1st Reading, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Exodus 22:20-26

Social Laws

[20] "Whoever sacrifices to any god, save to the Lord only shall he utterly destroyed. [21] "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. [22] You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. [23] If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

[25] "If you lend money to any of my people with you who are poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him. [26] If ever you take your neighbor's garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down."
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Commentary:

22:18-31. This passage contains a number of laws on social matters, in no particular order; some are apodictic, some religious, others are work-associated--but all deal with serious offenses.

Sorcery, which only women used to engage in (v. 18) was punished by death cf. Lev 20:6, 27; Deut 18:10-14), being a form of idolatry (cf. "Catechism of the Catholic Church", 2117). It was also forbidden by Assyrian laws and by the Code of Hammurabi.

Bestiality (v. 19) was a perversion more often found in pastoral and nomadic life (cf. Lev 18:23-25); it too was punishable by death.

Sacrificing to false gods was a temptation ever present to Israelites because they were surrounded by wealthy and powerful, but polytheistic, nations such as Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria and, especially, Canaan; "...shall be utterly destroyed" (v. 20) or "shall be put under the ban" or "shall be anathema".

Strangers who (due to war, disease or famine) found themselves forced to leave their country, widows without a family to support them, and orphans were typical marginalized or poor people in that tribal society. In its laws (e.g. Deut 10:17-18; 24:17) and in its prophetic message (e.g. Is 1:17; Jer 7:6), the Bible constantly speaks out on behalf of people most in need (cf. Jas 1:27). The oppression of the weak and of those on the margin of society is one of the sins that cry out to heaven (cf. "Catechism of the Catholic Church", 1867).

Blasphemy against God (v. 28) was punishable by death (cf. Lev 24:15); blasphemy against the person on supreme authority in the nation was no less serious, because he was God's representative. In the time of St Paul this text was applied to offenses against the high priest (cf. Acts 23:5).

On the law covering the first-born, cf. the note on 13:12. First-born sons had to be redeemed by means of an offering. Therefore the very bald rule given in v. 29 needs to be interpreted in the light of others which describe how first-born sons were to be consecrated--for the sacrifice of human beings was never countenanced in Israel.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.