Prepare your heart for our Sunday Morning Gathering by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together.
You will find tangible suggestions for putting scripture to action in your personal life and in our corporate body, links to the songs we will sing, and lyrics for you to prepare for our corporate singing.
Critically Think
- Consider the context of Exodus 21. What just happened in chapter 20? Compare and contrast Exodus 20:1 with Exodus 21:1.
- What is the relationship between the “10 words” (the 10 commandments from chapter 20) and this list of ordinances that begins in chapter 21?
- Compare the first set of ordinances in chapter 21:1-11 with Exodus 20:2. How are they related?
- How many distinct laws are there in verses 12-17? What do all the laws from verse 12-17 have in common? Note the repeated phrase.
- Which commandment from Exodus 20 is associated with the law in verse 12? List the reference. What is the relationships between the two?
- What is the difference between the command in verse 12 and the command in verse 13?
- Read Numbers 35:6-15 and Deuteronomy 19:1-13. How do these inform the meaning of Exodus 21:13?
- Read Exodus 21:16. How do Deuteronomy 24:7, 1 Timothy 1:10, and Genesis 37:28 add clarity to the meaning of Exodus 21:16?
- Which commandment from Exodus 20 is related to Exodus 21:17. List the reference.
- What do verses 18-27 have in common in Exodus 21?
- What do verses 28 through 36 have in common? Explain.
- Considering all these laws in Exodus 21, how does the intent of the one who is responsible for damage impact the justice of the crime? Explain especially in light of verse 29.
Prayerfully Meditate
- Read again through Exodus 21 and divide it into major sections. Where did you place your divides? Justify your divisions from the text.
- How was Israel treated as slaves? See Exodus 1:8-16,22; 2:11,23. List out the descriptions.
- How does God’s Redeeming work to free Israel from slavery serve as a backdrop to the first set of commands about slavery?
- Construct a description of the kind of slavery described in Exodus 21:1-11, 16,20-21. Consider also Deuteronomy 15:12-15 in your description.
- Contrast this with Israel’s slavery in Egypt. How are they different? (Be careful of reading ideas into the text. Only write down descriptions based on what is explicitly in the passage).
- How does Exodus 21:22 speak to the value of human? How do verses 26-27 speak to the value of every human life?
- How does Exodus 21:32 add understanding to Matthew 26:15?
Intentionally Act
- How does this passage compel you to value the image of God on display in every human being? List several examples of how you can apply this principle.
- How have you wrestled with the justice of God. How can you pray and live trusting in the justice of God on display in his law this week?
- This passage displays how seriously God takes sin, even unintentional sin. How does this compel you to fight your own sin this week through the gospel?
- Click the links below to find the lyrics and recordings of the songs planned for our gathering this Sunday; learn the songs, study the lyrics and sing them with others.
- Pray for those leading our corporate gathering this week and for the Holy Spirit’s work as the Word of God is further explained and applied: Colten Honigman: music; Brett Harris: elder prayer & scripture reading; Bret Capranica: teaching.
Songs for Sunday
Morning Gathering
- How Great (sheetmusic)
- Is He Worthy? (sheetmusic)
- Rock of Ages Cleft For Me (sheetmusic)
- Yet Not I, But Through Christ (sheetmusic)
- Grace Greater Than Our Sin (sheetmusic)
Evening Gathering
Lyrics
Lyrics Morning Gathering - Septebmer 14, 2025 by Summit Woods Baptist Church