Justice, mercy, and holiness in daily life

24:1 If a man marries a woman and she does not please him because he has found something offensive in her, then he may draw up a divorce document, give it to her, and evict her from his house. 24:2 When she has left him she may go and become someone else’s wife. 24:3 If the second husband rejects her and then divorces her, gives her the papers, and evicts her from his house, or if the second husband who married her dies, 24:4 her first husband who divorced her is not permitted to remarry her after she has become ritually impure, for that is offensive to the Lord. You must not bring guilt on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 24:5 When a man is newly married, he need not go into the army nor be obligated in any way; he must be free to stay at home for a full year and bring joy to the wife he has married. 24:6 One must not take either lower or upper millstones as security on a loan, for that is like taking a life itself as security. 24:7 If a man is found kidnapping a person from among his fellow Israelites, and regards him as mere property and sells him, that kidnapper must die. In this way you will purge evil from among you. 24:8 Be careful during an outbreak of leprosy to follow precisely all that the Levitical priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, so you should do. 24:9 Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along the way after you left Egypt. 24:10 When you make any kind of loan to your neighbor, you may not go into his house to claim what he is offering as security. 24:11 You must stand outside and the person to whom you are making the loan will bring out to you what he is offering as security. 24:12 If the person is poor you may not use what he gives you as security for a covering. 24:13 You must by all means return to him at sunset the item he gave you as security so that he may sleep in his outer garment and bless you for it; it will be considered a just deed by the Lord your God. 24:14 You must not oppress a lowly and poor servant, whether one from among your fellow Israelites or from the resident foreigners who are living in your land and villages. 24:15 You must pay his wage that very day before the sun sets, for he is poor and his life depends on it. Otherwise he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin. 24:16 Fathers must not be put to death for what their children do, nor children for what their fathers do; each must be put to death for his own sin. 24:17 You must not pervert justice due a resident foreigner or an orphan, or take a widow’s garment as security for a loan. 24:18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do all this. 24:19 Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there, you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the Lord your God may bless all the work you do. 24:20 When you beat your olive tree you must not repeat the procedure; the remaining olives belong to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow. 24:21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard you must not do so a second time; they should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow. 24:22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt; therefore, I am commanding you to do all this.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Moses teaches Israel how to live as God’s covenant people in the land. The law speaks to marriage, loans, wages, justice, and harvest. It protects the weak and warns against using power to harm others. Israel must remember that the Lord redeemed them from Egypt, and that memory must shape how they treat people.

This passage is a set of covenant laws, not one long story. It moves from marriage to work and loans, then to justice and care for the poor.

The first section regulates divorce and remarriage. The law does not praise divorce. It assumes it can happen and places limits on it. Marriage is not to be treated lightly. A man who remarries after an intervening marriage may not take back his first wife, because that would offend the Lord and bring guilt on the land.

The next law protects a newly married man. He is free from army duty and other public burden for one year so he can stay home and bring joy to his wife. This shows that household peace matters.

Several laws protect the poor from harsh treatment. A creditor may not take a millstone as a pledge, because that would take away a household’s way of making bread. A creditor may not enter a debtor’s house and grab what he wants. If a poor man gives his cloak as security, it must be returned by sunset so he can sleep in it.

Kidnapping and selling a person is a capital crime. The law says this evil must be removed from Israel. The people must also obey the priests in matters of skin disease and remember how the Lord disciplined Miriam.

Wages must be paid the same day. A poor worker depends on that money to live. Justice must also be fair for the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. Their rights must not be twisted. A widow’s garment must not be taken as security.

The final laws command mercy in farming. Israel must leave some grain, olives, and grapes behind for the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow. These leftovers provide food for people in need.

Again and again the Lord says, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt.” Israel was rescued by grace, so Israel must show mercy. God’s people should not use wealth, law, or power to crush the weak.

• The Lord cares about ordinary life, not only worship.
• Marriage must be treated with seriousness and restraint.
• The poor must not be stripped of what they need to live.
• Kidnapping and human trafficking are grave evil.
• Wages should be paid promptly.
• God especially protects the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.
• Israel must remember its redemption from Egypt and let that shape its conduct.

• Do not treat marriage as a light matter.
• Do not take essential tools or necessities as collateral.
• Do not enter a debtor’s house and seize security by force.
• Do not oppress poor workers.
• Pay wages the same day.
• Do not pervert justice for the resident foreigner, orphan, or widow.
• Leave part of the harvest for the needy.
• Remember that the Lord redeemed you from Egypt.

This law shows how a redeemed people should live under God’s covenant. The Lord rescued Israel first, then told them to act with justice and mercy. The passage fits the larger Bible pattern that redemption should lead to holy conduct and care for others.

God’s people should use power with restraint. Employers should pay fairly and on time. Families should honor marriage. Communities should protect people who are poor, alone, or vulnerable. Mercy is not optional. It is part of faithful obedience to God.

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