God's Laws: Don't talk about other gods

Exodus Chapter 23
13And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

You can talk about "Freedom of Speech" all you want, but God has rules about what you should and shouldn't talk about.

He doesn't want anyone to have any knowledge that there are gods out there that are not HIM. It is dangerous for His children to go exploring after other gods.

God knows that if you KNOW about other gods, your curious nature will always ask "why?" and seek out knowledge. There is a reason God told Adam that he and Eve were not allowed to even TOUCH the tree of knowledge. The old saying, "curiosity killed the cat" has merit; especially in this case.

Many of us are already guilty of breaking this law, myself included. I've studied witchcraft. I've looked up information about Bephomet. I've studied parapsychology and a lot of other anti-biblical subjects. My rationalization is that "You can't fight an enemy you know nothing about", and in some cases, this is true. But, as I reflect on this, I can understand how spiritual subjects can lead others down some very tricky roads.

This is part of the reason God doesn't want you to speak badly of other gods to those who follow them. To speak about other gods, no matter what the purpose, will most likely lead to having a conversation about them with the person you are speaking to. It opens the door for you, yourself, to be influenced by them. God wants to protect you from that.

Once you know the law, however, you are obligated to follow that law, and if you knowingly choose not to follow it, you are aggrivating your guilt.

In today's world, it is hard not to speak about these evils. We see it on TV, we hear it in the news, we see our neighbors practicing them, so how do we protect ourselves from such blatant disregard of God's laws -- particularly this one?

Thank God for Jesus, who died to save us from ourselves! And, in His sacrifice and victory over Satan in this world, He gave us the strength to try to do better!

God's Laws: No Mobs, Bribes, or False Conspiracies

Exodus Chapter 23

6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

While you should not favor a poor man just because he is poor, as stated in verse 3, verse 5 states that you should not deny a poor man justice just because he is poor, either. A man is a man, whether rich or poor and all are equal in God's eyes. All sin is worthy of death (Romans 6:23). Jesus came that ALL could have life, not just those who were of one financial category.

If you know something to not be true, or to be conspiratorial in nature, you should not involve yourself in the spreading of the lie or the conspiracy. Know the facts. Live by what you know for a FACT. This will help you to stay honest. Oh, and always be willing to admit when you were ignorant in your knowledge of the facts, should you find out at a later date that what you thought was true was not true.

Finally, stay away from bribes. Don't let anyone make you offers that you can't refuse. You CAN refuse anything if it means maintaining your integrity. More than that, you SHOULD refuse it. God will step in and control the circumstances (he has done this for me so many times!) and you will always end up where HE wants you to be. That is all that matters. Proverbs 22:1 says: “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”

Furthermore, you don't take gifts when it comes to doing the right thing because you never want to put yourself in the position of having to owe someone, or to give anyone other than God the credit for where you are. Abraham understood this when he refused the gifts from the King of Sodom. (Genesis 14:22-23)

God's Laws: Help Your Enemy

Exodus Chapter 23

4 If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

How many times have you seen posters of pets who have been lost or run away and the owner is asking for help to find them? This verse says that should you see those pets, you should return them to their owner.

If you see a cow that has somehow got loose from the pasture it was grazing in, you should notify the owner - simple as that!

In verse 5, if someone you cannot stand is stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire and no jack, and you have a jack, you should help him - simple as that. You don't make the man or woman abandon their vehicle for thiefs, any more than you would allow an animal to die under the weight of luggage they are carrying for the man or woman if they are moving and need to get it transported.

It is only right not to watch someone who is suffering and walk away, knowing you could have eased their suffering. And, God says it doesn't matter if you like them or not.

HE does.

God's Law: Don't Follow the Crowd

Exodus Chapter 23
2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.

Have you ever heard the term "circling the wagons"? It came from the experience early settlers had in the 1800s. They all travelled in "wagon trains". This was a long line of wagons, in which many settlers travelled together because there was safety in numbers. At night, they would park all of the wagons in a circle and sleep inside the circle in order to protect the settlers.

Today, when someone in a group gets into trouble, everyone else in the same group tends to come to their rescue. This is called "circling the wagons".

If a little old lady on your street gets into trouble, everyone on your street who knows her would be likely to unite together to help her out. This is human nature.

When you go out to eat with your family, and a member of the wait staff has a problem with one person at the table, whether or not it was warranted, the whole family will defend that one person against the establishment. That is something I learned during my time of service in food establishments.

