AN EYE FOR AN EYE?

"ONE OF THE GREAT STUMBLING BLOCKS FOR EMBRACING BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY TODAY IS OFTEN THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW OF RETALIATION. DO GOD& HIS WORD REALLY SUPPORT THIS?"

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the WWY Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about this most misunderstood,  “Law of Retaliation”…

…Hello and welcome again to another broadcast edition of the World, the Word & You! Speaking today is your host and commentator Dennis Finnan.  Our program comes to you by the kind support and care of our many listeners and friends of the broadcast. Each week in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ we attempt to bring you interesting and informative messages and commentary on events and happenings, coupled with a biblical perspective for busy thinking people like you.

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And according to these “days” one thing the vast majority of people find objectionable is a spirit of revenge and retaliation. Rather, forgiveness at all costs for everything is the watchword, for the 21^st century populous. It is for this reason some reject the God of the Bible. They have heard it said, or read it somewhere, that the God of Christianity in His Word teaches human beings are to seek revenge and retaliation for wrongs done against them, and such retaliation is to be cruel, almost inhuman. Is this so? Can it be supported in the Bible? Do Christian believe this? Well in a moment we’ll explore the confusing world and thoughts surrounding the well used phrase, “AN EYE FOR AN EYE.” But first this moment in song…

… “Lex talionis,” as Latin would say, is the Biblical “law of the tooth,” or the so called law of retaliation found in the Bible in Exodus 21:23-25, and Lev.24:19-20. The issue this Law of Moses raises is: “Did God encourage the Israelites to practice private vendettas and to retaliate every time they were personally wronged? Well, many people today have erroneously come to believe this was God’s teaching in His Word, and what some Christians believe to this day. But, surely we have grown more advanced and mature enough to see this simply as a barbaric leftover from man’s evolutionary past? Well, I think we need to examine what the Bible itself says about it, and NOT what someone else says it says… So today we’ll examine this well-worn phrase, “AN EYE FOR AN EYE,” after one more pause for another moment of delightful music.

 

…You’re listening the World, the Word & You! Broadcast, and speaking is your host and commentator, Dennis Finnan. My message is entitled: “AN EYE FOR AN EYE.” Well let’s go right to the Bible where this phrase and concept is found, and study it today for a good lesson in God’s Word and ways for our health and living. We turn to the Bible passage which reads,

Exo 21:23-25 (NIV)  "NOW… if there is serious injury, you are to take 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."

Wow, sounds awful doesn’t it? Yes, some have come to believe this was God’s Law of the jungle given to every Israelite to carry out as his personal will toward any offense suffered from another’s abuse. But the truth is this is wrong! You see, we mustn’t take passages of Scripture out of their context. Words have multiple meanings, and they have specific meaning in the context of other words, and passages in which they are found. And, if one carefully studies this portion of Scripture, they will find this principle of the law of retaliation is found not in legislation for individuals but rather it is included in a section of Exodus addressed specifically to Israel’s “JUDGES,” or magistrates in the nation (Ex. 21:1-22:7). Indeed, these laws of retaliation functioned, then, as precedents or patterns for the civil and criminal magistrates in settling disputes and administering justice to offenders of God’s Law in Israel, and were NOT to be applied to vigilantes, or personal rights of the offended. Yet, this is how it has often been viewed by those who do not believe the Bible, and consider it rather to be a Book of injustice and barbaric rules for living.

Simply stated, the talion principle was “life for life.” It was a principle of law not to be applied in a complete literalistic manner, but to assign fair and adequate compensations, restitution and punishments for varying civil and criminal wrongdoing. You see, to believe that God and His Law at anytime authorized physical mutilation or cruel and inhuman abuse, is to completely misunderstand God and His Word. So, hw can we evaluate this? Simple. If one reads the next portion of Scripture following the passage I quoted, one can see clearly its truth. Again, we read the previous passages and the following ones for proper explanation…

Exo 21:23-25 (NIV)  "But if there is serious injury, you are to take 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."

Now the chapter goes right on to say….

Exo 21:26-27 (NIV)  ""If a man hits a manservant or maidservant in the eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of a manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the tooth."

You see nothing was taught to “carry out” a literal destruction or mutilation of the criminal offender as the world seems to believe. Again, the Scriptures were teaching that fair and adequate compensation must be considered for every crime or infraction of the Law. Damages were to be rendered and paid according to the severity inflicted – no more and no less! That was and still is God’s justice.

Now, in our modern law courts we no longer use the terms restitution, in place of it we call it “damages or compensation,” an offense against the “state” or citizen. However, in the bible such crimes in Israel were seen as an offense against God more than anyone else!

