Exodus: The Lord and His PilgrimsSample

Grace and law – again!

This passage addresses various topics. First, the place of blessing (20:22–26). Before a single law is pronounced, he wants them to know the way of blessing (20:24). This involves burnt offerings (which express holding nothing back, Gen. 22:8–12, and making atonement, Lev. 1:4), and making ‘peace offerings’ (or ‘fellowship offerings’, NIV). These are the essential elements of the burnt and sin offerings, but the ‘fellowship’ or ‘peace’ offering also includes, characteristically, a fellowship meal (cf. Deut. 12:7) where the fellowship offering is referred to as a freewill offering. 

Secondly, there are laws about indentured service (Ex. 21:1–11). We must understand though, that Hebrew has no word for ‘slave’ (in the post-Christian, Caribbean sense), but only a word for ‘servant’. It is simply ignorance to accuse the Old Testament of countenancing ‘slavery’. Indeed verse 5 indicates that ‘service’ was far from oppressive – there had to be legislation to cater for servants who wanted to stay as such! 

Thirdly, we have a section dealing with violence against the person (vv. 12–27). The Hebrew ‘due process of law’ catered for what we call ‘degrees of murder’, but had no qualms about the death penalty. The wording ‘eye for eye’ (v. 24, known as Lex Talionis) needs careful thought. It is often referred to as if it represented the utmost savagery. But what does it actually say? It states that the punishment must exactly match the crime – no more and no less! It vividly expresses a foundational principle of all just jurisprudence. The English law of hanging for stealing a sheep happened not because the Lex Talionis was in force but because it had been forgotten! 

Fourthly, there are decrees concerning the control of animals (vv. 28–36). The law of God penetrated into every aspect of life – it would be interesting to apply some of these laws to dangerous driving! No area of life lies outside our obedience to him.

Reflection

21:30 helps us understand the great concept of redemption: the ‘sum of money’ demanded is kopher, from the verb kaphar, meaning ‘to cover’. In other words it is ‘the covering price’ – the payment that ‘covers’ the debt. Parallel to this, ‘to redeem his life’ represents the Hebrew for ‘the ransom price for his life’. Price-paying lies at the root of the biblical idea of redeeming.