Message 70
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 20:24-26; 21:2, 13-14; 22:21-23, 25-27, 28
Because the Bible is the divine revelation, we should not read it in a superficial way. We need to get into the depths of the Word in order to mine its riches. Many precious things are found beneath the surface of the Word. Because such vast riches are found beneath the surface, it is not sufficient merely to know the Bible in black and white letters. We must go deep into the Word and discover the precious things under the surface.
I come from a country which produces the highest quality crystal. One day a friend showed me a large, unsightly stone ball. He told me that hidden within this stone ball was a beautiful crystal. Then he cut into the ball and revealed the crystal concealed within it. We may compare the Bible to this ball of stone which contains precious things. In every chapter of Scripture there can be found things of great value. In particular, many “diamonds” are hidden beneath the surface of chapters twenty-one through twenty-three of Exodus. My burden in this message and in the message following is to mine these “diamonds” and present them to the Lord’s people.
The title of this message uses three important words: implications, indications, and significances. These words point to three aspects of the riches found in the depths of Exodus 21 through 23. In certain verses we find implications; in others, indications; and in still others, significances. If we would mine the riches in these chapters, we need to consider the implications, indications, and significances of the ordinances of the law presented here.
In the decree of the law with its ordinances there is a clear indication that man is fallen and is living in the fall. The expression “fall” or “living in the fall” cannot be found. However, words like pollution, nakedness, slavery, murder, stealing, coveting, and witch strongly point both to man’s fall and to his living in the fall. The ordinances related to these matters describe the fallen condition of man. If man had not fallen, or if man were not living in a fallen condition, there would be no need for God to give such ordinances. If we pay attention to words like pollution, murder, lying, and idols, we may be enlightened to see that man’s living in the fall is indicated. In this way we get into the depths of the Bible.
The law with its ordinances was not given to people who were innocent and pure. On the contrary, the law was given to fallen mankind, to people living in a fallen condition. Because of man’s fall and because of man’s living in the fall, there was the need for God to come in to decree the law with its ordinances.
In these chapters we have a picture of man’s fallen condition. How very dark is the scene! Here we have pollution, nakedness, witchcraft, idolatry, adultery, fornication, and covetousness. Behind all these negative things is Satan. Although Satan is not mentioned in these chapters by name, his existence behind the negative things is implied. Demons also are mentioned by implication. Witchcraft involves contact with demons. If there were no demons, there would be no witchcraft. Hence, the one word “witch” implies the existence of witchcraft and demons.
The ordinances in these chapters also imply the fact of indwelling sin. In Romans 7 Paul speaks of covetousness, of coveting of every kind. Although Paul hated the sin of covetousness, he had no way to overcome it. The more he loathed it, the more active it became. Paul could even say, “So now it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Rom. 7:17). The very mention of coveting implies indwelling sin. Furthermore, this indwelling sin is actually Satan with his lusts. We admit that there is no explicit reference to Satan in Exodus 21 through 23. However, in the light of the full revelation of the holy Scriptures, we can trace the word coveting to indwelling sin, and indwelling sin to Satan. Therefore, hidden beneath coveting is indwelling sin, and concealed under indwelling sin is Satan, the Devil, with his lusts.
These chapters not only indicate the fact of indwelling sin, but also speak of outward sins. Murder, lying, and stealing certainly are sins. Therefore, as in the book of Romans, we have both indwelling sin implied and outward sins clearly indicated. In Romans Paul deals with sins in chapters one through three, and he deals with indwelling sin in chapters five through eight. On the negative side, the ordinances in Exodus 21 through 23 point to Satan, demons, indwelling sin, and outward sins.
The picture of the items on the negative side in these chapters is dark and bleak. But the picture of the items on the positive side is bright and glorious. First, these chapters reveal that God is kind and gracious, full of care for us. As the most gracious One, He cares for widows, orphans, and strangers. By preparing cities of refuge into which a person may flee, He even provides for the mistake of one who kills another unintentionally. Furthermore, God also provides that one who sells himself into slavery may be released after six years. All these ordinances show us that God is kind, gracious, and loving and that He cares for mankind.