Now this law of the justice courts of Israel was NOT a law of personal revenge, or retaliation. It was to be carried out by a properly constituted court of law. Why even in cases where one’s life was literally required as the proper punishment for the offense of taking another’s life, at times a substitution was available, when the crime was not premeditated. We read in,

Exo 21:19 (NIV)  "the one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around outside with his staff; however, he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is completely healed."

Exo 21:22 (NIV)  ""If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows."

Exo 21:30 (NIV)  "However, if payment is demanded of him, he may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded."

Exo 21:23 (NIV)  "But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,"

Num 35:31 (NIV)  ""'Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. He must surely be put to death."

You see, God’s Mosaic Law was not harsh or cruel. It was fair and most of all, because it respected human life! Something our refined courts today know little about. We hear so much today against capital punishment. Rising voices say, “it’s barbaric, unfair, cruel and inhuman.” Yet, to condemn the penalty of death for high crimes of premeditated murder is the real barbarism, unfairness, cruelty and inhumanity! Every day in America, we murder innocent pre-born boys and girls to the sum of over 4,200 every day of the year! That’s the death sentence rendered and approved by every court in the land. Yet, we cry foul when it comes to executing hardened premeditated killers! Make note, God said to Noah when he stepped off the ark with seven other remaining human beings,

Gen 9:1-6 (NIV)  "Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth... 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything… for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man."

We see here that when God struck a New Covenant with Noah as the new representative of mankind, He told that from now on, human life was to treated as sacred! Neither man nor beast was to take the innocent life of another. If one broke this universal law of the sacredness of human life, they were to suffer the consequences – life for life, as a just punishment fit for the high crime of destroying one made in the image of God. Thus, capital punishment began and still to this day is to exist in the law courts of humanity, for we are only to administer such justice according to God’s teachings, for He rules over all and has the right to dictate the terms of our living in His world and environment. So, we can see this further defined in the Laws of Moses. We find, God called for “life for life,” to put criminals to death for heinous crimes. The Bible plainly says, “The man who takes a life is to forfeit his own life (Ge. 9:6). The Law of Moses also called for capital punishment in other cases too such as: (1)  murder (Le. 24:17; De. 19:11-13),(2)  idolatry (Le. 20:2; De. 17:2-7),(3) witchcraft (Le. 20:27), (4) adultery (Le. 20:10; De. 22:21,22),(5) homosexuality (Le. 20:13),(6) bestiality (Le. 20:15,16), (7)rape (De. 22:25-27),(8) incest (Le. 20:17), (9)blasphemy (Le. 24:11-16,23),(10) criminal arrogance (De. 17:12-13),(11) kidnapping (De. 24:7), and even (12)outright abuse and rebellion against parents (Le. 20:9).” [1][1] Yes, these refinements of God’s initial law given to Noah further exemplify the severe value of human life and the rights we were given by God to maintain life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness according to obedience to God for every human being.

Today, the cry to abolish capital punishment is really a cry to abolish God’s rule of our lives. It is the cry of the sinful rebellious heart that says “no” to God’s right to rule every human being. You see, the Bible tells us God is the “owner,” of all (Ezek 18:4;Jer 27:5); He is the Creator of all; He is the rightful ruler of all, which includes every human being that exists. This is why the foolish, sinful, and downright ridiculous theory of evolution was concocted ¾ to explain way God’s lawful right to rule us. Today, sinful rebellious man rejects God’s Word, God’s Laws, and the principles of His very existence, so he or she can live out their lives with themselves as King or God. The result? Why just look around us and we see it. Law has become a farce in many nations, and is becoming the same here in America. Justices rule ridiculous, unfair judgments, or no judgments at all for serious crimes against humanity and society.

But remember, God is a just God, and His laws were always and still are just. Thus, an “eye for an eye, a hand for a hand,” was never meant to be literal punishments for crimes. For instance, if one were to apply the Old Testament law literally to all, it would be most unfair. The hand of a great painter is not worth as much as the hand of a beggar, when it comes to adequate compensation for wrongdoing. The formula stated in Exodus rightly means judge the “livelihood of the victim and his loss, against the livelihood of the criminal and his life, and apply just compensation.

We must not transfer to the private sector what God alone judged right for the courts of human law. God is just and His laws are just in every case. Perhaps the most overlooked justice is  God’s law against sin in His universe. We read in,

Ezek 18:20 (NIV)  "The soul who sins is the one who will die…”

God’s eternal law of the universe is that He demands absolute perfection in every creature created in His image. Yet, the whole human race that was created perfect, sinned. Since then, all human beings born of our first parents are sinners by birth, word and deed. So, we all are under the law of God’s holiness and justice. Hence, God has warned us ¾

Rom 3:23 (NIV)  "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Rom 6:23 (NIV)  "For the wages of sin is death…”

Do you realize, we all face physical death as a result of sin? It was and is just punishment for disobedience to God’s law for life. Adam and Eve sinned against God and His promise of justice was carried out. We read in the first book of the Bible, the terms of living in God’s universe…

Gen 2:15-17 (NIV)  "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.""

