Exodus 21

"These are the ordinances that you must set before them:"

Exodus 21:1

This is quite honestly the part of the bible that sickens me.  Some of the laws are so foreign to me that I have trouble grasping God's reasoning.  I understand that the culture was tremendously different then, and I can easily see how these laws are wise for that culture, but I would expect more of God.

Why does God give laws about how to treat slaves instead of saying, "Thou shalt not own slaves" or something similar?  Why does God tell His people not to mistreat  their first wife when they marry another woman, when He should tell them to cherish only one woman?  Why does God allow women to be bought and sold as wives instead of giving them the right to choose their own husbands?

The problem I have with these things is that it gives the impression that my moral values are clashing with God's.  I've always believed that a man should never own another man.  However, God's laws lead me to believe that it's okay with God, as long as you don't mistreat the slave.  I can only understand this if I change the word slave to servant, and think about the housing, food, and clothing as a form of payment for their work.

I've always thought that marrying more than one woman is inherently wrong, but God's laws seem to indicate that it's okay as long as you treat each wife with the love and respect she deserves.  This just completely blows my mind!  One of the most important ways that I show love and respect for my wife is by NOT being with any other women!  How can God encourage this sort of behavior?

Perhaps God had a plan for ending these things, and only gave these laws for the time before He ended them.  What if He hated these things all along, but only tolerated them for a time because He knew they would end eventually?  I find this hard to believe, though, because God shows (particularly in the Old Testament) when He's displeased with His people.

Maybe our culture is wrong for disallowing polygamy and slavery.  Maybe not.  Maybe the "slaves" mentioned were really just "workers."  Maybe the women of that time didn't mind sharing their men with other wives, and didn't feel unloved or disrespected by polygamy.  Maybe a daughter's deepest aspiration was to be sold to an unknown man for him to do with as he pleased...

Maybe I will never understand...  

Question: Do you understand?  If so, please help me out...