Where were public and private details written on an Old Testament mortgage scroll?
In the Old Testament Jewish mortgage practice, the details pertinent to public scrutiny were written on the outside of the scroll, while details that were not public were written on the inside. The scroll was written within and without, with the public record on the exterior and private matters concealed inside.
Les explains that this scroll is what a mortgage was in the Old Testament. A Jew could mortgage his land just like people mortgage property today. Whatever was for public scrutiny had to be recorded in the courthouse for the protection of others who might buy the property without knowing it was mortgaged. In Israel, the same practice applied: if they mortgaged their land, the details pertinent to the public were written on the outside, and details that were not public were written on the inside. So the scroll is a mortgage, and even though God is holding it, it is Satan's mortgage.