Hey, Bible readers. I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. We continued reading about the laws for restitution today, seeing more of how God directs his people toward a civil and just society that treats others with respect and honors life. He fleshes out some specific implications of the Ten Commandments or the Ten Words, and we see how those apply. When it comes to the laws against this theft, you may have noticed that for a lot of the scenarios listed, the amount the thief has to pay back exceeds what he stole. In many ways, these consequences may have served as a deterrent against sinning. These laws may feel intimidating if you're imagining yourself as the one who's committing the sin. But if you put yourself in the place of the one who sinned against, you'll be grateful God established those laws. We also see how God protects the female virgins by threatening men who take advantage of them with the penalty of several years worth of wages. By the way, this isn't referring to rape. It's referring to a seduction that leads to consensual sex. Later, when we get to the Book of Deuteronomy, we'll see that the penalty for rape is death.

God also forbids charging interest on loans. Most interest rates in those days started out at about 25%, but guess who borrows money? The needy. So to add to the burden of one of his needy children was considered cruel. Instead, he emphasizes compassion toward the poor and the needy. God also has instruction instructions for caring for the sojourners and the widows and the orphans. He shows special attention to those who are the most vulnerable in their society. He shows his people how to love each other and not exploit each other. They have a lot to unlear about behavior. They've been oppressed. They've lived with a scarcity mentality. And he reminds them to be compassionate because he is compassionate, to be open-handed because he is their provider. In 2218, he addresses sorcery. This includes divination, which we've talked about briefly. God takes this stuff seriously. For those who practice it, it is punishable by death. What's the big deal with sorcery, you might wonder. These practices are rooted in contacting spirits for guidance and power. You can imagine that if God is forbid it, then those spirits being contacted are not on his team. That'd be a part of the enemy's camp.

When people seek answers from the enemy instead of from God, it's not only idolatry, but it's treason against the Kingdom of light. So God orders death for anyone who practices this and lures people into their web of wickedness. It's how he aims to protect his people from the enemy's subtle, deceptive ways. He's also super attentive about the enemy's tactics when it comes to the land he's giving his kids. He tells them to break the stone pillars the pagans have set up there. He wants them to drive out anyone who worships other gods. And in fact, he says he'll even do some of the driving out through direct intervention as well. By the way, this This distinction God's making between people groups has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with idolatry. How do we know this? Sojourners are welcomed among the Israelites, but not those who worship other gods. God is preserving this family for the birth of the Messiah. There were also lots of people in that day who would say they worship God, but who also acknowledge the power and validity of other gods. This is called monolatry, like the blending of the words monotheism, one God, and idolatry, the worship of false gods.

While God never denies that other gods exist, and in fact, he seems to indicate that they do exist, he continues to point out that Israel's loyalty must be to him. He is their God. He is the one true God. I realize I may have just dropped a bombshell on some of you, and it may seem to fly in the face of monotheism. But don't worry, it doesn't. We're definitely monotheists. We'll link to a document in today's show notes that has lots more info on this, so I'd for you to check that out if you have a chance. We also see that God ordains three feasts, and all of them point to reminders of who he is testifying to his provision. The first is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which you may remember is the seven-day feast they have annually commemorating their deliverance from Egypt, right after they celebrate the Passover, commemorating that God preserved their lives. The second feast is the Feast of Harvest, which is also called Pentecost. And the third feast is the Feast of End-gathering, which happens after the last harvest of the year. These last two feasts are an act of both thanks and trust.

They celebrate God's provision at the beginning and end of the harvest season. And their feast also signifies that they trust God to continue providing for them in the future. They don't have to hoard their food out of fear of not having enough. They can feast on it. A few important notes here. There are lots of reasons to believe the angel God described here is a reference to himself. God even says, My name is in him. As we've talked about, name indicates presence and essence and nature and character. In chapter 24, we see the people enter into this covenant with God at Mount Sinai, agreeing to do all God says. Then Moses offers a sacrifice and throws blood on the people. While this may seem weird, this is likely a symbol that they are tied to the covenant. Much like when God had Abraham split the animals in half and then God walked between them. And being sprinkled with blood symbolizes being purified and atoned for. It's a foreshadowing of Christ's death covering us. We finish today with Moses going up the mountain for 40 days. Tomorrow, we'll see what God said to him while they were up there.

What was your God shot today? I loved seeing not only how God is protective of his people, but also in 23:4-5, we see how he commands them to show kindness and love to those he considered enemies or who hated them. We see his heart here. And if you think about it, this is the whole reason we're in relationship with him to begin with. We all started it out as God's enemies. And this is how he has treated all of us, being merciful and compassionate, stepping into our need despite the fact that we have waged war against him with our sin and rebellion. I love seeing this about God. I love that he's a God who pursues his enemies because I was his enemy, and I want to be near to him because he's where the joy is.

Tlc here with some show notes pro tips. Number one, you might not be able to find the show notes. If that's you, do a quick web search to see if your podcatcher offers them and how to find them. Number two, if your podcatcher doesn't offer show notes, get a new podcatcher. Just kidding. We've got you covered. You can find all the show notes for the whole year at thebiblerecap. Com/shownotes. Number three, shownotes are not transcripts. We have those, but shownotes are different. Shownotes are usually things like links to pictures, videos, or articles to help you dig into what we've covered that day, and And by the way, this is important, when we link to something in the show notes, we are only recommending that particular link, not anything else on that site, anything else written by that author, anything else preached by that pastor, or anything else believed by that resource. We aren't aligning ourselves with the things we link to. We just think that particular link might be helpful with the specific thing we've talked about on that particular day. To find all the show notes for the whole year, go to thebiblerecap.

Com/shownotes.

My friends at Hope Nation have another fun song battle for all the Christian music lovers out there. We're throwing it back to the 2010s with favorites like Oceans by Hillsong and God's Not Dead by the Newsboys. Click the link in the show notes to watch and guess along to find out how well you know these hits.