6/26/2008 8:18 AM
My Worship Time Focus: A pregnant woman injured
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Exodus 21:22-27
Message of the verses: “22
¶ "If men struggle with each other
and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is
no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him,
and he shall pay as the judges decide.
23 "But if there is any
further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty 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 man strikes the eye of his male or
female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his
eye. 27
"And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall
let him go free on account of his tooth.”
I have to
admit that I was not looking at the outline in Dr. Wiersbe’s book correctly,
and therefore I took too many verses in yesterday’s SD and therefore I will
have to look at some more in depth today.
Yesterday’s SD covered the portion about slaves in verses 20-21, and so
I will move on to verses 22-27 in today’s SD, which are about the injuries to a
pregnant woman and also this section talks about the punishment fitting the crime,
and that was quite revealing to me.
In this
section from Exodus there are some very “famous” verses that are sometimes
misrepresented, I believe, as to what their true meaning is. In verse 22 there is a story about two men
fighting and in the course of their fight there is a pregnant woman
injured. Moses is saying that if the
woman or her baby is injured that the punishment then the punishment shall fit
the crime. If a man puts the eye of
another man out then the punishment shall be as the crime was and that is that
the man who put the eye out thus shall have his eye put out. Let’s say that a man would get into a fight
with another man and an arm was broken, the person who broke the arm should not
have his eye blinded for that punishment would not fit the crime. In the case of the pregnant woman if she gave
birth to a baby who would have been injured because of her getting hurt during
a fight then the punishment would be determined by a judge. There is one more scenario here that needs to
be discussed here and that is about a slave, for the punishment for a master
hurting a slave was different for if a master of a slave puts out the eye of
one of his slaves then that slave is to be set free and by setting the persons
slave free would be the punishment of the one who owns the slave for he would
be loosing his slave.
I would now
like to quote a portion of Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on this section: “When Jesus prohibited His disciples from
retaliating against those who hurt them (Matthew 5:38-44; I Peter 2:19-21), He
was dealing with personal revenge (I’ll get even with you!”) and encouraging
personal forgiveness. He wasn’t
criticizing Moses or interfering with the legal system, because He came to
fulfill the Law and not to destroy it (Matthew 5:17-20). As believers, we have the privilege of
waiving our “legal rights” to the glory of God and not demanding compensation
(I Corinthians 6:1-8). However, a judge
has to see that justice is done and the law is respected.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: God’s law demands justice and in Matthew 5:17
Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the Law, but He came to fulfill the
Law. When I sin I sin against God and
therefore the Law of God has been broken by me and justice must be paid by me,
but “Jesus paid it all” as the song says, Jesus took my punishment on the cross
and thus fulfilled the demands of the Law just as He said in Matthew 5:17,
Jesus fulfilled the Law for me and as the song continues “all to Him I owe.”
My Steps of Faith for
Today:
- Be yoked with the Lord Jesus Christ as He spoke of in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
- I want to rely upon the Holy Spirit to make this verse true in my life as I am yoked with my Lord today for I am weary and heavy laden and my yoke is not easy and my burden is not light.
Memory verse for the week: Colossians
4:12-13
12.
Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave
of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in
his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of
God.
13.
For I testify for him that he has a deep concern
for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis
6/26/2008 9:31 AM
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