Gen 3:6 (NIV)  "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

Well the rest is history! We who are all born of Adam and Eve, are sinners, born with a nature that is in rebellion to God, but a nature which God promised would be dealt with by the punishment of physical and eternal death. This is what awaits all who die, except for God’s grace and mercy! Yes indeed, thanks be to God, although His law of death will be carried out against every sinner who ever lived, God’s Word tells us the GOOD NEWS, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

John 3:16-17 (NIV)  ""For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Yes indeed, God keeps His promise and rightly His own law too. The Bible says, God loves all humanity and doesn’t want to punish any of us, but He must carry out His divine edict and law – the death of all sinners, which includes you and me. But God in mercy stepped in and devised a way for all sinners to be free from the Law of sin and death. By divine substitution, God fashioned for Himself to be made into a human being, a real flesh and blood being, but at the same time to never lose the quality of who He was and is – God.

So, the Bible tells us in,

John 1:1 (NIV)  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 1:14 (NIV)  "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

1 John 5:12 (NIV)  "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

The greatest truth every known is ¾ God became a man, and lived a perfect human life, thus freeing himself from the penalty OF SIN AND DEATH. He then went to the cross and died there, as God the Father punished Christ for the sins of the whole world. Isaiah the prophet foretold of God’s work in,

Isa 53:6 (NIV)  "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Christ died for you and for me! The Father God in Heaven, accepted Christ’s death as full payment for your sin and mine. Yet, this forgiveness or pardon in eternity, can never be ours until we acknowledge and thank God for His free gift, and turn our lives over to the One who purchased it for us – Jesus Christ.

John 10:9-10 (NIV)  "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Acts 16:31 (NIV)  "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.""

Oh friend, God has made it so simple, that even a young child can be saved from their sins, spared the penalty of eternal death, and be granted the gift of eternal life. All that God requires is that you believe. Believe what? Listen,

Rom 10:9-10 (NIV)  "… if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

That’s the gospel, the good news, and all who come to Christ, confessing their sins, calling upon Him to save them from it, will be pardoned from the penalty of eternal death awaiting all sinners upon their physical demise. Will you come to Christ, now? Will you accept God’s free gift of love – Jesus Christ? May God so open your heart and mind today – then an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and a hand for a hand will never apply to you again in eternity. May God so grant this to you for Jesus sake, Amen.

SONG #3 ______________________________________________________________

How important it is to rightly divide the Word of God. Interpreters must be careful not to fall into the ditch on either side of this issue. We must not transfer what God gave to properly constituted governing authority to individuals. Vigilantes and personal vendettas are chaos in society and God forbids it. But constituted governments have the right to carry out lawful justice, even the death penalty to honor the sacredness of life. Therefore, every sinner who personally kills another in a premeditated act of violence or aggression is guilty before God and His courts of human law. Why? For they themselves believe in the death penalty and they have already carried  it out against another human being. Therefore, nothing less than “a life for life” is the proper and biblical applicational justice to the offender. So friends, an eye for an eye, the law of personal retaliation is not condoned in the Bible when lawful government is instituted. Actually this Old Testament law curbed personal retaliation among any citizen’s for they themselves would be breakers of the law and it would then apply to them.

 

God’s Word and ways are always right. I trust you have obeyed the greatest law of the universe and turned yourself over the God’s court of mercy, administered by Jesus Christ. He alone is merciful and will forgive and save every sinner who comes to Him.

Well friends, you’ve been listening to another message from the heart and mind of Dennis Finnan. I trust today’s message has been helpful for you to better understand the concepts of biblical justice and God eternal plan for saving us from our sins. Moreover, I pray you’ve responded to God’s grace and accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord.

Say, if you would like a copy of today’s program ( # 3700), in its entirety on cassette, guess what …its available to you free of charge. That’s right, just write to me and I’ll send it to you either in cassette form or a printed copy of today’s talk. Write to our new address: The World the Word & You! Broadcast, Post Office Box 40133, Grand Junction, CO 81501. We’ll send it to you as soon as possible. Meanwhile most broadcast are heard around the nation on the weekend. Please find a bible-believing church of your choice and then worship there in obedience to God’s command for all His children. Then be sure to tune us in again next week for another look at our world, God’s Word and its wonderful relationship to you and me. Thanks for listening, may God richly bless you till then, good by for now.