Okay, I'm just gonna be honest, when I got to Exodus 22 and 23, I had a moment. It starts reading like the world's oldest law book. Donkeys, stolen sheep, borrowed stuff, court cases, interest, neighbors animals and I'm thinking, Lord, what am I supposed to do with this today? I don't even own a donkey. Although i would like one and a couple of Emus and some goats too...
Anyways, Some of it honestly reminds me of those dumb old southern laws you hear about.
We once lived in a town that literally had a law that said no hoopin and hollerin after a certain time. And you just know somebody must have been acting real dumb for that to become an actual rule.
And that's when it clicked, these laws didn't come out of nowhere. They were written because people were a mess. The Israelites had just come out of 400 years of slavery. That's all they knew. Survival, Fear, and Control. Somebody always telling them what to do. They didn't know how to live free, they only knew how to react and survive.
So God isn't just giving rules, He's teaching them how to be human again. How to treat each other. How to handle conflict without going crazy. How to make things right instead of getting revenge. How not to take advantage of people. How to actually care about more than just yourself. Basically God is saying, "You're not slaves anymore but you're gonna need some help learning how to live like it."
And I felt that in my own life. Because I love Jesus. I know I'm saved. I know I'm free.
But I still catch myself thinking like someone who's been in survival mode because I was for so long. Still expecting the worst. Still trying to control everything. Still carrying stuff I learned in old seasons that don't fit my life now.
You can leave Egypt in a day but Egypt takes way longer to leave you. My healing process has taken years....
That's what Exodus 22-23 really is. Not a list of rules we have to follow, but a picture of a God who cares about how we actually live our everyday lives. Not just church life. Real life.
How we talk to people. How we handle money. How we respond when we're wronged. How we treat the weak, the annoying, the broken, the ones who get on our nerves.
So instead of asking, What's the rule?
I'm learning to ask, What does love look like here? And that's harder sometimes because rules are easy. Love takes growth.
But I think that's real freedom.
Not just being saved from something But slowly growing into someone healthier, softer, wiser, and more whole. And some days, the most spiritual thing God is doing in my life isn't some big miracle...It's unteaching me all the junk I picked up while I was just trying to survive.
Love Pastor Mandy
Ark of Hope Ministry
Daily Reading Exodus 22-23
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