Exo 21:20-36  Laws Governing Personal Injuries and Restitution

[Study Aired August 22, 2022]

Exo 21:20  “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.
Exo 21:21  But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money. 
Exo 21:22  “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 
Exo 21:23  But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, 
Exo 21:24  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 
Exo 21:25  burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 
Exo 21:26  “When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. 
Exo 21:27  If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth. 
Exo 21:28  “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable. 
Exo 21:29  But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.
Exo 21:30  If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him.
Exo 21:31  If it gores a man’s son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule. 
Exo 21:32  If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. 
Exo 21:33  “When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 
Exo 21:34  the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his. 
Exo 21:35  “When one man’s ox butts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share.
Exo 21:36  Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.

The second part of Exodus chapter 21 continues with the laws of Moses. In this case, the law deals with personal injuries and restitution. As we have indicated in the previous study, the focus of our study is on the spiritual implication of these laws – not the letter which kills.

2Co 3:6  who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

When Jesus met the woman at the well in Samaria, He told her that the time is coming and that the time has come that those who worship the Lord, will serve Him in truth and in spirit. We are the generation that seek the Lord in truth and in spirit.

Joh 4:19  The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 
Joh 4:20  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
Joh 4:21  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 
Joh 4:23  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Our study today, therefore, is geared towards understanding the spiritual implication of the laws on personal injuries and restitution. Behind these supposedly carnal laws, the Lord has hidden deep spiritual truths which are only revealed to those called and chosen – the elect. With this in mind, let’s explore what the spirit is saying to the church regarding these laws.

Exo 21:20  “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.
Exo 21:21  But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.

In the previous study we realized that the slave of the master represents us, the elect. The master signifies Christ. Since our Lord has purchased us with His blood, we are His slaves.

Gal 3:13 Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from the Law. In that way, the Law could not punish us. Christ did this by carrying the load and by being punished instead of us. It is written, “Anyone who hangs on a cross is hated and punished.” 
Gal 3:14 Because of the price Christ Jesus paid, the good things that came to Abraham might come to the people who are not Jews. And by putting our trust in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit He has promised. (NLV)

Rom 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

In the Bible a rod signifies judgment. This is made clear in the following verses:

Lam 3:1  I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

1Co 4:21  What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

Pro 10:13  In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

Pro 13:24  He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

In verse 20 therefore, the man who strikes his slave with the rod is Christ who comes to judge us. However, His judgment does not result in our physical death as this will mean that the Lord is guilty and needs to be punished according to verse 20. We know that the Lord was presented as faultless before God to atone for our sins and therefore was never and will never be found guilty. What verse 20 means is that the Lord’s discipline or correction never leads to our physical death. In using His rod against us, the Lord always makes a way of escape for us to be able to bear his discipline.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

In verse 21, when the slave survives the discipline of his master, the master is not guilty for the slave belongs to him. What verse 21 implies is that the master has the right to discipline his slave as he belongs to him. Our Lord is our master who owns us and therefore has the right to judge us to conform to His righteousness.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Exo 21:22  “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.

When we fight one another, it is the body of Christ that suffers as her children are born prematurely. This means that those who come out of the church are not matured but carnal. The pregnant woman affected here in verse 22 is Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children that come out prematurely. This Jerusalem is Babylon. This is made clear in the following verses as the pregnant woman represents Babylon.

Rev 12:1  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 
Rev 12:2  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 
Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

As shown in verse 22, the one responsible for hurting the pregnant woman needs to be judged by the woman’s husband who is Christ. We have all hurt our brothers and sisters by our false doctrines, etc. and therefore hurt the church when we were in Babylon, and so we deserve to be judged by the Lord.

Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

What we need to know is that when we hurt each other in the body, we are hurting the church. It is insightful to note that the judgment for hurting the church is imposed by the judges. The judges here represent the elect. From another perspective, what we are being told in verse 22 is that in the fullness of time, the elect (judges) will judge Babylon and the rest of the world together with our Lord Jesus who is the husband.

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Exo 21:23  But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, 

When we hate our brothers and sisters, then we are murderers. Hating one another means hating the church. What this means is that we are spiritually causing harm to the church of the Lord. We also cause harm to the church by teaching false doctrines which we all have at a certain period of our walk with Christ. We therefore must pay life for life as stated in verse 23. In other words, we must all die to the old man as we are appointed to death.

1Co 4:9  For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Exo 21:24  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Exo 21:25  burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

As we have indicated in the previous study, Jesus came to raise the bar in terms of the interpretation of the law of Moses. This is what He had to say about an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth:

Mat 5:38  “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 
Mat 5:39  But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
Mat 5:40  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 
Mat 5:41  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Mat 5:42  Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

What these verses mean is that the physical laws have been transformed into spiritual laws by our Lord, the Reformer. Therefore, we are not to resist evil that comes from outside. That is, we are not to worry about evil that comes against us in this life. However, we are to resist evil from within and this is not done by ourselves. Christ in us is the one that resists the devil on our behalf.

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Exo 21:26  “When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye.

