December 16, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: Acts 25-26

Weekly Memory Verse: 1 Timothy 2:5

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

One of the things that God had to set up for Israel was the law.  Consider that they were a nation that was in bondage for four hundred years, under the law of Egypt.  Now that they were out from under that authority, they needed a set of rules to live by.  This set of rules is different because it was handed directly from God.  On the Railroad we have a rule-book that was developed, many of the rules that are in it are a result of an injury or death in the past.  This book of rules has been in constant revision over the last hundred years that the railroad has been in business.  God's law to the Hebrews was handed down instantly, and it was instantly correct, no need for revision.  There are a lot of other passages that later add to the understanding of the law, but it was never changed.  Human rules are under constant revision; God's law was never revised or changed.  This same law was in effect until Jesus came and filled the final requirements of it. 

God was preparing the nation to become an independent entity.  At this point in time, Israel was standing just outside the Promised Land, waiting for divine guidance to enter that land.  God was issuing rules that would guide them through their daily lives.  God was preparing them to become a nation, His plan was that they would move quickly to the Promised Land.  Unfortunately, Israel did not comply, we will discuss that later.

Another thought along this same line, if God already knew that they were going to sin against Him, why did He continue with the instructions and keep Moses on the mountain?  The reason behind this is that God is just, He offers us the opportunity to serve Him as He directs us.  The test of the time that Moses was on the mountain was a time where the people should have walked according to the knowledge that they already had.  They were tested, yet were treated as though they were going to pass the test.  The law was not given in error, the people chose to live in error.  God had to refine them more over time, we will discuss that later in the study of Exodus.

Exodus 21:1-6 (The Message)
¹ “These are the laws that you are to place before them: ² “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years. The seventh year he goes free, for nothing. ³ If he came in single he leaves single. If he came in married he leaves with his wife. ⁴ If the master gives him a wife and she gave him sons and daughters, the wife and children stay with the master and he leaves by himself. ⁵ But suppose the slave should say, ‘I love my master and my wife and children—I don’t want my freedom,’ ⁶ then his master is to bring him before God and to a door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl, a sign that he is a slave for life.^[1]

This section of Scripture deals with the way that a Hebrew is to relate to his slave, either male or female.  Think for a moment, did they own slaves at this point?  Probably not, each one of them left Egypt with the clothes on their backs, and what they could carry.  Wealth really did not have a purpose in Israel because they neither had to work for food, water, or shelter the Lord took care of everything.  This section looked forward to the day when they would be a functioning society.

In that day, if a person was poor he couldn't go down to welfare and ask for a hand-out.  If a person became extremely poor, he could offer himself as a slave to another, where he would work for six years.  After a period of six years he was free to leave, if he brought a wife with him she was free to leave also.  Yet if he wished to stay as a servant of the master forever, his ear was pierced with an awl, marking him as a bondservant, forever in the bond of his master.  In the New Testament we are spoken of as bondservants of Christ Jesus, when we choose to make Him Lord of our lives, we agree to become His servants forever.

Exodus 21:7-11 (The Message)
⁷ “When a man sells his daughter to be a handmaid, she doesn’t go free after six years like the men. ⁸ If she doesn’t please her master, her family must buy her back; her master doesn’t have the right to sell her to foreigners since he broke his word to her. ⁹ If he turns her over to his son, he has to treat her like a daughter. ¹⁰ If he marries another woman, she retains all her full rights to meals, clothing, and marital relations. ¹¹ If he won’t do any of these three things for her, she goes free, for nothing.^[2]

Female slaves were treated differently, they were never set free. One of the reasons behind this was because many times they became as wives to the slave owners.  If for some reason she was found unacceptable, she could be redeemed by her family, or a near kinsman, but she could not be sold to foreigners.  God protected the bloodline of the Jews as much as possible.  Notice also that if the owner became tired of her as a wife and took another one, he still had to provide food, clothing and housing for her just as if she were still his wife.  God protected the family, even when it was warped by slavery.

Exodus 21:12-36 (The Message)
¹² “If someone hits another and death results, the penalty is death. ¹³ But if there was no intent to kill—if it was an accident, an ‘act of God’—I’ll set aside a place to which the killer can flee for refuge. ¹⁴ But if the murder was premeditated, cunningly plotted, then drag the killer away, even if it’s from my Altar, to be put to death. ¹⁵ “If someone hits father or mother, the penalty is death. ¹⁶ “If someone kidnaps a person, the penalty is death, regardless of whether the person has been sold or is still held in possession. ¹⁷ “If someone curses father or mother, the penalty is death. ¹⁸ “If a quarrel breaks out and one hits the other with a rock or a fist and the injured one doesn’t die but is confined to bed ¹⁹ and then later gets better and can get about on a crutch, the one who hit him is in the clear, except to pay for the loss of time and make sure of complete recovery. ²⁰ “If a slave owner hits a slave, male or female, with a stick and the slave dies on the spot, the slave must be avenged. ²¹ But if the slave survives a day or two, he’s not to be avenged—the slave is the owner’s property. ²² “When there’s a fight and in the fight a pregnant woman is hit so that she miscarries but is not otherwise hurt, the one responsible has to pay whatever the husband demands in compensation. ²³ But if there is further damage, then you must give 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 slave owner hits the eye of a slave or handmaid and ruins it, the owner must let the slave go free because of the eye. ²⁷ If the owner knocks out the tooth of the male or female slave, the slave must be released and go free because of the tooth. ²⁸ “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned. The meat cannot be eaten but the owner of the ox is in the clear. ²⁹ But if the ox has a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, then if the ox kills a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned and the owner given the death penalty. ³⁰ If a ransom is agreed upon instead of death, he must pay it in full as a redemption for his life. ³¹ If a son or daughter is gored, the same judgment holds. ³² If it is a slave or a handmaid the ox gores, thirty shekels of silver is to be paid to the owner and the ox stoned. ³³ “If someone uncovers a cistern or digs a pit and leaves it open and an ox or donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit must pay whatever the animal is worth to its owner but can keep the dead animal. ³⁵ “If someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the ox dies, they must sell the live ox and split the price; they must also split the dead animal. ³⁶ But if the ox had a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, the owner must pay an ox for an ox but can keep the dead animal.^[3]

I was long winded before, now I am going to summarize more, time is running out.  Look through this set of rules regarding accidental death and premeditated murder, common sense rules.  God's actions are very quick as well.  Notice also that God again protects the family, if a person strikes his parents or curses them he will be put to death.  These crimes were the same as murder in the sight of God.

In the case that a wrong is suffered, notice the rules regarding restitution.  It was cut and dry, a wrong suffered required equal punishment.  Imagine what would happen to our judicial system today if we followed the same rules.  If someone murdered, they are executed, personal injuries suffer the same injuries, etc.  Our jails would be empty in a year, crime would drop to an incredible low rate since the criminals would know that regardless the crime, they would pay dearly.  Death row would turn out to be a weekend stay over while the gallows are constructed.  Somewhere through history we changed God's way to a more desirable way that takes years of housing criminals to attempt to teach them better ways of life, and even more years to execute the capital offenses.  Progress has put us in a state of severe regress.  Our fantastic judicial system has turned out to be a red tape machine.   God said it right, man corrupted His work.  God set up cities of refuge for those who wished a trial to prove their innocence.

I am going to close here, I skimmed over a lot, and welcome any comments.

Father, as we consider Your word today, open our eyes so that we can understand and apply the principles to our lives.

In Him,

Joe Turner.