In these chapters we also have a picture of Christ. Christ is typified by the sacrifices (20:24-26). With Christ, through Christ, and by Christ, we can worship God. Christ is not for angels; He is for fallen man. The ordinance concerning worshipping God through the altar and with the sacrifices was intended for fallen man, not for angels. Christ is also signified by the city of refuge and by the Sabbath. Furthermore, even the sabbatical year is a picture of Christ.
The cross of Christ is signified by the altar in chapter twenty. This altar is not for angels; it is for fallen man. Angels are spectators, those who observe Christ and the cross, but we are partakers, those who enjoy Christ and the cross.
In these chapters we have, on the negative side, Satan, demons, indwelling sin, and outward sins. On the positive side, we have God, Christ, and the cross. We also have redemption, forgiveness, justification, and reconciliation implied. To be sure, no man-made law has such implications, indications, and significances. As students of the Word of God, we need to consider all the implications, indications, and significances found in these chapters.
According to 20:24-26, the altar and sacrifices for the worship of God indicate that in order to worship God fallen man must be redeemed, terminated, and replaced. God requires man to worship Him through an altar and with a sacrifice. Furthermore, the one who worships God must lay his hand on the head of the sacrifice and thereby identify himself with it. The sacrifice is then slain and placed on the altar. All this indicates that fallen man needs to be redeemed, terminated, and replaced by Christ with His cross. We are redeemed and terminated by the altar, but we are replaced by Christ.
Before we can appreciate these matters, we need to realize that we are sinners and that our case is hopeless. If we were not sinners, there would have been no need for God to redeem us. If we were not hopeless, God would not require that we be terminated and replaced. The fact that we need redemption, termination, and replacement indicates that we are sinful and hopeless.
It is wrong for a brother to expect his wife to improve. Instead, recognizing that her case is hopeless, he should see that her need is not improvement but termination. We are all a hopeless case, and the case of our husband or wife is likewise hopeless. Thus, we should accept the fact that we need to be terminated. But after we are terminated by the cross, we enter into resurrection, and in resurrection we can be replaced by Christ. A brother needs to see that his wife cannot improve, but she can be replaced by Christ. Likewise, a sister should not pray that the Lord will improve her husband. This kind of prayer is merely ethical and religious. Rather, she should pray, “Lord, I thank You that You are able to replace my husband with Yourself. I ask You, Lord, to replace him.”
The altar and the sacrifices imply redemption, termination, and replacement. Furthermore, as we have indicated, the need for redemption indicates that we are sinful, and the need for termination indicates that we are a hopeless case. Whenever I read of the altar and the sacrifices, I see Christ, my replacement, with His cross. Now I can say, “Praise the Lord that even though I am sinful, I have been redeemed, and even though I am hopeless, I can be terminated and replaced. Lord, I thank You that the process of being replaced by You is still going on, and one day it will be completed. The time is coming when I shall be fully replaced by You.”
The freeing of a slave in a sabbatical year signifies that fallen man under bondage may be freed by God’s rest (21:2), which is Christ. We know from Genesis that, after laboring for six days, God rested on the seventh day. Hence, the Sabbath denotes God’s rest. In the seventh year, a sabbatical year, a slave would be set free. What good news this was for a slave! A slave knew that after serving six years, in the seventh he would be set free. By God’s rest, he would be liberated.
In the ordinance dealing with the freeing of slaves in a sabbatical year, we see the good news of the gospel. Fallen people are slaves. In Romans 7:14 Paul describes himself as “sold under sin.” Every sinner has sold himself under slavery. Do not think that you have been enslaved by others. No, you have enslaved yourself. You have sold yourself into slavery. But the gospel declares the good news that when Christ, God’s rest, appears to us, our slavery is ended, and we are set free. This indeed is good news!
The murder and the lies within man signify that the Devil, the source of murder and the father of lies, is working in fallen man (21:14; 23:1-2; John 8:44; 1 John 3:12). We know from John 8:44 that the Devil is the source of murder and the father of lies. This indicates that if we have murdering and lying within us, the Devil is working within us. Because the Devil works in fallen man, it is very easy for people to lie. Children lie automatically, without being taught to lie. We may lie not only in words, but also by gestures and facial expressions. Lying is a sign of the Devil living and working in us. Fallen men are liars because, according to the natural life, we are all children of the Devil.
