The Ceremony

Moses first wrote down YHVH's Words in "the Book of the Covenant" (Ex 24:4-7) then he built an altar and erected twelve monuments (one for each tribe) at the foot of the mountain. These acts were in preparation for the public gathering that took place on the following day.  The highlight of that ceremony took place when "Moses took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they answered: Everything which YHVH had spoken to us, we shall keep and obey."  Ex 24:5-7 

To seal the people's acceptance of this covenant "Moses took the blood (from the sacrifices) and sprinkled it on the people and said: This is the blood of the covenant concerning these commandments."  Ex 24:8
  
At the conclusion of the ceremony Moses went back up the mountain.  (Ex 24:9-11)  Why?

The laws in Torah are generally presented in groups or units.  For example, the first Ten Commandments were given at Mount Sinai.  The next 'unit' of commandments, also known as the "Thus shall you say" section, begins in Ex 20:22, and continuing until the end of chapter 23.  Later on we find many additional units embedded within various stories.  The "Thus shall you say" unit contains instructions on various laws concerning idol worship and building an altar (Ex 20:20-23), laws about Jewish servants, followed by a lengthy set of civil laws, continuing through chapter 23. In Exodus 23 we have various civil laws, laws about Shabbat and holidays (Ex 23:10-19) and promises about conquering the Land.  (Ex 23:20-33)

The first section (Ex 20:20-26) is a list of commandments between man and Elohim.  It makes sense that these laws follow the Ten Commandments. The next section - the civil laws, deals with commandments between man and his fellow man, begining with the laws of the Hebrew slave (Ex 21:2-11), followed by numerous instructions to the Jewish Court and Judges re: damages to be rewarded (Ex 21:12 22:16), progressing from cases of capital offense to issues concerning accidental property damage, each begins with a certain case 'if' and is followed by the ruling 'then'.  The key word in this section is 'if' or 'when'.  For example:

"If a man hits his servant then..."  Ex 21:20
"If an ox gores a man... then the ox must be stoned." Ex 21:28

The "If" and "then" cases could only be judged by a court, and not by a private individual.

Starting with Ex 22:17 we find three laws, written in a different form. 

"A sorceress shall not be left alive. 
Anyone lying with an animal shall be killed, and
One who sacrifices to other gods shall be excommunicated."  Ex 22:17-19

In these three cases, it is the court's responsibility to find the sorceress, or the person 'lying with the animal', and leads to the next category, the 'do or don't' commandments and ethics, which govern the behavior of individuals - laws that will guide the type of society which YHVH hoped to mold Israel into.

"You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.  You shall not mistreat any widow or orphan.  If you do mistreat them, I will heed their outcry. When you lend money... if you take his garment as a pledge, you must return it by sunset... for if you don't, when he calls out to me, surely, I will hear his cry."  Ex 22:20-26 

And closing with: "You shall not oppress a stranger, whereas you know the feelings of a stranger, for you yourselves were once strangers in the land of Egypt."  Ex 23:9

In contrast to the previous section, where the court enforced the punishment, in this section YHVH Himself enacts punishment. YHVH promises to intervene should the less privileged be mistreated as the court system cannot force every member of society to treat the poor and needy with kindness.

Exodus 22:27-30 deals with laws between YHVH and man: 

Verse 27 ~ "Do not curse Elohim nor curse a leader of your people" ~ is instructing us to respect your leadership.  Verse 28 ~ "Do not delay to bring of the fullness of thy harvest, and the outflow of thy presses."  refers to the obligation of every individual to tithe his produce, to provide for the Levites, their civil servants. "You shall give Me your first-born sons.  Likewise, the first born of your oxen and sheep." (Ex 22:28-29) commands to give YHVH every first-born son. This commandment was first given when Israel left Egypt. (Ex 13:1-2,11-14)  It did not imply human sacrifice, but rather the obligation of each family to dedicate its first-born son to the service of YHVH.  This 'family responsibility' was later transferred to the entire tribe of Levi (after the sin of the Golden Calf - Deut 10:8-9) but at Mount Sinai, it was still the job of the first-born.  Hence, this command serves as a reminder to each family to fulfill its responsibility to provide their share of 'civil servants' to officiate in the Tabernacle and to serve as judges and educators. (Num 33:10)  The first-born animals also served as a tax to compensate those civil servants. (Num 18:15-20)

"And you shall be holy men unto Me; should you find the flesh that is torn of beasts in the field, do not eat it. Feed it instead to the dogs." Ex 22:30 This commandment points once again to the need to act in an ethical manner in all walks of life.  

In Exodus chapter 23 we progresses a step further, with several commandments to ensure that the Judicial system will not be misused.  For example, not to listen to false witnesses or have favorites in judgment (Ex 23:1-3), returning a lost animal - even that of an 'enemy' - to its owner (Ex 23:4), helping a neighbor's animal - even your enemy's - with its load (Ex 23:5), avoiding any form of dishonesty (Ex 23:7) and a warning not to take bribes.  (Ex 23:8)

'Shabbat and Holy Days' Commandments 

Shabbat - resting on the seventh day of every week provides a day of rest even for the bondsman and the stranger. (Ex 23:12)
Leaving the fields fallow every seven years provides extra food for the poor and needy. (Ex 23:11)
Feast of Unleavened Bread - seven days eating matzah.
On Shavuot - the wheat and produce harvest - the entire nation gathers together at the Temple, to thank YHVH for their harvest. (23:10-19)

The last section of commandments (Ex 23:20-33) is more of a promise than a set of laws.  

"Behold, I am sending a Angel before you, to guide you and bring you to the Promised Land.  If you obey Him and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.  For My Angel will lead you and bring you to the land."  Ex 23:20-23 

This was the purpose of the commandments. YHVH delights in blessing  His people. By accepting YHVH's Laws and obeying them, Israel will become YHVH's special nation and YHVH will assist them in conquering the Promised Land possesing their Promised Posessions.

 

 

Related Topics:

The Thirteen Attributes

Forgiveness And The Ten Commandments