Taking Responsibility for The Results of One’s Actions

Human ideas of right and wrong tend to be much different than God’s standards.  Respect for God and the things he created are the basis for moral standards.  Murder is an affront to God in that it deliberately destroys a person who was created in the image of God.  The mandatory penalty for such disrespect toward God was death.  Exodus 21:15-17 describe three other crimes God says deserve the death penalty.  “And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.  And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.  And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” 

Our parents give us life in a very real sense, and for the first years of our life we are totally dependent on them.  In a very real sense they are the epitome of God for us.  When we disrespect them by physically or verbally abusing them we are indirectly attacking God and violating Exodus 20:12, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”  The penalty was to be death. 

God created people to be free to follow him.  Kidnapping disrespects God by taking away that freedom, forcing them to obey their captors instead.  Kidnappers were to be executed whether the captives were recovered or had been sold into slavery. 

As we saw, while serious, an accidental killing did not command the same penalty.  Physical injuries ot others were also to be taken quite seriously.  When two people fought, if one was injured, the other was to pay for hurting him, according to Exodus 21:18-19.  “And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed: If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.”

If in the course of a fight, a bystander, in particular, a woman was injured the one who injured them was to be held accountable.  Exodus 21:22-25 describes the effects.  “If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.  And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”  If the incident caused the loss of a baby, the woman’s husband was to set a figure for damages and if the judges determined it was legitimate, the man was to pay it.  If the injury cause permanent harm to the woman, the guilty party was to be injured in the same way the woman had been.   

Owning a slave did not give one the right to mistreat them.  Exodus 21:20 commanded, “And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.”   If the owner killed a slave, it was to be considered murder and the owner was to be executed just like any other murderer.  If the servant survived the punishment for a few days, the owner could not be charged with murder, because he was responsible for keeping him alive, but if the punishment caused permanent injury, even something so minor as knocking out a tooth, he had to give the slave or servant their freedom, according to Exodus 21:21, 26-27.  “Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.  And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.  And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.” 

Under the Law, a person was responsible for the results of his actions.  They were not to just ignore the consequences when others were hurt.  Unfortunately, modern court procedures tend to produce penalties far in excess of what was truly merited while the victims may receive far less than they should, with the settlements going for fines, court costs and legal fees.

It is important to know that while slavery was permitted it was very different from that practiced by most groups.  As we have seen they could not keep a person as a slave more than six years, nor could they keep what he had owned before he was enslaved.  Forcing people into slavery by kidnapping was illegal, and the slaves had very definite rights as people.  Unfortunately, when the American colonies were established, they followed British law rather than God’s law, and slavery became a serious problem.