Since their beginning, God called the Israelites to live differently, to live holy lives that reflected Himself to the other nations. Last week, God gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites and all of humanity. These commandments are called the moral law. This week, we see God giving the civil law to the Israelites. The civil law is the application of the moral law.
The civil law explains how the Israelites should take care of their slaves, how they should handle premeditated and accidental personal injuries, how they should avoid sorcery and idolatry, how they should care for widows and orphans, how they should rest on the Sabbath and how they should worship God together at three annual festivals.
Many other laws are included in Exodus 21:1-23:19. Some of the themes of the civil law are:
- The punishment must fit the crime.
- There must be restitution, which is repayment and restoration, after a wrong.
- God sees sanctity in life.
- Do not be like the pagan nations and act like you are set apart for God.
- How well do I obey the Ten Commandments?
- How well do I obey the civil laws, the application of the Ten Commandments?
- How quickly do I make restitution when it is needed?
- Do I obey out of convenience or out of love for God?
- Do I obey when the obedience is painful?