However, what happens if the little old lady did something bad or underhanded? The fact that she is a little old lady that everyone loves does not give anyone permission to defend her for her transgressions. If she has sinned, she still needs to pay the consesquences for that sin.

And, just because someone is poor does not mean that he should be exempt from paying the consequences of his crime if it is costly!

God gives us all everything we have. He knows what we need and how much we can afford. If we trust Him, He will provide. The key is to trust Him. We are not trusting God if we feel sorry for a criminal because he is poor, or if we take the side of someone familiar just because it is painful to watch them suffer for their crimes.

Furthermore, just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean you should follow them. My mother used to ask, "If everyone else jumped off the roof, would you?" Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't make it right or lawful.

God's Law: Do not Commit Character Assassination

Exodus 23:1
“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.”

I don't care how mad you get at someone, you are not supposed to lie about their character or their actions to make yourself look good, or to get revenge.

This is called "character assassination".

This is also why it is wrong to gossip about other people. You could be spreading falsehoods that make life harder for them if they are already struggling.

Not to mention, it is also illegal in court to lie on the witness stand about someone.

It is also a sin to conspire with others to ruin someone's character in such manner.

God's Laws: Dead Animals

Exodus 22:31
“And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.”

You are driving along the highway when you see a deer that was recently killed on the road ahead. You think, "What a waste! Why didn't they take it home?"

Road kill can be considered to be "flesh that is torn of beasts in the field".

Granted, the "beast" was a car; but the premise is the same.

Now days, you are more apt to find fresh road kill than fresh meat lying around on trails through the woods. However, even if you do, the verse still stands.

Just pull it off the road and leave it for other animals to pick from. It's ground meat can be processed and used as dog food if the dead animal is found fresh enough.

Oh, and don't touch the carcass with your bare hands. (Leviticus 11)

God's Laws: Don't Curse Other Gods Or Your Rulers

Exodus 22:28

“Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.”

The definition of revile is criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.

The definition of curse is an offensive word or phrase used to express anger or annoyance. It could also, in this case, mean a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one.

This verse has two parts that you must pay attention to: A) treatment of other gods (with a little "g" - which means other people's belief in them, since they are not God), and B) treatment of your political leaders.

Think about this: if we walked up to someone who was a buddhist and started uttering offensive language and ridiculing the belief he has for Buddha, do you think they would be receptive to us when we told them that our God was better because He loved them? No. We lead by example. We show them love, and when they compliment our love, we tell them WHY we love so well. You cannot teach about a God of love while practicing hatred.

The second part of this is a little harder for some of us. (I'll admit, I'm guilty).

The reason some people hate the Bible is because it standardizes behavior. It lays the law down in black and white, and when we learn the law, we become "not innocent" any more -- guilty; or, for lack of a better word, convicted. Here, it clearly states that we must not curse our rulers.

What this means to us, here in the United States, is that we are not supposed to post memes on Facebook that call Joe Biden an idiot. We are not to tell the world what we wish would happen to him. We are not to pray to God to punish him in any way.

What this does NOT mean, however, is that we cannot still ask hard questions, or that we cannot still say that we don't believe as he does and why. It doesn't mean that we cannot form alliances or vote against him. It doesn't mean we cannot disagree with him or what he is doing. It doesn't mean that we don't post the facts and educate others to the err of his ways. What it means is that we still have to treat him with love and pray that God leads him onto a righteous path, for all of our sake.

Yes, I'll admit: I, like many of you, am guilty of breaking this law. And, now, having seen the law, I am convicted and will henceforth endeavor to change my ways.

God's Laws: Lending Money

Exodus Chapter 22

25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
26 If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:
27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

When you loan money to someone, it is because they are in need. It should always be considered a charity.

You should never loan money that you expect to get back. You are not a bank. You should not take usury (interest payment) for the loan, and you should never accept collateral that is needed by the lender in order to survive and make a living.

God protects the poor and needy as well as He blesses the well-off. You only have because God gave it to you. Remember that.

God will not stand by and watch as His children are taken advantage of or used for profit. A man's worth is not his money, in God's eyes.

God's Laws: Do not be prejudiced.

Exodus Chapter 22

21 “Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Jesus said, "Do unto other as you would have them do unto you."

