Covenant Laws IV: Corruption, Poverty, Three Festivals, God’s Promises: The book of the covenant concludes with laws that establish judicial integrity (vv. 1–9); Sabbath laws that protect the poor and beasts of burden (vv. 10–13); and the institution of three yearly festivals (vv. 14–19). Then the text returns to the narrative of God’s promises to Moses (vv. 20–33). The alternating pattern of social justice legislation with laws about the people’s relation to God continues.

23:14–19 These verses introduce three festivals commonly known in the OT in legal form (also noted in 34:18–23; Lev. 23:1–44; Deut. 16:1–17). They were harvest pilgrimage festivals, specifying that every man was to appear “before the Sovereign LORD.” The burden for women traveling with children may have been too great (s…