Written by: James Archer
Exodus 21 v 1-6
Then
God said to Moses, "These are the laws for living that you will
give to the Israelites: "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you
for six years. In the seventh year you are to set him free, and he will have
to pay nothing. If he is not married when he becomes your slave, he must leave
without a wife. But if he is married when he becomes your slave, he may take
his wife with him. If the slave's master gives him a wife, and she gives birth
to sons or daughters, the woman and her children will belong to the master.
When the slave is set free, only he may leave. "But if the slave says,
'I love my master, my wife and my children, and I don't want to go free,' then
the slave's master must take him to God. The master is to take him to a door
or doorframe and punch a hole through the slave's ear using a sharp tool. Then
the slave will serve that master all his life.
Notes
Imagine! You have just become Prime Minister or President on a sweeping manifesto
for change. Your manifesto is strong on principles but lacks detail, and you
now have to set out the laws you want to pass to put your vote winning proposals
it into practice. Where would you start?
This is God's answer to that question. In Exodus 20, he has laid out the Ten Commandments, to provide a framework for us to live by. Now he fleshes out the details.
Top of God's list is an Employment Rights Act to protect the vulnerable from exploitation. Even slaves are to have legal rights and to know where they stand. They are free to move on at the end of their contracts, giving them hope for the future, and they have the right to a family life without interference from their employer. They even have the right to give up their rights!
Have you sold yourself into drudgery to pay off your debts? Are you struggling with your work/life balance? Is your life in a rut? Or are you in a position of power over people who look to you to act reasonably? If so, this passage is also for you. Has God's love touched you so much that you have made the decision to serve Him all of your life?
Consider what God is saying to you from this passage and let his heart seep into your heart and soul.
Prayer
Lord God,
I thank you for the framework you give me for a life which is pleasing to you
and good and for others.
Help me to get my priorities right,
and to live in a way which is a credit to you. Amen.
Exodus 21 v 7-11
If a man sells his daughter as a slave, the rules for setting her free are
different from the rules for setting the male slaves free.
If the master wanted to marry her but then decided he was not pleased with
her, he must let one of her close relatives buy her back. He has no right to
sell her to foreigners, because he has treated her unfairly.
If the man who bought her promises to let the woman marry his son, he must
treat her as a daughter.
If the man who bought her marries another woman, he must not keep his first
wife from having food or clothing or sexual relations.
If he does not give her these three things, she may go free, and she owes him
no money.
Notes
Following on from the Employment Rights Act, we have
now reached step two of God's legislative programme - a Women's
Rights Act, which continues the theme of protecting the weak from exploitation.
This passage is difficult for those of us living in modern liberal societies to understand, because the cultural context is so different from our own. But in many parts of the world its meaning would be uncomfortably clear. In its time, this passage was revolutionary - a woman having rights! How controversial in a society where women were often traded like possessions. What principles can we draw from it?
First, it recognises that men and women are different, and that identical treatment may not be appropriate. Allowing a maidservant to go free would be an abdication of the responsibility to protect her - like leaving hens at the mercy of the fox by refusing to lock them up at night, in the interests of their freedom.
Second, the master's rights are conditional on his good behaviour, whereas the servant's rights are absolute. If he exploits her, he not only forfeits his rights but is obliged to provide her with the security she needs.
If all this seems remote, try applying these principles to relationships where you hold the reins. If you are a parent how do you treat your children? If you are an elder brother or sister what is your attitude to your siblings? How to you feel and behave towards your ageing parents? As school prefect, a sports coach or a supervisor at work, how do you measure up?
Prayer
O God of justice and love,
protector of the weak and judge of the oppressor,
teach me to act justly,
to love mercy and to walk humbly before you. Amen.
Exodus 21 v 12-17
"Anyone
who hits a person and kills him must be put to death.
But if a person kills someone accidentally, God allowed that to happen, so
the person must go to a place I will choose.
