God’s Concern for Community
Exodus 22:16-31God's Concern for Community We have said over and over that the Book of the Covenant is distinct from the Ten Commandments; it applies the principles set forth in the Ten Commandments to specific social and economic context in Israel. The Ten Commandments were written with the finger of God. The Book of the Covenant was given to Moses and written down on parchment. We have also said that the Ten Words, or Ten Commands, give us the fundamental legal principles for Israel's society, and then these laws found in the Covenant Code apply them to a specific social context. They serve as illustrations about how the law might apply in certain cases. And we've said over and over on several different occasions that this law teaches us at least three great lessons: (1) that…