, and I can't put my finger on it, and I didn't read about it, I hear about it on the news. But I was told that a thief was breaking into a man's place. And the man who lived there shot the thief, and the thief sued him for several thousand dollars damages, and the thief won the judgment because the man shouldn't have shot him according to some asinine judge that we have today on the bench. And as a result, why this poor man had to sell his property.

Now that meant that you cannot protect your property. That is, you'd not be safe in your own home. Well, God protected the man's property, protected his home. That if a man is breaking in and it's necessary to kill the man, I wouldn't want to shoot a man breaking in unless it was absolutely necessary, but I think a man's justified to protect his property, his home, and his loved ones. And as a result, why there should be no judgment against that man at all.

You see these are basic principles and it gives you law and order. Had the social legislation been followed that's given way back here in the book of Exodus, we wouldn't have the social problems that we're having on the streets and in the cities of the United States today, friends. You see we have judges today who have been to Harvard Law School and affected by liberalism. And very candidly, we argue about whether a man has the ability to serve on the Supreme Court. Yet if a man's dishonest, we don't seem to raise any question about whether he can serve or not. But all the way through, the entire legal system is shot through with men today who are dealing with a legal system that was actually based on the word of God. And they don't know how to handle it because they're so far from it themselves. And their entire background is such that they're not able to interpret it.

And may I just add this word. The Constitution of the United States was written by men. They were not Christian all of them, very few of them were. They were deists for the most time, but they had a certain respect for the word of God. And I've heard a man recently say that Thomas Jefferson ridiculed the Bible. No he didn't. The quotations of Thomas Jefferson were that he had great respect for the word of God. But the important thing is he didn't believe it. He didn't follow it. The moral teachings that Thomas Jefferson wrote actually take the story of Jesus, but they leave out the miraculous altogether. But the important thing is this legal system just happened to be basic to our system in this country. And now we have men who do not have that background and we're in trouble today, and I mean deep trouble. And our entire system is being changed on that kind of a basis. That's the reason this is so important through here.

Now, let me keep reading and I must just lift out certain things. It says, "If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be bloodshed for him. For he should make full restitution, if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft." In other words, if a man steals, he has to make up that which he has stolen, even to the place of selling him as a slave. Verse 5, "If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field, of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution." In other words, if a man has a cow or a sheep, and they break through into another man's field, then he's to make restitution. "And if fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field be consumed therewith, he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution."

You see how practical this is, friends. And actually, how right it is, by the way. This is God putting down certain great basic principles for the weal and welfare of mankind here on this earth. And he's giving it. This is the Mosaic system given to his people, and they were to be an example to the nations of the world. And then if you read on, you find many of these laws. Now, I'm not wanting to lift out all of them. I'm trying to let us see a great principle here. And it's very important, I think, to see that.

Now, I drop down to verse 16. And this is actually crimes against persons. Verse 16, "If a man entice a maid that is not betrothed and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife." In other words, if a man raped a girl, he's forced to marry her. That's the way we put it today. At least it was formally, it's not quite like that today. But suppose if her father utterly refused to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. In other words, he shall pay a penalty for what he has done. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Now, I'll be coming back to that when we get to Deuteronomy. And I can only make this suggestion that today we are seeing a resurgence of Satan worship and of the supernatural that is appearing again in the world. And it's potent, friends. There's no question about that. And this is connected with it. Don't think this is superstition. We're not back in New England in colonial days now. We're in the 20th century and we're seeing this appear today. And it happens to be a reality.

I'll be dealing with that when we get over in the 18th chapter of Deuteronomy. Now, "Whoso lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death." And this shows how low man can go. He can sink down until he's as low as the beasts of the field. And this is an evidence of it. And God made a law. Why did he make a law? Well, because this was being done, friends. Verse 20, "He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed." Now, this was the severest penalty of all. And had it been followed to the very letter, why we would have today a much better society than we have. I recognize this is harsh. But after all, when you've got a cancer or a tumor, you want to cut it out, friends. And you want to get rid of it. And this is what this happens to be.

Now, it says here verse 21, "Thou shalt neither vex a stranger nor oppress him. For ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." This is the good neighbor policy, you see. "Ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child." Do you know what got rid of this child labor? And where the child labor laws came from? Came from the Wesley revival, friends. The word of God has been basic to all of these great movements that have brought blessing to mankind. And the fatherless child. Where did orphan homes start? Did they begin them in Communist China or under Christian auspices?

Verse 23, "If thou afflict them in any wise and they cry at all unto me, I'll surely hear their cry." And I believe that God protects these that are helpless today. I tell you, there's a great day of judgment coming for those that have mistreated folk in conditions like this. And he says here, "And my wrath shall wax hot and I'll kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless." God's very severe when he's talking about law, friends. It's very severe here. Now he says, "If thou lend money to any of my people that's poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury." In other words, excessive interest. You don't take advantage of it. And yet we find that has taken place today.