Actually Exodus 23:1 does not use the word lie. Instead, this verse speaks of raising a false report. Spreading rumors and raising false reports may be even worse than lying.
As long as a person has murdering and lying within him, the Devil, the source of murder and the father of lies, is working in him. If we trace murder and lies to their source, we shall find the Devil.
Exodus 21:13 says, “And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.” This indicates that one who kills another by mistake has the right to flee for refuge into a place appointed by God. This means that, in the eyes of God, fallen man is a sinner by mistake and may flee into Christ. When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). This prayer opened the way for God the Father to come in and forgive mistaken sinners. All those who are sinners by mistake are qualified to flee into Christ as the city of refuge. How wonderful that God may look upon us as mistaken sinners and provide us with Christ as our city of refuge!
Are you a sinner by mistake, or are you a willful sinner? Your repentance toward God indicates that you are a sinner by mistake. If you are a willful sinner, why did you repent? To repent means that you confess you are wrong and are sorry for it. Any sinner who repents is a mistaken sinner, one who can be graciously forgiven by God.
According to 21:14, a person who killed another willfully had to perish. This verse says, “But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.” This indicates that willful sinners must perish. Those who perish do so because they refuse to repent. The fact that a certain person does not repent indicates that he is not a mistaken sinner, but is a willful sinner. If a person repents, God will regard him as a sinner by mistake and will forgive him. Such a one may flee into Christ. But if anyone refuses the gospel and does not repent, God will regard him as a willful sinner, one destined to perish. Whether you are a mistaken sinner or a willful sinner is determined by whether or not you repent.
In 21:13 and 14 we see a precious matter related to Christ. Christ is implied in 21:13. He was the One delivered into the hands of mistaken sinners. If God had not delivered the Lord Jesus into the hands of the Jews and Romans, the Lord would not have been crucified. After God delivered Him into the hands of those who crucified Him, the Lord Jesus prayed for the ones to whom He had been delivered. He asked the Father to forgive them, because they did not know what they were doing. It seemed that God the Father said in reply, “Yes, it was I who delivered You into their hands. Now I am ready to answer Your prayer by forgiving them.” Therefore, according to what is indicated by 21:13, Christ is the One delivered into the hands of mistaken sinners and killed by them. We killed Christ, but we killed Him by mistake. God delivered Christ to us sovereignly, and we mistakenly put Him to death. Therefore, 21:13 not only indicates Christ; it also indicates you and me. According to this verse, we who killed Christ by mistake may now flee into Him as our city of refuge.
Saul of Tarsus was one who killed Christ by mistake. When he was persecuting the believers, the Lord Jesus appeared to him and said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). To Saul’s understanding, he was persecuting Stephen and other believers, not the Lord Jesus. The very fact that Saul asked the Lord who He was implies that he was persecuting Him by mistake. He did not realize what he was doing. For this reason, he could say of himself in 1 Timothy 1:13, “Who formerly was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insulting destructive person; but I obtained mercy because being ignorant I acted in unbelief.” In ignorance and by mistake, Saul persecuted the believers and blasphemed God. But God forgave him and opened the gate into Christ as the city of refuge. This is the gospel. What good news that mistaken sinners can flee into Christ!
Exodus 21:13 is the unique verse in the Bible indicating that God delivered the Lord Jesus into the hands of mistaken sinners. In Acts 2:23 we are told that Christ was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, and Romans 4:25 says that He was delivered for our offenses. But these verses do not say to whom He was delivered. Only in 21:13 do we see that God delivered the Lord Jesus into our hands to be killed by our mistake.
Stealing signifies that fallen man, like Satan, is not satisfied with God’s sovereign assignment, but tries to make base gain by transgressing God’s regulation (22:1-5). Perhaps, in His arrangement, God does not assign many riches to you. Instead, He arranges for you to be in poverty. Are you willing to be satisfied with the circumstances in which God has placed you? If you are not satisfied, you may resort to stealing, to the transgressing of God’s regulation in order to make base gain. According to the Bible, stealing is fully condemned by God. However, in itself stealing is not always serious. What is serious with respect to stealing is transgressing God’s regulation.
