Tuesday, September 15, 2020

"The Principle of Mosaic Law" (Matt. 5:38)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/15/2020 11:07 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                              Focus:  “The Principle of Mosaic Law”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matthew 5:38

 

            Message of the verse:  38 "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’”

 

            If we look at Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21 we will see where this verse is quoted from.  This verse reflects the principle of lex talionis, which is one of the most ancient law codes found.  MacArthur writes “Simply put, it required that punishment exactly match the crime.  The same idea is carried in the expressions tit for tat and quid pro quo.  The earliest record of lex talionis is in the Code of Hammurabi, the great Babylonian king who lived a hundred or so years before Moses.  It is likely, however, that the principle was in wide use long before that time.”

 

            Now if we go back to the Pentateuch to look at the verses mentioned above we will find that there are parts which are added and include “hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise” (see Exodus 21:24-25 and “fracture for fracture” found in Lev. 24:20).  What we have both in the Pentateuch and also in the Code of Hammurabi we see the principle that the punishment should fit the crime and this had two purposes.  The first one was to curtail any further crime.  When a person is punished for his crimes or wrongdoing, then the rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among the children of Israel as seen in Deut 19:20.  Now we move to the second purpose which is to prevent excessive punishment based on personal vengeance and angry retaliation of the type.  Both of these purposes are not being followed in our country today, and it keeps getting worse.  Let us look at Genesis 4:23-24 “23 Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.’”  MacArthur adds “Punishment was to match, but not exceed, the harm done by the offense itself.”

 

            What we have to understand that each of the three Pentateuch accounts that are describe “the eye for an eye” principle have to do with the civil law, as do the similar teaching in Leviticus 24 and also Deuteronomy 19.  Looking at these we can see that the punishment was to be taken out by the victims, however the trial and the sentencing were always the responsibility of duly appointed judges of a large, representative body of citizens as seen in Ex. 21:22; Deut. 19:18; and Lev. 24:14-16.

 

            This “eye for an eye” was a just law, and the reason was because as mentioned it matched punishment to the offense.  It was also a merciful law, and the reason for this was because it limited the innate propensity of the human heart to seek retribution beyond what an offense deserved.  One more thing and that it was also a beneficent law, and the reason is because it protected society by restraining wrongdoing.

 

            The sinful human being wants to do more as far as punishment is concerned as human vengeance is never satisfied with justice; it wants a pound of flesh for an once of offense.  This is the reason we read in several passages “Vengeance is Mine, and retribution” in Deut. 32:35; and we can compare that with Rom. 12:19; and also Hebrews 10:30.

 

            MacArthur concludes this section by writing “God’s command for the individual has always been, ‘If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink’ (Prov. 25:21; cf. Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:20).  No individual has the right to say, ‘Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work’ (Pro. 24:29).  In no instance did the Old Testament allow an individual to take the law into his own hands and apply it personally.”

 

9/15/2020 11:39 PM   

 

 

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