Reading
SAA Notes
A lot of the laws in the Books of Moses are case law where cases are tried by judges on legal precedent and on the explication of basic principles (here the 10 Commandments). Case law is different from statute law, where each situation is covered by a rule. Case law often tells a tale – as here with Hebrew servants.
SJA Notes
* Heavenly Father, please teach us from Your word today, even when we might struggle with what You say.
“But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
God has given His ten commandments, statutes for us to live by.
And now He gives through Moses the outworking of those statutes in how to protect and govern.
Think about the people Israel. They have come out from Egypt with many bad habits, legal assumptions from a man-made system.
God begins to outline how they are to live with one another, the base-level of acceptable behaviour.
If you do harm, accept the consequences.
But more, the framework for living as one of God’s people is that doing harm is _wrong_ and will be punished!
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil.”
Jesus, thousands of years later, bores down into what we read from today’s passage. He brings a deeper understanding of how we are to live together.
That is, to turn the focus from the one who does the wrong thing to the person who is wronged.
God will punish evil. He is not slow to act, but merciful.
And while we see the law of Moses giving us the framework for those who are in the wrong, Jesus upgrades our thinking from them to the perspective of those who are wronged.
Which should bring to reminder what Jesus did for us His people – As one who did no wrong, and was put into a position of great wrong being done to Him.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us …”
* Merciful Father,
Thank You for giving to us Your word, old and new testaments together.
Thank You that when Jesus came He helped us understand more of how we need to live.
Thank You that even though Jesus did no wrong, He took on our wrongdoing at the cross.
Amen.