QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

• All nations are called to uphold justice by the principle of life for life, eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. Old Covenant Israel was no different in this regard. Discuss from Exodus 21:12–22:20.
• Some extreme forms of immorality were punishable by death in Old Covenant Israel. Why was this true for them, whereas it ought not to be so in common nations?
• Why was imprisonment not mentioned as a punishment for crimes in Israel’s civil laws? Contrast this with our criminal justice system. 
• Discuss the justice of Israel’s civil laws and contrast them with the injustice that you see in our own society.
• What did Christ mean when he said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…”  (Matthew 5:38–42, ESV)

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

• In what ways were the civil laws of Old Covenant Israel unique to them (and are not for us)?
• The civil laws of Israel are similar to our civil laws in this: they served to restrain evil and promote justice. Like ours, they did not aim to eradicate sin. God tolerated much (divorce, polygamy, etc.). Not every sin (violation of God’s moral law) was a crime. Why is this important to understand?
• How was the slavery regulated in Exodus 21 different from the slavery that existed in this country not long ago? 
• Laws concerning the just treatment of the weak and vulnerable in society are presented first and last in this collection of case laws. What message does that send?
• Discuss potential applications of this text politically, ecclesiastically, and personally.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

• How does recognizing the literary structure of a text help us correctly interpret it? 
• Where is the emphasis placed in the case laws section of Exodus 21:1-22:27? Where is the emphasis placed in the imperatival laws section of Exodus 22:8-23:19?
• Though we are not under the civil laws of the Old Testament in the way that Israel was, what can we learn from them? How might we apply them personally? How might we apply them politically?

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

• Why did Israel fear God at Sinai? See Hebrews 12:20.
• Why did Israel request that Moses mediate? How does this prefigure Christ? 
• Why did God give Israel preliminary instructions for worship when instructions for the construction of the tabernacle were forthcoming?
• What did animal sacrifices communicate to the worshipper concerning sin, its consequences, and the coming Savior?
• Moses and the Old Covenant of which he was mediator could not cleanse the worshipper really and truly. Only faith in Christ the mediator of the New Covenant could do that. See especially Hebrews 9 and 10. Discuss.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

• How does the eighth commandment relate to the fifth which establishes that honor is to be shown to all human beings?
• What does it mean to steal?
• The eighth commandment establishes that personal property is to be respected. Discuss.  
• What are the most obvious examples of violations of the eighth commandment?
• What are some less obvious examples of violations of the eighth commandment?
• What are some ways that the eighth commandment can be applied to our political circumstances today?
• What are some ways that the eighth commandment can be applied to you (or other individuals) today?

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

• How are the first and second tables of the law related to one another? How are commandments two through four related to the first? How are commandments six through ten related to the fifth?
• The sixth commandment teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to the end. The seventh commandment teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to the beginning. How so?
• Why did God forbid all forms of sexual immorality by forbidding adultery in particular? How does the command, “you shall not commit adultery” draw our attention to the ideal?
• How are married people to keep the seventh commandment positively and negatively?
• How are single people to keep the seventh commandment positively and negatively?
• How is the seventh commandment to be kept in the heart and with our speech?

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

• Who has access to God’s moral law? Where is it found?
• Why does our catechism say that the moral law is “summarily comprehended” in the Ten Commandments? In other words, why do we not say that the moral law = the Ten Commandments? Why is it important for us to refer to the Ten Commandments as a summary of God’s moral law?
• How can we go about teasing out the implications of the brief and general moral principles stated in the Ten Commandments? Can those who do not have access to the scriptures do this? Why do we say that those who have the scriptures (and faith) are in a better position to speak to issues of morality?
• What does the sixth commandment forbid? You may use our catechism, but be specific with application beyond the sin of murder itself. 
• What does the sixth commandment require? Again, be specific with the application. 
• If you have time, search online for the Westminster Larger Catechism, read questions 134-136, and discuss. (Note: “physic” in answer 135 means medicine)

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AT HOME OR IN GOSPEL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Sermon manuscript available at emmausrbc.org

• How would you go about convincing someone who thinks they are morally upright before God that they are not, and that they need a Savior?
•  We cannot truly keep the second table of God’s law without keeping the first table of God’s law. Discuss.
• What does the fifth commandment require and forbid?
• Why is the fifth commandment the first commandment of the second table of the law?
• If the fifth commandment requires us to show honor to all people in their various positions, then why did God specifically say, “honor your father and mother.” Why so specific?