For stealing one ox he shall restore five. If a thief be smitten to death when caught in

the act, it is quits. If he survives and have nothing, he shall be sold. If the theft be found,

he shall restore double. Feeding cattle in another man's field and destroying crops

through careless fire-lighting demands restitution. Those entrusted with goods must be

responsible unto double the value. To entice a maid that is not betrothed must be

recompensed either by marriage or dowry.

Such is a very imperfect summary of the first section  21: 1 - 22: 17.

This is followed by a brief section (Exod. 22: 18-20) dealing with the Godward side.

1. The witch. 2. The confusion of seed. 3. The sacrifice to any other god save the Lord.

In each case the penalty is death. The section following (22: 21-28) is devoted to

the question of vexing and afflicting strangers, widows, fatherless, and borrowers.

Verses 29-31 emphasize the claims of God upon the first-fruits, first-born sons, and

first-born of cattle; also that in the question of their food Israel were to be "holy men

unto Me".

Exod. 23: 1-9 deals with false witness, unkindness, bribery, and oppression.

Exod. 23: 10-19 with God's command concerning the sabbatical year, the sabbath day,

and the three feasts in the year, namely, the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of

harvest, and the feast of ingathering. Also that no leaven must be offered with the blood

of sacrifice, neither must the fat remain till the morning. The following one little clause

stands out alone:--

This humane stipulation was intended to restrain the more brutal instincts of man,

much in the same way that the command concerning the bird and its young in

Deut. 22: 6, and the cow and its calf in Lev. 22: 28.

Exod. 23: 20-25- promises the leadership and protection of the angel in whom is the

name of the Lord upon the condition of obedience, and the angel is said to go before them

and to bring them into the land of the Canaanites. A final warning is given concerning

idolatry and an exhortation to serve the Lord. Then comes the last man-ward section,

viz., Exod. 23: -25-33. This contains promises concerning bread and water, sickness,

fruitfulness, and length of days. The clearing of the land of promise of the Canaanites,

and of the beasts of the field, the boundaries of the land of promise, and the man-ward

effect of any covenant made with either the Canaanites or their gods, such was the tenor

of the covenant made with Israel. This is by no means all, for in subsequent books Moses

reveals further expansions of the principles here set forth.

A superficial view of these laws has led to a great deal of misrepresentation. The

God Who could think of the little kid, Who legislated for slaves, for fatherless, for

strangers, cannot be either harsh or merciless. Many have objected to the severity of the