We continue this evening to work our way through the book of the covenant. Remember, this book contains worked examples of how to apply God's morality in less-than-ideal situations. The passage we're looking at this morning is the core of the book of the covenant, and it begins and ends with the requirements of justice toward sojourners. In fact, this is one of the most important commands in the Pentateuch. According to one Jewish scholar, the command appears 36 times; according to a Christian commentator, it appears 20 times. I'm not sure how these two men arrived at their differing counts, but the fact remains that the demand that we love the stranger and treat him in accordance with justice is central to God's account of what is demanded of His people. Also in this section comes a reminder of piety toward God. I would just add that though this is law, it's not legalism. God is not saying through Moses, "Do all these things and I'll think about accepting you." God is saying "Because I've saved you and made you my people, here is how I want you to behave." These rules describe the way of life of the people of God — a way of life which, as I commented before, revolves around the twin poles of justice and piety.