But if someone plans and murders another person on purpose, put him to death,
even if he has run to my altar for safety.
"Anyone who hits his father or his mother must be put to death.
"Anyone who kidnaps someone and either sells him as a slave or still has
him when he is caught must be put to death.
"Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.”
Notes
Step three
of God's legislative programme for his new government is
a Serious Crimes Act, covering murder, treason and kidnap.
Treason? In the culture of the time, attacking or cursing parents would have been seen as seeking to overpower or undermine the authority structure of the society. It was as fundamental as intimidation of voters, the government or the judiciary would be today. Kidnap and holding to ransom are mentioned in the same breath.
This passage distinguishes between murder and manslaughter (depending on intention) and introduces the concept of sanctuary. The unintentional killer loses his place in society rather than his life, but is entitled to protection if he complies with the conditions of banishment by remaining in the city of refuge, where he is free to rebuild his life afresh in a community of refugees.
Wonderful stuff for sociologists and criminals, but it takes Jesus to make it relevant to the rest of us. "You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, 'You must not murder anyone. Anyone who murders another will be judged.' But I tell you, if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be judged. (Matthew 5:21-22).
Jesus takes the principles of the law of murder and applies them to our hearts, exposing our complacency. As we now know, the true place of sanctuary is at the foot of the cross, where there is forgiveness of sins for all who are sincerely sorry.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
I come to the foot of the cross to seek your forgiveness of my sins and restoration
of fullness of life.
Show me any anger, resentment or malice in my heart for which I am not truly
sorry,
and give me the courage to lay it before you. Amen.
Exodus 21 v 18-21
"If
two men argue, and one hits the other with a rock or with his fist, the one
who is hurt but not killed might have to stay in bed.
Later if he is able to get up and walk around outside with his walking stick,
the one who hit him is not to be punished. But he must pay the injured man
for the loss of his time, and he must support the injured man until he is completely
healed.
"If a man beats his male or female slave with a stick, and the slave dies
on the spot, the owner must be punished.
But if the slave gets well after a day or two, the owner will not be punished
since the slave belongs to him.
Notes
Step four of God's legislative programme for his new government is some
Sentencing Guidelines for lesser crimes –in the words of the song, to
let the punishment fit the crime.
Having considered intention in determining punishment for serious crimes such as killing, we move on to lesser crimes where the determining factor is the consequences - the perpetrator is required to compensate the victim for the time when he cannot work and to see that he is completely healed. If there is no damage, there is no punishment. But we cannot know the result of our actions in advance.
In recent years, there has been a movement away from seeking to punish the offender, but rather to bring them to understand and to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions - Restorative Justice. The offender is required to meet the victim and apologise to them, repair any damage and compensate for loss as appropriate. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa under Desmond Tutu worked along such lines. God had the idea first!
We actually think like this when bringing up children. Punishment is a last resort reserved for wilful refusal to mend ways, but the real aim is to grow good and understanding behaviour. This is how God wants to deal with His children.
Think about areas of your life where you think you know better than God. Then think again - you do not know in advance the result of your actions, but you have been warned.
Prayer
Lord God,
I thank you that you discipline us like a loving Father,
guiding us into the ways of righteousness.
Give me open ears and obedient hearts that I may welcome and respond to your
amazing love and grace. Amen.
Exodus 21 v 22-27
"Suppose
two men are fighting and hit a pregnant woman, causing the baby to come out.
If there is no further injury, the man who caused the accident
must pay money -- whatever amount the woman's husband says and the court allows.
But if there is further injury, then the punishment that must be paid is life
for life,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
"If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye, and the eye is blinded,
the man is to free the slave to pay for the eye.
If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free
the slave to pay for the tooth.
Notes
Following on from Sentencing Guidelines in God's
legislative programme for his new government are some Compensation Guidelines.
The courts today,
which are so willing to award damages for hurt feelings, should take note.