The Israeli people lived in Egypt for 400 years. They were not the original inhabitants of the land. They were immigrants, who came to Egypt for asylum from the drought that threatened them. Of course, Joseph being who he was greatly influenced their decision to stay.

The Egyptians thought it was an abomination to socialize with them because of their choice of occupation - herdsmen. Today, that would be like, for instance, a yuppie in our society thinking that all rednecks are dirty. Or, a white-collar worker looking down his nose at the McDonald's employee he just ordered his Big Mac from.

Of course, we could also expand that to the prejudice between blacks and whites in our society today. People tend to be offended by people who are "different", no matter what the societal nature is.

In this verse, God is telling us to treat immigrants with respect. This does not mean to allow them passage if they are not following the rules. This means only that you should treat righteous immigrants with respect and as a true neighbor and friend. After all, it wasn't that long ago that Israel was enduring such prejudice, and they didn't like it. Therefore, they shouldn't treat others in ways that offended them when they were being treated that way.

It is always wrong to discriminate, or to act on prejudice.

God's Laws: Don't Sacrifice to Other Gods

Exodus Chapter 22

20 “He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.”

What does the word "sacrifice" mean?

According to the dictionary, it is to burn something in honor of a god.

Bing also describes it thus: to give up (something important or valued) for the sake of other considerations. "working hard doesn't mean sacrificing your social life"

When your mother decides to give up her day off in order to give you a birthday party, that is a sacrifice.

When you give up going to church in order to watch the superbowl, that is a sacrifice.

When you make sacrifices, you are telling God what is most important to you. When you decide that something is more important than He is, then you are worshipping "other gods".

The New Testament calls for us all to be "living sacrifices" to God. That means all we do should be to glorify God, every minute of every day of our lives.

Romans 12:1

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

God's Laws: Beastialitality

Exodus Chapter 22

19 Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.

Okay, this one is self-explanatory. All those stories of men having sex with sheep and all that, yuck. And, according to the Lord, it is not Godly at all!

I did some research on this and found out that sex with animals is legal in 13 states. Just because it is legal doesn't make it Godly.

Mooving on...

God's Laws: Those who manipulate

Exodus Chapter 22

18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Witchcraft is simply using manipulation of any kind to get what you want. A woman who uses her sexual wiles to manipulate a man to do something he knows is not right or doesn't initially want to do is using witchcraft. It doesn't stop there...bribery is witchcraft. It does the same thing. Placing objects in strategic places to make someone question the motives or loyalty of someone is using manipulative tactics - witchcraft. There is more, but I think you get the picture.

In other words, doing anything to make something happen outside of it's natural course is witchcraft.

Anyone suffering from a sins such as envy or anger is subject to be tempted to use witchcraft. This is why God teaches us to be in control of our emotions such as anger and resentment, and to be content with what He gives us.

God's Laws: Seducing Women

Exodus Chapter 22

16 And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.

17 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

Men, Men, Men...

You cannot entice a woman to leave a bar with you unless you intend on marrying her. Unless, of course, you are simply being a gentleman and taking her to her home -- to drop her off.

If you have sex with a woman, you must marry her. Simple as that.

Why do you think there used to be shot gun weddings back in the day?

And fathers, if a man is interested in your daughter, it is best to go ahead and give her to him to wife. Two people in love will find a way to be with each other, married or not.

If you don't give her to him, then you owe him her dowry, anyway.

God's Laws: Injury to Animals

Exodus Chapter 22

10 If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:
11 Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
12 And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.
13 If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.
14 And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.
15 But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.

Let's pretend that I need to go out of town for a couple of weeks. Obviously, I can't take my dogs with me because it is a business trip. So, you agree to keep my dogs for me.

While I was away, and while you had my dogs, they got sick and died. If you swear an oath that you did everything like I told you to, and had nothing to do with their being sick and dying, then there is nothing you need to do to repay me for my loss.

But, if someone came and stole my dogs from you while they were in your care, you would owe me restitution (twice the worth of my dogs).

If another dog attacked and killed my dogs, and you showed me satisfactory proof of it, then you would not owe me.

If you came to me and asked me if you could "borrow" my dogs so they could play with your niece and nephew who were visiting and had never seen a dog before, and if I let you take them, and if while they were with you they run out in front of a car and get killed, then you owe me restitution.

But, if I was there with you when the dogs got loose and ran in front of a car and got killed, then you don't owe me anything.

