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All of us know what it is to be in debt. Debt causes bondage, fear, and even misery. Having the shadow of debt hanging over us is a dark and dismal way to live, isn’t it? We sometimes daydream about someone coming along and paying it all off for us. That would be the loudest debt-free scream ever, wouldn’t it!

God’s instructions about debt in Exodus 22:1-15 set the stage for the greatest debt-free scream ever. If you want to scream that scream, stay with me for a few minutes.

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Human justice tends to over-punish or under-punish. That’s true not only in our courts, but also in our families, our workplaces, and even in our personal relationships. Sometimes we over-punish; other times we under-punish. Sometimes we’re too harsh; sometimes we’re too soft. With over-punishing, the offender is punished too much. With under-punishing, the victim suffers all over again and evil is not deterred. Human justice is so faulty.

Like yourself, I’ve been the victim of painful injustice. I’ve been over-punished. I’ve been punished for things I did not do. I’ve seen evil go unpunished and the innocent punished when they should have been protected. But I’ve not been a perfect punisher either. I’m sure there are times when I’ve over- and under-punished.

It is possible to administer justice in a way that avoids both extremes. Let’s turn to Exodus 21:12-36 where God gives us two principles of justice to help us avoid under- or over-punishing

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Human beings oppress the weak. Whenever someone has power over another person, they are always likely to abuse that power. You’ve probably seen that in school, in the workplace, and even in your own family. To some degree, we’ve all been victims of bullying, oppression, and abuse. It’s a horrible experience isn’t it? We feel defenseless and helpless.

One of God’s most beautiful character traits is his defense of the defenseless, his help of the helpless. Let’s see how God reveals his beautiful character in his care for the weak and abused in Exodus 21:1-11.

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How do you view the law of God? Maybe, like many, you view it as a threat. “It’s a threat to my salvation and to my happiness. Give me God’s love over God’s law any day.”

But, what if I told you that there’s another way of looking at God’s Law? That we can see the love of God in the law of God? You don’t want to miss out on God’s love, do you? Well, come with me to Exodus 20 and we’ll discover four ways to experience God’s love in God’s law.

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Many worship services today are a casual free-for-all. There are no boundaries and little reverence. We may be pleasing ourselves but are we pleasing God?

Some respond, “Well, all that reverence and care was an Old Testament thing. We’re New Testament worshippers and therefore we don’t need to be so prepared for worship or careful in worship. That’s half true. Let’s see which half of that is true.

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What’s the greatest problem in the world? Covid-19? Racism? Riots? Recession? These are all great problems but none of them are the greatest problem. The greatest problem is self-salvation, otherwise known as rule- redemption. The core idea is that we can be saved by our works, our obedience, our commandment-keeping. I can offer God enough obedience to persuade him to save me.

Why is that the greatest problem? Because no matter how hard we try, we cannot save ourselves and we cannot please God. Any attempt to do so ultimately downgrades God’s Law. And we kind of know that in our consciences don’t we. We’re not happy, God’s not happy, and the Law’s not happy.

But there is a better way and a happier way. Let’s see how God sets this up when he officially constituted Israel as his nation in Exodus 19:1-6.