After the giving of the Ten Commandments (Decalogue), the Lord began to instruct Moses in how the nation should handle daily life in an ethical way. Some of the laws were for worship, others were for business dealings, some for marriage and family concerns. The laws spoken of the this passage had to do with how to construct and altar for worship, how to deal with slaves or servants, indentured servants, and marriages. There are a lot of things delineated in the following passages that outline how an Israelite should live.
The altar was not to be a place of opulence or showiness. It was to be a simple place to offer sacrifice to God. God did not want any other God before Him. Therefore, not even the altar was to be of a material that would draw attention.
A Hebrew servant would be required to serve only 6 years, and then be set free in the seventh year. If he enter servanthood with a wife, then he could take her with him when he was set free. However, if he married a wife while a servant, then he had a choice to make. He could have total freedom, but leave his wife and children behind, or he could remain a servant and keep his wife and children. The mark of the indentured servant was to take an awl punch in his ear.
If a man sells his daughter as a slave or a bride, then she cannot be mistreated by her owner or husband, but must be treated fairly and equitably. This is regardless of whether she pleases her master or not.
God has here established a powerful pattern that will continue to show up throughout the law. God must be the priority in worship, and people must deal equitably with other people. This is the summary of the Decalogue, where the first part deals with how we relate to God, and the last part how we relate to man.
While some of the laws of Moses have little relation to the social conventions of our day, the principles to be learned are also universal. Do not put anything before God, and treat others with dignity and fairness!
Devoted To You 