“I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.  Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

Exodus 23:20-21 (NRSVUE)

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“You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan.  If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.”
Exodus 22:21-24 (NRSVUE)

• Families negotiated marriage contracts and a bride price, and betrothal was considered a legally bound contract. The bride price varied based on whether the woman was a virgin or had been married before.
• Premarital relations were discouraged because it “usurped the authority of the father to arrange the marriage” and “diminished the potential value of the bride price,” and it also insured that the first born child belonged to the husband. IVP Bible Background Commentary
• Orphans, widows, and aliens were the most vulnerable people in ancient Near Eastern society, and the most easily mistreated, oppressed, or abused. They were powerless to protect themselves. Widows could not inherit their husband’s property and orphans were common due to the frequency of war, famine, and disease. Statutes of pagan nations, such as the Code of Hammurabi, expressed the importance of a ruler to protect the poor, widow, and orphan. “In this way the vulnerable classes are provided for throughout the ancient Near East. Only the “alien” is not specifically mentioned outside the Bible. This is not to say that hospitality codes did not apply elsewhere, but this category is tied in the Bible to the unique exodus experience.” IVP Bible Background Commentary
• Feast of Unleavened Bread:Signals the beginning of the barley harvest (March-April). It may have been similar to a Canaanite agricultural celebration, but for the Israelites was associated with the exodus and the Passover.
• Feast of Harvest: Known as Feast of Weeks, marks the end of the wheat harvest season, and by tradition it is also tied to the giving of the law on Mt Sinai. Offering of bread.
• Feast of Ingathering: Final harvest of the year in the autumn. The 7 day event is known as the Feast of Tabernacles and is symbolized by the construction of booths for the harvesters, and commemorated the wilderness wanderings. It marked the beginning of the new agricultural year.
• You are not alone! You are not expected to carry the weight of your struggles and your trials and your daily life alone. Loving God and others means we don’t do this alone.

Dwell and walk with God and others to stay strengthened.