If you are looking for the beginning of this study you can start HERE with the brief introduction. At the bottom of that introduction will be the links to each section of the study guide as it becomes available. For this study the English Standard Version is the translation which is being utilized and you can read it online HERE or pick up the copy of your choice from Amazon or your local book store. I find THIS EDITION to be useful for deep study and annotation.
Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)
What happens in the seventh year of slavery for a Hebrew slave? (21:2)
What important distinction does Exodus 21:12-14 make?
What is the penalty for cursing one's “father or mother”? (21:16)
What is to happen if a slave is beaten to death by his or her master? (21:20)
What is to happen if a slave loses and eye or a tooth because of being struck by his or her master? (21:26-27)
What is the penalty for stealing an Ox or a sheep? (22:1)
What did God say he will do to the one who mistreats the widow or the fatherless? (22:22-24)
What did Yahweh forbid the rich to do in their dealings with the poor? (22:25-27)
What did Yahweh command the people to do concerning their enemies? (23:4-5)
How many feasts (holidays) does Yahweh command his people to keep and what are they? (23:14-17)
What does Yahweh forbid his people to do with the peoples in the promised land? (23:32)
Who wrote the 10 commandments on tablets of stone? (23:12)
Who was to contribute material for the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture? (25:2)
What are the various pieces of furniture which are to be made for the tabernacle? (Ch. 25)
Logic Questions: (The Interpretation/Comparison of the Text)
What relationship is there between the laws we see in Exodus 21:1-23:19 and the 10 commandments in Exodus 20?
What are some ways in which the slavery laws in Israel (21:1-32) prevented slaves from being treated as the Israelites were treated in Egypt?
What is strongly implied about the value of unborn children in Exodus 21:22-25?
What is the purpose of the dictum, “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth…”? (21:24-25)
Why would it matter whether or not the sun was up if a person kills an intruder in their home? (22:2-3)
In Exodus 21-23, how many different kinds of penalties are there for lawbreaking and what are they? What is missing as a penalty for lawbreaking that moderns would expect to see?
Finish the syllogism:
All things permitted by God are things which have a good purpose.
A certain kind of slavery was a thing which was permitted by God.
Therefore…
What are some ways we see God showing concern for the most vulnerable in society in Exodus 22:1-23:19?
Why did Moses throw blood on the people? (24:8)
Consider the 2nd commandment in Exodus 20:4-6 in relationship to the instructions for the mercy seat in Exodus 25:17-22. How does the instruction for the mercy seat affect your understanding of the 2nd commandment?
Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)
Is slavery good or evil or does the answer require more nuance? Explain and defend your answer with Scripture and reason.
Why are laws necessary?
What makes a law just or unjust?
Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)
Read the epistle of Paul to Philemon and then read Ephesians 6:5-9. How should Paul’s instruction in these letters affect our understanding of slavery?
Read what Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:38-42. How ought this to affect our understanding of the lex talionis (law of retaliation)?
Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)
Justice, Compassion, Generosity, Beauty