Now, these are some of the laws. And all of this is together. It says over in chapter 23, "Thou shalt not raise a false report. Put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness." Be careful what you say. And God had a law concerning that. Did you know that a gossip, friends, is as bad as a murderer in your midst, or a thief, or an adulterer? And yet today the gossiper gets by. God had a law for this, you see. "Thou shalt not follow multitude to do evil." This would put you out of the marching business and protesting, friends. "Thou shalt not follow multitude to do evil." I was very much interested in meeting a very attractive young fellow and I asked him why he did all this. And he said because he was trying to find his identity. We got a lot of people trying to find out who they are. And it's too bad they lost their baby tags somewhere along the line. But he said that he wanted liberty and freedom and was protesting. Well, fine. I said to him, but how much liberty do you have? I asked him about his dress and he said that was the expression of it. I said, well, they just happened to be about 10,000 of these folk dressed just like you are. Would you dare dress differently than they dress and run with them? Would they accept you? And he said, no. Well, I said, you don't have much freedom, do you? You've got to dress like they dress. I said, you see, you don't have the liberty that you think you have. And I said that when they protest, you have to get in line and protest, don't you? He said, yes he did. And I said, then you don't really have much freedom.

"Don't follow multitude to do evil. Neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to rest judgment." This is a very good law to read today. God is very much up to date, is he not? "Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause." May I say to you that judgment should not be swayed toward the rich or toward the poor. Judgment and justice should be exercised. You know that the Romans depicted justice as being a woman, that is it must be tender, but also blindfold, no respect of persons. And a sword in one hand, which means that when the judgment is handed down, there'll be the execution of the penalty. But in the other hand are the scales and it'll be fair. That's the thing that needs to be exercised today in our midst.

Now God gives them again this law concerning the Sabbath day and the Sabbatic year, verse 10, "Six years thou shalt sow thy land and thou shalt gather in the fruits thereof, but the seventh year thou shall let it rest and lie still." Now we'll find out when they go into the land, God will go over this with him. We'll get that in the book of Leviticus. This matter of the Sabbath day, the Sabbatic year and the year of Jubilee. And I'll reserve until we get there to go into detail concerning this. This is very important and you'll notice he gives it in a very brief way here at the beginning, but he'll go into detail concerning this later.

Now he says in verse 14, "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread. Thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee in the time appointed of the month Abib, for in it thou camest out from Egypt, and none shall appear before me empty. And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of thy labors, which thou has sown in the field, and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou has gathered in thy labors out of thy field. Three times in the year, all thy males shall appear before the Lord." Now, that'll be given to us again, friends, when we get over to the book of Numbers, and we'll find out that it was the Passover Feast, and the feast of Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacles, that all the males had to go to Jerusalem.

Now, before they get in the land, they're told certain laws that will guide them when they get in the land. Verse 20, "Behold, I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him and obey his voice. Provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him." There's always been the question of who is this angel. And I think many of you already know my interpretation. They all did drink the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them. And that rock was Christ. And then you'll notice, "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." You see, it's the Lord Jesus that they were to obey. This is the one definitely here.

Now, we're told that when they went into the land that they would find there an enemy. And the land was filled with the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, Jebusites, and Electricites. And God says, "I intend to put them out of the land." And it's because of their sin that God did that. Now, the Lord says to them, "I will send my fear before thee and I'll destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee." And God says that, "I intend to put you in that land." Now, he tells them very carefully here in verse 32, "Thou shalt make no covenant with them nor with their gods." Now, you'll find out that was the great mistake of Joshua of making a covenant with the Gibeonites that were in that land. He didn't think they were in that land, but they were. And he made a big mistake by not investigating more. And of course, the reason they went into Babylonian captivity is because they went into idolatry and served other gods.

Now, this brings us down now to chapter 24. You can see this is social legislation, God dealing with their everyday affairs of life. May God richly bless you, my beloved.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: You know, it's fascinating how God is concerned with everyday affairs of life. We're also interested in helping you reach out to him with everyday needs. So we have a well-stocked website and free resources that will help you go deeper in your own Bible study. Find us at TTB.org or download our app from your app store. For nearly 60 years, God has provided for this ministry through the faithful and generous support of those who benefit from these studies. And if that's you, we invite you to partner with us. As Dr. McGee was fond of saying, "We need your help keeping gas in the Bible bus." And as always, we thank God for your prayer and financial support in keeping the Bible bus rolling in more than 250 languages around the world. To get in touch, email Biblebus@ttb.org or call 1-800-652-4253 or visit TTB.org. I'm Steve Schwetz, grateful for your company as together we travel the highways and byways of God's word until next time.

Speaker Unknown: Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Our story on the Bible bus today is just one step in a five-year journey through the entire word of God. Come along for the ride and you'll study both the Old Testament and New Testament, discovering God's great redemption story. Is this your story too?