Reading Exodus was interesting because again, I have never read these texts before (or from what I remember). The idea of the plagues was interesting, and the 10th plague was unexpected where the firstborn dies.
Reading about the Slave Bibles was sad. The manipulation and torture that occurred along with slavery are sad. Slave owners really thought it was okay to selectively edit the Bible in order to instill slavery and avoid rebellion. I feel as this shows that slave owners knew what they were doing was wrong, and had to manipulate in order to make it “okay.” It is disgusting that they kept parts of the Bible that discussed enslavement and listening to masters but cut out the parts that discussed rebellion, uprising, and freedom.
Discussing Biblical Law is something I believe to be important. It is true that you must ensure that the law is truly saying that before perceiving it to be true and demanding others to follow it. I also think its important that laws must change over time and must be adapted or rejected. This reminds me of the Constitution and how some laws must be adapted because it was written by white males who thought slaves are only 3/5 of a person.
This brings me to the next reading of the audience of the ten commandments. It is an important distinction that the audience was aimed at privileged males (mostly white). Knowing the intended audience can help when perceiving the readings.