22:21 - When you live with the understanding that everything you have is God's then you can follow rules like this one joyfully. But when you live with the mentality "I am entitled to everything I have" or "I worked for this so it is mine," you will find yourself in opposition to the generous heart of God. This is a big issue in our country right now and I believe Christians should be less concerned about hoarding wealth than they should with mirroring God's heart. We are all just passing through this world and should be able to connect with the foreigner and the alien.
22:28 - Notice how respect for authority that has been placed over us in this life is listed almost int he same breath as respecting God? Our treatment of authority figures here on earth directly reflects the value we place on God's authority. This is another hot button issue in our country right now. Christians from both sides of the political spectrum seem to place more emphasis on defying whoever believes differently than them, than they do with honoring authority.
23:1-2 - Don't get caught up in gossip or back-stabbing. How clear is that? Something that we don't think is a very big deal is called out specifically by God as He instructs His people on how to live their lives.
23:11 - Again, if you believe that nothing you have is actually yours - then sharing with the poor is pretty easy. If you believe that God is going to take care of you no matter what - then taking care of each other, sharing and working in community is fairly easy.
23:33 - There are going to be some brutal segments of scripture coming up about the destruction of entire groups of people. While it is horrific, as we read this verse we start to understand a little of why it has to happen. If the Israelites allow other cultures to creep in and corrupt them, then their covenant with God will be broken and their role in God's far-reaching salvation plan will be destroyed. And look at it this way...God is the judge either way - either after death or in life. He brings judgement upon these people groups...He is just and knows their hearts...so He can bring righteous judgement. This doesn't make it any less brutal, but it helps to understand a little more.
24:8 - Moses sprinkles blood on the Israelite people symbolizing that God's judgement will pass them by - like the angel of death passed them by in Egypt. This is a sign of their blood covenant...an prophetic image of the blood of Christ that saves us all from our failures.
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