31. Laws of human rights: slavery and injuries (Ex 21:1-27)

The laws of God show how His people should live. Thus, such a community will reflect who God is in the world.

πŸ‘‰ Read Exodus 21:1-27

If you buy a Hebrew servant, he will serve you for (         ) years. In the (        ) year, he shall go free.

If a man kills his neighbor accidentally, what punishment is for him?


If a man hits and injures his neighbor. What penalty will be on the man who hit?


Answers and Meditation

Six, seven

God wants freedom for His people, the Hebrews, the people of being oppressed. 

When a slave was released from slavery, he could stay if he wanted. In ancient times, living as a slave at least had a guarantee of lodging and food.

In verses 7-11, God commanded them to keep the weakest's dignity in the community of His people.

God doesn’t want His people to live as slaves indefinitely. In the year of Jubilee, which comes every 50 years, all debts and slaves are freed no matter what. Our God is the God of freedom.

 

He must flee to a place God will designate and live there until the high priest's death.

This will be called the city of refuge. Later, the Lord assigned three towns on the east side and three on the west side of the Jordan River.  There in the city of refuge, when his innocence was proven, he could live there. After the high priest at that time died, he could return to his hometown.

The Lord provided a way for an unintended killer to live without being revenged. When you make a mistake, pray for God's help.

Why did the killer need to stay in the city of refuge even after he had been found innocent? Though it was a mistake, he should bear the guilt of killing his neighbor in this way. Someone must be held accountable for innocent bloodshed, which is only possible by another bloodshed. When the high priest died, his death was considered to have paid off the penalty for the bloodshed. Then, the innocent killer was fully released from the guilt.

 

He needs to pay accordingly.

‘life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ God demands fairness in dealing with these issues.

What matters is their intention in the case of killing someone. 

For injury, even though there was no evil intention, still the offender should pay the victim accordingly because the victim is alive.

God even cares for the injury of slaves. This is different from the contemporary culture of those days, where they treated slaves as their possession, like animals.

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