Sabbath School Lesson for August 23-29, 2025
Introduction of Lesson 9, Living the Law
Memory Text: “The the Lord said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: “You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make anything to be with Me–gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves” ‘ “Exodus 20:22-23 NKJV
The Ten Commandment Law Moses was given on Mt. Sinai contained the moral law Israel and all countries could embrace. These ten principles of behavior could apply to individuals of any time and culture. They were written on tablets of stone to indicate their permanent nature.
But God knew that Israel, so long under slavery, would need additional guidelines, more detailed instructions, so their appointed judges and administrators of the law could rightly execute God’s requirements. Therefore, Moses was given several covenant codes that aided them in becoming the perfect nation of priests they had agreed to be.
These additional regulations in chapters 21 to 23 of Exodus helped them identify offenses and determine what kind of punishment should be implemented to guide them to a better way of life going forward. These temporary codes of conduct were meant to promote respect for God and for each other in a way that made cultural sense to the people in that harsh time in history, causing them to more fully understand in a practical way the solemn covenant they had made with their Maker.
- Sunday: The Code of the Covenant
- Monday: More Laws
- Tuesday: God’s Original Plan
- Wednesday: An Eye for an Eye
- Thursday: Vengeance
Sunday: The Code of the Covenant
Additional laws were delivered privately to Moses and written on a scroll, rather than on stone tablets. They were called the “Book of the Covenant” or the “Code of the Covenant”. These additional judgments, as they were called, helped the Israelites apply the principles of the Ten Commandments.
Since slavery, and other forms of servitude, was so embedded in their culture, God specified regulations that would guide them to more humane treatment of individuals within that often-oppressive system. The release of servants after six years, in addition to giving them rest on the Sabbath and providing for their basic needs, were included in the so-called slavery laws that God encouraged them to adopt.
There were also laws concerning violent behavior, with ways to determine the intent to do harm and recommendations that restitution and/or punishment be appropriate to the crime.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 21:1-32
- Why does God give laws regulating practices that He does not approve of, such as slavery and divorce?
- In what ways was the intent of these judgments to move them in the right direction, making them temporary in nature?
- What laws do modern countries still enforce, such as ones about employer/employee relationships and against assault and other kinds of violence?
Monday: More Laws
By giving them these additional laws, the people knew that fairness and equal treatment under the law would prevail. It must have been a comfort to know that the rules and punishments of their newly appointed leaders would be the same for everyone in the vast throng journeying toward Canaan.
Chapter 22 and 23 contain specific commands pertaining to social justice. Lying, cheating, taking bribes, and any kind of societal oppression would not be tolerated. These and other guidelines enabled them to effectively enforce the Decalogue requirements in their particular circumstances.
In addition, worship specifications, such as Sabbath and other religious ceremonies, were written down by Moses, as God instructed him. Although Sabbath observance, mentioned in the Ten Commandments and instituted at Creation, was for all time, other annual feasts related to the harvest were more tied to their agrarian society. These annual gatherings were designed to symbolically point forward to the work and ministry of their future, promised Messiah.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 22:16-23:9
- What were the three annual festivals, and how would they help the Israelites stay close to God?
- Why were they specifically told not to oppress the poor, foreigners, or even their enemies? In what ways was this oppression commonly carried out?
- Is social justice still a cause that God’s people should be involved in, and how might it be done most effectively?
Tuesday: God’s Original Plan
It’s understandable to wonder why God allowed the Israelites to be in Egypt 400 long years, much of that time in slavery, working under harsh taskmasters. Many think this time was permitted, in order to give the pagan tribes in Canaan time to repent, which does sound like something a gracious God would do. In addition, His original plan was to continue intervening miraculously for the Hebrews like He did by drowning Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea.
The end of Exodus 23 contains promises for what God would do for His people if they listened and obeyed His voice. It would make them a strong nation, which would be noticed by the heathen tribes in Canaan. So much would the Israelites prosper that their enemies would be afraid and not attack them. They would be driven away, so God’s people could occupy the land.
The fearful pagans’ every encounter with the Israelites would result in miraculous victories in favor of God’s people, for which God would be joyously praised, like He was after the Red Sea crossing. Unfortunately, the Israelites did not always cooperate with God’s plans, limiting their success in being able to settle comfortably in the Promised Land.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 23:20-33
- How would God help the Israelites conquer their enemies and eventually settle in Canaan?
Wednesday: An Eye for an Eye
It’s true that the laws against violence in Exodus 21 included the concept of “an eye for an eye”. However, the original intent was often lost sight of over the years. These laws of retaliation were meant to prevent one from bypassing the legal system and taking matters into their own hands. Instead, the injury was to be evaluated by a duly-appointed judge and resolved in a fair way that did not cause escalation of hateful feelings and actions.
Jesus tried to correct the false interpretations that later crept into their understanding of these laws by reminding them that retaliation and hate for their enemies was not to be encouraged. True justice does not promote vengeance; but rather, it promotes love and peace between the parties.
Jesus told them to love their enemies, not hate them. See Matthew 5:38-39. Justice does seem to imply a kind of vengeance, but we must constantly remind ourselves that love for our enemies must be our goal.
Verses and questions:
Matthew 5:38-48
- How did Jesus try to correct our understanding of the phrase, “an eye for an eye”?
- How can we show love for our enemies who harm us, or even another person?
- How does God show us His love?
- Is it possible for true justice to be done here on earth? When and how?
Thursday: Vengeance
Men and women have a difficult time showing God’s love, especially to their enemies. But even harder is it to be fair in carrying out His justice. We can’t read another’s heart like He does, so we are often told in the Scriptures not to judge one another (Matthew 7:1). God is the Judge, the only One capable of deciding our final rewards and punishments. His judgments are always righteous, merciful, and perfect.
There are times, however, when cases must be decided here on earth, and only other human beings can do it. But no one individual should have the role of judge, jury, and executioner. In addition, we must be aware of our tendency to act in vengeful ways that only make matters worse.
Remembering that “vengeance is Mine”, as God points out several times in the Old and New Testaments, is the only safe way for us to reflect His loving, just character to a fallen world. It’s possible to have justice without being vengeful, but only God can soften and move our hearts in that direction. We must give our vengeance to Him.
Verses and questions:
Matthew 16:27, 2 Timothy 4:8, Isaiah 40:10, and Revelation 22:12
- What kind of rewards does Christ bring with Him, and on what basis does He judge us?
Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30, Deuteronomy 32:35, and Leviticus 19:18
- What does it mean: “vengeance is Mine”? Does it mean God is vengeful?
- Why have some been led to believe that God is a god of vengeance?
Friday: Final Thoughts
The additional covenant codes Moses presented to the Israelites sound harsh and arbitrary to our modern ears. However, to the Israelites living back then, they would have sounded more humane and reasonable than the unspeakable treatment and punishments to which they were accustomed.
We can still see the principles in the regulations presented to Moses in many of our laws and legal codes today. The main thing for us to hold fast as Christians is the importance of keeping our eyes on God’s character attributes and asking Him to help us reflect those basic values to others around us.
This striving to be like Him is what keeps us in a covenant relationship with God. We need Him to help us display His character to others, and He needs us to help teach others how to be saved from the awful effects of sin.
We can learn from Moses’ story that it’s important to know the law, but even more important to live under its principles. As we have seen all through Israel’s history, without living God’s way, the outcome is only more suffering and death.
To read more about Israel’s history as a theocracy, see this article:
https://www.outlookmag.org/what-is-a-theocracy/
Next Week: The Covenant and the Blueprint
To read the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly and see more resources for its study, go to