God's Laws: Property Damage and Theft

Exodus Chapter 22

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.
6 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.
7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.
8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods.
9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.

Let's say you are a farmer and you have a goat. Your goat gets loose and goes over to your neighbor's house and eats up all the tomato plants your neighbor spent so much time planting and taking care of. Or maybe you have a dog and it goes over and digs up all the flowers in your neighbor's flower garden around the house. You will be responsible for replacing all of the lost crop with the best you have to give.

You know those teenagers who wanted to smoke in an overgrown California field and caught the field on fire, and the fire burned out of control until it burned forests and houses...you get the picture. They are responsible for all the homes that are destroyed, according to God.

And, remember when you loaned your friend that barbie to play with and some mean girl stole it? That mean girl should give you TWO Barbies...or maybe a Barbie and Ken doll, too, to pay for it. But, if that mean girl didn't steal it, and it still came up missing, you could take her to court to decide if she was just hiding it because she wanted to keep it.

Regardless, whatever is lost or stolen has to be repayed double.

God's Laws: Theft of Animals

Exodus Chapter 22

1 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.
2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.

Oxen are beasts of burden, or work animals. They have a myriad of uses for mankind, from ploughing fields to pulling carts and treading meal. Sheep are used for making coverings and clothings, for warmth and body protection. Both animals were used in sacrifice and meals. Oxen are worth more, in God's eyes, therefore God wants thieves to pay more for stealing them.

So, you can safely say that any animal used as a beast of burden or work animal is worth 5 times it's market value, and any animal used for only their skins and fur mainly is only worth four times it's market value, but either way a thief has to pay the fine if found stealing them.

If a thief is in the process of stealing and someone kills him, then the man who kills a thief is not subject to the law of life for life. He was protecting his property and livelihood. But, if the thief is only injured, then the thief shall pay full restitution, and if he can't, he is sold into servanthood for his theft. He's going to work it off, and then some.

And, if a thief is caught in the act with a live animal, then he should pay double for whatever was in his hand at the time.

God's Laws: Injury to Employees

Exodus Chapter 21

26 And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.
27 And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

God values all life. He values His creation. He is no respector of anyone above another.

While God encourages paying consequences for actions, a servant is just as precious as his master to God.

So, If a man abuses one of his servants and injures him, then, in God's eyes, that servant has paid his debt to the master, or employer.

In today's language it would look like this:

If an employer asks an employee to do anything that causes him to fall and break a tooth, or go permanently blind, then the employer owes the employee living wages. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

God's Laws: When people injure each other

Exodus Chapter 21

18 And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
19 If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
20 And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

God doesn't like it when His people fight one another, and it doesn't matter who was right or wrong, there are consequences!

If two men are fighting, and one beats the other one so bad that he has to be hospitalized, and if the man who is hospitalized doesn't die, the man who beat him has to pay the hospital bills and for his loss of wages that he incurred during the time it took for him to heal.

Obviously, servants are treated differently. One can assume it is because the servant is in debt to the master already. If a servant is killed at the master's hand, then the master should be punished. But, if the servant doesn't die instantly, but remains alive a couple of days, then the master is spending money caring for the servant that he injured. Since the servant "is his money", then the master is freed from punishment at this point, because he has paid the servant back for injuring him, and now the servant can never work off his debt to the master.

God's Law's: Don't curse your parents

Exodus 21:17
“And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.”

Exodus 20:12 tells us that we are to honor our father and mother. This verse tells us what will happen if we don't.

Many of us did not grow up with good parents who had great values and really cared about their children's future. Some were children of drug addicts and prostitutes. Some were born to mothers who were too young and deadbeat dads. Some parents abused their children in horrific ways. None of this is an excuse to curse your parents.

Matthew 5:44 teaches us, from the words of Jesus, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"

It is a good thing that God sent His son to die on the cross for our sins. Many of us have shaken our fists at our parents and screamed at them that we wished they would die. The rebellious teenage years leave many of us wanting in our godly attitudes.

It also makes us wonder what life must have been like back in the days God gave this commandment. How did parents make their children behave back then? Shouldn't we be following THEIR example?

This is worthy of discussion.

God's Laws: Human Trafficking

Exodus 21:16
“And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.”

In today's world, where millions of children are being kidnapped and sold into slavery and used in sweatshops and as sex slaves and servants and for any other reason, this verse deals the consequence that such sin should incur.