(Exodus 21:15-36) “He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16 “He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.
17 “He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 “If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but remains in bed, 19 if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his loss of time, and shall take care of him until he is completely healed.
20 “If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished. 21 If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property.
22 “If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. 23 But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye. 27 And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.
28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. 29 If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him. 31 Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule. 32 If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 “If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.
35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox. 36 Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.
(Exodus 22:1-15) “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.
2 “If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. 3 But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
5 “If a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, so that stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, he who started the fire shall surely make restitution.
7 “If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double. 8 If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. 9 For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.
10 “If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away while no one is looking, 11 an oath before the Lord shall be made by the two of them that he has not laid hands on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution. 12 But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13 If it is all torn to pieces, let him bring it as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.
14 “If a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution. 15 If its owner is with it, he shall not make restitution; if it is hired, it came for its hire.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
The laws that the Lord gave the Israelites were meant to help them figure out how to judge fairly when various wrongs had been committed. These show how practical God is, and gives us insight into how we should behave.
Human nature tends to look at the law in hopes of finding loopholes, or ways to push the limits, or figure out ways to commit crimes that will escape notice, or figure out ways that will frame someone else...
Let's take owning a slave for example. The law stated that a person should never be kidnapped and sold into slavery. That is wrong. But human nature might consider ways to paint a person guilty and deserving of this punishment. And from yesterday's post, the scriptures dictated that after six years, the slave should be set free. Again, human nature might look for ways to accuse their slaves of more wrong doing in order to justify keeping them longer.
Regarding injuries to slaves, if an owner caused a slave to lose an eye or a tooth, the slave was to be set free. Human nature might consider these laws as showing them the extent to which they were allowed to beat a slave. But a smart owner would treat their slaves humanely in order to foster better work from them. And then after the six years, their slaves may see the value in continuing on in the service of that owner. Talk about a great rehabilitation program!!!
Years ago, we lived beside a badly-neglected household of six children. One day, after warning the oldest boy, a twelve-year-old. about his reckless behavior and what could happen - it happened! He broke one of our windows. My husband told him that he would have to pay for that. It only cost us 15 dollars to repair it, but these kids needed some guidance and accountability for their actions. So my husband approached the boy, saying, "I realize that you are probably unable to pay this amount. I'm shingling the roof of our garage right now, so you can help me for a few hours in order to pay off this amount?"
The boy solemnly agreed to this arrangement, and my husband guided him through the process in order to teach him, as well as to keep him safe. And I made sure that they had some nourishment and enough water as they were working in the hot sun. After about two hours, my husband told him that he had worked long enough to pay off his debt, so he was free to go. Amazingly enough, the boy asked if he couldn't just stick around until the job was done.
Instead of studying rules and laws in order to figure out ways to break them or manipulate them to one's advantage, and then get angry that there will be punishment, why not just - NOT break the rules and not live in fear of punishment? Rules and laws are not there to limit us. Rules and laws teach us how we can and should respect each other. Rules and laws are there to protect us, and allow us to live in freedom, peace and safety.
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