The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 185

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. lG-21.-.Abominations. This series of precepts deals with Reduction, witch- craft, bestinlity, nnd the sin of sacrificing to other gods than Jehovah. The case of the seducer might hnve bt"en brought under the laws embodying the principle of resti- rution. It forms a tmnsition to the others, in which we pe.ss from the sphere of judicial right to what is negatively and positively due from Israel as "an holy people" to Jehovah. 1. Seduction. Lewdness in every form is sternly reprobated by the law of Moses (cf. Deut. xxii. 13---30). The man who seduced an unbetrothed maid waa to be compelled to marry her; or, if her parents refused, was to pay her a dowry. i. Witchcraft. With equal strictness was forbidden all trafficking, whether in pretence or in reality, with unholy powers. The crime-a violation of the first principles of the theocracy-was to be punished with death. There cannot be perfect love to God, and co=union with him, and trafficking with the devil at the same time. The witch- craft condemned by the law was evil in itself, and was connected with foolish and wicked rites (cf. Deut. xviii. 9-15). 3. Bestiality. This, as an inversion of the order of nature, and in itself an act of the grossest abominableness, was "surely" to be punished with death. 4. Sacrificing to other gods. Possibly this crime is mentioned here as, in a sense, the spiritual counterpart of the vices above noted, i.e., as involving (1) Spiritual adultery, (2) The worshipping of" devils" (Lev. xviii. 7; Deut. x.xxii.17), (3) l<'ilthy and impure rites (cf. Deut. xxiii. 17, 18).-J. 0. Vers. 21-29.-Jehovah's protegls and representatives. I. JEHOVAH's PROTEGES (vers. 21-28). These are the stranger, the fatherless, the widow, and the poor gene- rally-QI! of whom the Israelites are forbidden to" afflict." The ground of Jehovah's interest in them is his own character-" for I am gracious" (ver. 27). In him. how- ever little they may sometimes think of it or feel it, they have a constant Friend. a great invisible Protector. They are (in the sense of Roman law) Jehovah's "clients." He is their great Patron ; he identifies himself with their interests ; he will uphold their cause. Injuries done to them he will resent as if done to himself, and will call the wrong-doer to strict account. If earthly law fails, let them cry to him, and he will put the jus talionis in operation with his own hands (vers. 23, 24, 27). Vers. 25-28 specially for bis. exacting treatment of the poor. Liberal help is to be afforded them. A neighbour is not to be harshly dealt with when driven to a strait. His garment, if given as a pledge, is not to be kept beyond nightfall, which is practically equivalent to 6aying that it is not to be taken from him at all (ver. 27). What kindness breathes in these precepts ! How justly does the law which embodies them claim to be a. law of love I And how far, even yet, is our Christian society from having risen to the height of the standard they set up! Let us seek ourselves to translate them more uniformly into practice. Learn also, from these precepts, inculcatmg love to the stranger, how little ground there is for accusing the religion of Moses of fanatical hatred of foreign peoples. II. JEHOVAH'S REPRESENTATIVES (ver. 28). Magistrates and rulers a.re to be treated with respect. They are invested with a portion of God's authority (Rom. xiv. 1). --J. o. Vers. 29-31.-Jehovah's dues. These, as part of the law's righteousness, a.re to be faithfully rendered. Let us not forget, when reflecting on what is due from man to man, to reflect also on what is due from man to God. When inwardly boasting of conscientiousness in rendering to every man his own, let us ask if we have been ~ually scrupulous in the discharge of our obligations to our Maker. In all spheres of life God claims of our first and best (see on eh. xiii. 2, 12). God's highest due is that we be "holy." The precept in ver. 31 is connected with the prohibition to eat flesh with the blood :n it.-J. O. Ver. 21.-The treatment of the stranger. I. NoTE THE FACT TBAT STRANGERS WOULD COME INTO SUCH CONTACT WITH JSRAEL AS TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS TREA'l'- :l.lENT, Jehovah had done a great deal in Israel to make them a separated people- 190 'l'HE BOOK OF EXODUS. [en. un. 21.