Exodus 21: 12 – 16 “Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death. If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death. He who strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death. Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession. Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.”
When Cane killed Abel, it was out of jealousy. Abel was innocent of any wrong – doing. Cane was the one who offered an unacceptable sacrifice and then became offended when God refused to receive it. Cane sinned by not having any regard for God, by becoming jealous of his brother, and by shedding innocent blood. Genesis 9:5 – 6 says, “And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man: Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”
Relatives of murder victims traditionally had the right to take vengeance upon the murderer. But what if an accident happens? Years ago, one family we know was torn apart by a tragedy when the grandfather was felling a tree and the grandson unwittingly walked by at the wrong time and was crushed by the falling tree. This incident illustrates the principal of an accidental death. God draws a distinction between a premeditated act of murder and an accidental death. Traditionally, altars were places of refuge. If someone accidentally killed another person but then ran quickly to the altar, he was assured of refuge. Eventually a local judge could settle the case. When the Israelites reached Canaan, God designated cities of refuge to which those involved in accidental deaths could flee for safety. The altars were designed with horns at the corners, and the fugitive would grasp the horns as a symbol that he was throwing himself on God’s mercy. In effect, the fugitive was making a sacrifice of himself.
But what about the man who commits premeditated murder? In that case, there is no refuge, not even at the altar; in fact, God orders His people to take the murderer away and put him to death. Why is God so emphatic about this?
The shedding of innocent blood brings curses on a land as does failing to punish murderers. Numbers 35:31, 33-34 “Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death… So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.”
If you read the history of Israel and Judah, you find that one of the main reasons God eventually allowed both nations to be conquered was because of repeated acts of child sacrifice, the shedding of innocent blood.
What about striking a parent? Here the language used indicates that the child is striking his parent with an intent to kill the parent. Here God is very firm; attempted murder of a parent is punishable by death.
What of the death penalty for kidnapping? David Guzik in his Enduring Word Commentary sheds light on this matter: “Kidnapping was also considered a capital offense. In the eyes of God, criminally enslaving a man was not far from murdering him.”
i. “Kidnapping for slavery was common in the ancient world” (Cole), and is here clearly prohibited.
ii. This is a subtle yet important difference between slavery as it was (and is) commonly practiced and slavery as regulated in the Bible. Most slavery (ancient and modern) was actually a form of kidnapping – the taking and imprisoning of a person against their will. As regulated in the Bible (and as practiced in some other ancient cultures), slavery was received willingly (usually as payment for debt) or, in the case of war, was an alternative to death. In ancient Israel, other cultures were not kidnapped and enslaved (as was the practice in the African slave trade).
iii. The context and placement of this law is significant. “Kidnapping is not a property offense since no property offense draws a capital punishment, and this law is not listed under property laws. Instead, it is the theft of a human being.” (Kaiser)
[Enduring Word Bible Commentary Exodus Chapter 21 https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/exodus-21/ 12/20]
APPLICATION: Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure—who can understand it?” It is really tempting to read the instructions God gave the Israelites and indulge in moral superiority. After all, WE have never murdered… or have we? And WE have never kidnapped anybody. But are we truly morally superior or are we merely more bound by social convention? And what about the shedding of innocent blood? Where does abortion fit into that picture?
Rather than congratulating ourselves, we need to ask God to search our hearts! And when God shows us something from which we need to repent – and He will! – then we should repent quickly.
PRAYER: Father God, here we are. Show us our faults and help us to repent. And then clean us up, because You are the only One who can do so. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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