Responsibility

In the Thursday morning Ladies Class we have been studying through the book of Exodus for several months now. It has been a fantastic study, especially since it came on the heels of a verse by verse study of the story in Genesis. We may not move very fast through the text, but we look at the stories in great detail and it is such an encouraging time with some of the great spiritual leaders of this congregation. 

These ladies have been such an encouragement to me throughout the many years of this class. While some who helped start this class have gone on to their eternal reward, and others are no longer able to join us, we continue to have new people join us and we would love for any of you ladies out there to be a part of it each Thursday at 11:00. There are some weeks that I’m not able to be there but either Mike Brooks will fill in or they will do a service project on those days. 

The last few weeks of that class have been reading through the laws found in Exodus 20-23. It begins with the Ten Commandments and then proceeds to share regulations about all walks of life. It is a section of Scripture I’ve read before but usually don’t give too much attention to since they are old laws that seem to have very little in common with how we live today. But a closer examination of these laws is actually quite interesting. 

Many of the laws found in Exodus 20-23 stand in stark contrast to the ideas and laws of the nations around them -- whether Egypt that they just left or Canaan that they anticipated would soon be their home. God calls them to a higher standard of behavior. He holds them accountable for their actions and they way they treat those around them. One theme that seems to echo throughout the text is the simple, yet often difficult, idea of taking responsibility. Take responsibility for your actions, take responsibility for the things that belong to you (your animals, property), and simply take responsibility in helping and treating others in the way that God has treated you. 

So while the laws themselves may seem out of date for us in 2025 the overarching concept of taking responsibility might be needed more today than ever. We live in a society that loves to play the blame game. In fact, maybe every generation has played that game. Adam and Eve did their share of blaming others in the garden at the very beginning of time. We haven’t gotten much better since then. So from the beginning of time, through the Patriarchal Age, the Mosaic Law, and all the way to the New Testament era God has called us to live to a higher standard. He desires for us to be holy like He is holy. He desires for us to live responsibly and thus stand out from the world around us. 

Ben