We all need to be satisfied with the Lord’s sovereign arrangement of our circumstances. Because God is our Creator and we are His creatures, we should be satisfied with the circumstances He assigns to us. If we are satisfied, we shall not break God’s regulation. To steal is to be dissatisfied with the divine assignment and to break the divine regulation. In the past I knew some Chinese women who stole sewing needles from other members of the family when sewing needles were scarce. In principle, they were no better than bank robbers. In both cases those who stole were not satisfied with God’s sovereign assignment, but broke God’s regulation.
The ordinance concerning coveting (22:7-15) signifies that Satan’s lusting nature has become the indwelling sin within fallen man to deaden his body (Rom. 7:8, 17, 20, 24). In Romans 7 Paul tells us that he was not able to deal with the sin of coveting within him. Eventually he described covetousness as indwelling sin. He did not regard it merely as a thing or a matter, but as a person, even as Satan personified. The sin of covetousness is actually Satan’s lusting nature. Because we are all fallen sinners, we are given to coveting. Stealing comes from coveting. If a person does not covet anything, he will never steal. Coveting is Satan’s lusting nature dwelling within us. Hence, whenever we are greedy or covetous, we should realize that this issues from Satan operating in us as indwelling sin.
The ordinance concerning adultery (22:16-17, 19) signifies that Satan’s sinful nature works in man to corrupt him by confusing him in breaking God’s regulations concerning the relationships man should have with God, with people, and with other things. According to James 4:4, loving the world causes one to be an adulterer, for it confuses one’s relationship with God.
Just as a wife should not love another man besides her husband, we should not love anything in place of God. This is fornication. According to Revelation 17, the degraded church is called a harlot. The church should love Christ alone; however, the degraded church loves many things in place of Christ. For this reason, the fallen church not only becomes an adulteress, but also becomes a fornicator, a harlot. If a wife becomes involved with one other man, that is adultery. But if she becomes involved with many others, that is fornication. Fornication, therefore, is more serious than adultery. The fallen church is not merely an adulteress; she is a fornicator and for this reason is called a harlot in Revelation 17.
In the sight of God, the earth today is filled with fornication, with confusion. Man is confused in his relationship with others and with many things. According to the Bible, fornication refers to being wrong and confused in our relationships. For example, failing to maintain the right relationship with the government is fornication.
The ordinance concerning strangers, widows, orphans, and the poor signify that fallen man has become a stranger to God’s blessing, a widow without Christ as the husband, an orphan without God as the Father, and the poor deprived of the riches of God (22:21-27; 23:9). Ephesians 2:12 and 19 indicate that once we were strangers and foreigners. Were you not a stranger to God before you were saved? Were you not a widow and an orphan, and were you not also among the poor? This is the situation of the unsaved today. But God is a God who cares for strangers, widows, orphans, and the poor.
The ordinance which requires submission to God and His authority signifies the subduing of the rebellious nature of Satan within man (22:28). Because we are rebellious, we need to be subdued, and we need to submit to God’s deputy authority. Rebellion is an activity of Satan’s rebellious nature. This rebellious element within us must be subdued.
The ordinances in 23:4 and 5 signify Christ bringing the lost things of life to fallen man and helping him in releasing his burden. These ordinances also signify that we should reconcile ourselves, by such a life of Christ, with our enemies and those who hate us. As sinners, we lost everything related to life. But Christ has come to restore to us all the lost things of life. He has also come to release us from our burden. Has Christ not done these things for you? Has He not restored to you the matters of life and released you from your heavy burden? Praise Him that He has done this for us!
These ordinances also signify that, by the life of Christ, we should be reconciled with our enemies and those who hate us. If an Israelite saw that an animal which belonged to a person who hated him was lying under its burden, he had to stop what he was doing and work with the enemy to release the animal from its burden. Suppose today you saw an enemy of yours having car trouble. Would you be willing to stop your car and help him? In principle, Christ has done this for us. Now we should do the same for others by His life.