The aim of the guidelines is to limit compensation and vengeance to what is appropriate in the circumstances and to prevent conflicts from escalating. But the way they were interpreted, to require tit for tat reprisals, shows the limits of what legislation can achieve.
When Jesus quoted from this passage, he used it to illustrate that love is more powerful than rules. "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, don't stand up against an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also. (Matthew 5:38-39).
The apostle Paul took the argument a stage further, telling the nitpickers that they would be judged by their own rules. By contrast , “the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Choose one aspect of this fruit, and try to write an enforceable house rule to prevent it - like "Don't get mad, get even."Then change it to be part of the law of love - like "Don't get even, chuckle instead."
Prayer
Lord God,
I am often ready to find fault with others for things I tolerate in myself.
I am willing to look for justice when sometimes the spirit of forgiveness would
be better.
Take from me the spirit of rights and wrongs, and fill me instead with the
Spirit of love. Amen.
Exodus 21 v 28-32
"If
a man's bull kills a man or woman, you must kill that bull by throwing stones
at it, and you should not eat the bull. But the owner of the bull is
not guilty.
However, suppose the bull has hurt people in the past and the owner, though
warned, did not keep it in a pen. Then if it kills a man or woman, the bull
must be stoned to death, and the owner must also be put to death.
But if the family of the dead person accepts money, the one who owned the bull
may buy back his life, but he must pay whatever is demanded.
Use this same law if the bull kills a person's son or daughter.
If the bull kills a male or female slave, the owner must pay the master the
price for a new slave, or twelve ounces of silver, and the bull must also be
stoned to death.
Notes
For many of us coping with a dangerous bull is not
part of our everyday life and experience, but each day millions of people take
to the roads in something
far more lethal. Thousands of people are killed and injured each year because
we do not apply God's principles with a Dangerous Drivers Act.
Imagine the scenario. Anyone who causes a fatal accident would have their car crushed as a punishment. But if they have a history of dangerous or reckless driving, and have therefore ignored warnings to behave, then they would be treated as fully responsible - as if they had deliberately set out to kill someone. Let the driver beware!
For many of us, our true character seems to come out when we get behind a wheel. Apparently mild men turn into raving bigots or imitate Jehu, the king of Israel who could be identified from miles away because "He drives as if he were crazy!" (2 Kings 9:20). What does your driving (or your back-seat driving) say about you?
Prayer
Divine driving instructor,
teach me to follow your Highway Code and to drive in a way which shows others
what you are like even when I am feeling impatient and I have lost my road
map. Amen.
Exodus 21 v 33-36
"If
a man takes the cover off a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and
another man's ox or donkey comes and falls into it, the owner of the
pit must pay the owner of the animal for the loss. The dead animal will belong
to the one who pays.
"If a man's bull kills another man's bull, they must sell the bull that
is alive. Both men will get half of the money and half of the bull that was killed.
But if a person's bull has hurt other animals in the past and the owner did
not keep it in a pen, that owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal
is his.
Notes
Our final installment this week of God's legislative
programme for his new government is some Accident (Compensation) Guidelines.
The passage distinguishes
between no-fault accidents, where the loss is to be shared between the parties,
and with-fault accidents, where the party at fault pays for the full loss but
can salvage something by recycling the scrap.
In our society, we are obsessed either with finding fault and blame or by a fear of being accused. One extreme leads to shrill accusation and self-righteousness, while the other goes against common sense and natural justice. The bible steers a middle course.
Few of us have escaped watching the break-down of relationships, whether our own, those in our family or friends. In most cases, it is fairly obvious, either that one party is principally at fault or that sadness rather than blame is the appropriate response.
When we are involved, our natural self-defence is to blame the other and/or to retreat into self-doubt.
Prayer
Lord God,
you recognise my faults and yet accept me in love and forgiveness.
You are slow to judge and full of mercy;
you long to gather me under your wings and to protect me from what is wrong.
I come before you in faith and ask you to breathe your love into me and into
my relationships. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text
taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright
1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes