Exodus 21:12-25 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Exodus 21:12-25. Let’s go!
Exodus 21:12-14 (NIV)
12 “Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death.
13 However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate.
14 But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death.
On verses 12-14: Here God continues to give to the Israelites through Moses laws that would help them begin to run as a free nation. Verses 12-14 talk about what happens when a person kills another. If the killing was intentional and deliberate, the law demanded that the killer be put to death. If the killing was not intentional, God would designate places (which later would be called cities of refuge) where the killer could flee to safety until the killer was given a fair trial.
Exodus 21:15-17 (NIV)
15 “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother must be put to death.
16 “Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death.
17 “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.
On verses 15-17: Notice that God places cursing one’s parents on the same level as murder, at least as it relates to the required punishment! It goes to show how seriously God looks at how children treat their parents.
How well do you honour your parents? Even if we disagree with them or have been hurt by them, we must do our best to honour our parents because of the irreplaceable role they have in our lives (see also Exodus 20:12).
Honouring our parents does not mean we agree with everything they do. It also does not mean that as an adult living on your own you must obey their every command. But it does mean that we must treat our parents with love and respect, thank them often for the good that they do and forgive them when they do wrong, doing our best to reflect Jesus to them.
May you be one who honours your parents well. We will be blessed if we do so (see Ephesians 6:2-3).
Exodus 21:18-25 (NIV)
18 “If men quarrel and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but is confined to bed,
19 the one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around outside with his staff; however, he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is completely healed.
20 “If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished,
21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.
22 “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows.
23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take 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.
On verses 18-25: These verses deal with situations where a person is injured or even killed, and what the appropriate punishment would be for the person who caused that injury or death, as well as what kind of compensation that person would need to offer the injured party. The goal of these laws was to provide a fair way of punishing the injurer and compensating the injured. The general principle, in the case of a serious injury, is expressed in verses 23-25: “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise”. How do we reconcile this with what Jesus says in Matthew 5:38-42? I look forward to discussing this more with you at THRIVE Church online tomorrow.
In the meantime, what can we learn from this? When we have legitimately hurt someone, whether intentionally or not, the Christ-like thing to do is to see what we can do to make amends and to make that person whole again as much as possible. The fact that God is forgiving and merciful does not relieve us from taking responsibility for our actions and righting wrongs that we have committed against others. May the love of God for us compel us to do the right thing whenever we hurt others or are hurt ourselves.
Heavenly Father, just as You are just and fair in Your ways, I pray I would be just and fair in the way I deal with situations where I have hurt others or where others have hurt me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
