Exodus 23 – The listing of wrongs
continues: Do not
spread false rumors; do not side with the majority to the perversion of
justice; do NOT favor the poor in a
lawsuit when the facts do not support their cause [this
is an interesting one]; do not
mistreat foreigners; do not accept bribes.
What to do if you find lost property; caring for animals—even if they
belong to people who hate you and your help will indirectly help your enemy; do
not deny the needy their rights; avoiding dishonesty of every kind; not
condemning the innocent man to death; not
sparing the guilty man.
Then readers
are reminded about not tilling the soil each 7th year so “that the
poor among you may eat of it and the beast of the field may eat what the poor
leave” (23:11); the Sabbath rest; celebration of the pilgrim feasts—Passover,
Pentecost (Shavu’ot or Weeks—wheat
harvest and first fruits in early June) and booths (final grape harvest in late
September or early October—called Sukkot or Huts); offerings; not boiling a kid
in its mother’s milk.
“See, I am
sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely
to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his
instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he
will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following
all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose
those who oppose you” (23:20-22).
The Lord
promises his blessings on those who are faithful—fertility, health, fullness of
life (23:25). The victory over those in the land will not be quick but little
by little. “I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has
increased enough to take possession of the land” (23:30). God promises to hand
over the people of the region to drive them out. They “must make no treaties
with them or their gods. They must not live in your land, or they will cause
you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap
of idolatry” (23:32-33).
The Didache
Of Apostles and Prophets
11 – If visitors come and
introduce the community to teachings that differ from those presented here,
people should pay no attention to them; but then the writer adds an addendum –
if the teaching promotes “righteousness and knowledge of the Lord” (195), you
should welcome him as you would the Lord.
There are “apostles” and “prophets” in the
church. Apostles who come to visit should not stay longer than a day, “two if
it is really necessary” (195). Anyone who stays longer than this is a “false
prophet” (196). Apostles also should accept only provisions for another day’s
travel and no money at all.
Prophetic inspiration was given great latitude. The possible relationship between this treatise and the 2nd c. Monatist movement seems very possible. Scholars are not certain about it. Prophets
speaking “in the spirit” are not to be subject to “tests or verifications” – to
do this would be to violate the authority of the Holy Spirit, an unforgivable
sin (196). But it isn’t enough to just “speak” in the Spirit; you must also
“exhibit the manners and conduct of the Lord. It is by their behavior that you
can tell the impostor from the true” (196). If a prophet, seemingly “in the Spirit” calls out for food and eats, or calls out
for money that is not meant for the poor, he is a phony.
A prophet, “thoroughly accredited and genuine, living the
mystery of the Church in the world, may yet fail to teach others to copy his
example. In that case, you are not to judge the man yourselves; his judgment
lies with God. The prophets of old used to do things of a similar kind” (196).
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