October 6, 2025 Morning Devotional
Morning Devotion: Read Exodus - Laws of the Social and Spiritual
Exodus 22:25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. 26 If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: 27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. 28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people. 29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. 30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. 31 And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.
The LORD continues to give His people both social and sacrificial laws by which to live. Remember, they had no laws other than what were imposed upon them in Egypt. Now they were free and learning to live in a new way, God’s way. God was giving these laws from the mount Sinai with great quaking and thunders.
Verses twenty five through twenty seven deal with interest on loans. When the Israelites lent money to one another, not the stranger, only to one another, they were to forgo the interest. Especially if it was someone of poorer status.
It appears that some of the lenders would go so far as to take the very coats of those who borrowed making it a personal and immanent payback. Without your coat you lacked the covering needed to protect yourself. This was an egregious loan with importunity and harshness.
Deuteronomy 24:12 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
Proverbs 21:13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
When that poor person would cry to God because of the harshness, God would certainly hear from heaven. You do not want God act on the behalf of the poor against you because you withheld or took usery/interest from the poor when he could not afford it.
Secondly, we see the LORD speaking about the first fruits of prosperity and giving them to the LORD.
Exodus 22:29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. 30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.
There is a wonderful principle of giving of the firstfruits of that which you have to the LORD for it was the LORD that gave of His firstfruits to you. His first fruit was Jesus.
1Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God’s only begotten Son is God’s firstfruit. He gave of His best for you that you might become the firstfruits of His salvation.
James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
If you are born-again, you are one of the Lord’s first fruits.
The choice is still yours,
Pastor Cook