We know that since Christ purchased all humanity with His blood, all humanity are His slaves. The man in verse 21 is Christ. It is He who has made people blind spiritually by striking them in the eyes. The fact that in such cases the slaves go free means that in this life, those who have been made blind are not being judged by the Lord. It is only the elect who are being judged in this life, that is, they are not free to go as others.

1Pe 4:17  For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 
1Pe 4:19  Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Exo 21:27  If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth. 

When our teeth are knocked out, we are not able to eat. What this means is that we are not able to assimilate (take in) the word of God. Verse 27 is therefore the same as verse 26 in terms of the effect produced by the actions of striking the eye and knocking out the tooth of a slave. In other words, it is the Lord who causes us not to understand the word of the Lord. For those who are not given to understand the word of the Lord, they are not being judged in this life and therefore are free.

Exo 21:28  “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.

An ox is a beast. We know from the word of the Lord that in our carnal state, we are the beast.

Ecc 3:18  I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.

Since we are the beast, we are the ones that have gored our brother or sister to death and therefore must be put to death by stoning. A stone can represent the church or the house of God as follows:

Gen 28:22  and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

Being stoned to death therefore means the death of our old man or flesh by what every joint supplies from the body of Christ. In other words, the words of the elect are what kills our old man.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

As stated in verse 28, while we are being judged, we are not to eat the flesh of the ox who killed a man or woman. Our Lord Jesus’ flesh represents the word of the Lord. That is why we are admonished to eat His flesh.

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Joh 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 
Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 
Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Our flesh, however, represents false doctrines and man’s words of wisdom. The admonition not to eat the flesh of the ox, the murderer in verse 28, therefore means that we should not take in false doctrines or man’s wisdom as we are being judged in this life. Verse 28 also says that the owner of the ox shall not be liable for the murder of the man or woman. That is another way of saying the following:

Rom 9:19  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 
Rom 9:20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

Exo 21:29  But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.

We are the ox that was accustomed to goring in the past and had been warned by the Lord through His words. However, our Lord had not constrained us at that time because our sins had not run their full course yet. As a result, we are guilty of killing a man or woman and therefore ought to be put to death together with our Master Lord Jesus, our owner. As He is, so are we. He died because of our sins, and so we ought to die also for the church.

Rom 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 
Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Exo 21:30  If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him.
Exo 21:31  If it gores a man’s son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.

Jesus paid the ransom for our sins by giving His life for our sakes to purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.

1Pe 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 
1Pe 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

Exo 21:32  If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. 

Again, as a brute beast (ox), the Lord came to our aid and paid the price of thirty shekels of silver for our sake. It is insightful to note that Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver which is about the price the master pays for the goring of a slave by His ox. What this means is that Jesus paid the price for our sins with His own life.

Mat 26:14  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 
Mat 26:15  And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 
Mat 26:16  And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

It is also worth noting that in addition to the master laying down his life, the ox must be put to death for goring a slave. That is why we are going through fiery trials with the purpose of putting to death our old man or the flesh.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 

Exo 21:33  “When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
Exo 21:34  the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.

The pit in verse 33 refers to a snare or trap, and the man who opens the pit without covering it is the enemy – Satan. As indicated in Psalm 40:2, the horrible pit we fall into is the same as the miry clay. The clay here represents the deeds of the flesh, and the adjective miry refers to the uncontrollable nature of the deeds of the flesh when Christ is not formed in our hearts.  At our appointed time, we have all as a beast (ox or donkey) fallen into the snare or the trap of the fowler or the enemy, resulting in our spiritual death. In other words, we had all fallen victim of the uncontrollable deeds of the flesh which lead to death.

Psa 40:2  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

Psa 30:9  What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

Psa 35:7  For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.

Psa 55:23  But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

Psa 57:6  They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah

The pit also stands for the false doctrines we imbibed when we were in Babylon. This is revealed in the following scriptures:

Pro 22:14  The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

Pro 23:27  For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

What we need to understand is that even though it is the devil who sets a trap for us to be ensnared into sin, the ultimate responsibility of who dug the pit or trap rests on the Lord as all things are working according to the counsel of His will. That being the case, the Lord being the owner of the pit must make restoration by making payment to the owner of the ox, who is God as stated in verse 34. That is why Jesus had to die to pay for our sins as we fell victims of the deeds of the flesh.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

It is interesting to note that the beast which fell into the pit and died is the property of the Lord. It is the same as the earth being without form and void, but the Lord’s spirit hovering over it. He never leaves us alone. Even though we were dead spiritually, because we are His, He is able to bring us out of the snare of the fowler.

Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Psa 124:1  A Song of degrees of David. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; 
Psa 124:2  If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: 
Psa 124:3  Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: 
Psa 124:4  Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: 
Psa 124:5  Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. 
Psa 124:6  Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Psa 124:7  Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 
Psa 124:8  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Exo 21:35  When one man’s ox butts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share.

At a certain time of our walk with Christ, we ended up killing our brothers and sisters as we strove with them by hating them. We were therefore responsible for the physical death of the prophets the Lord sent, together with the spiritual death of many. Since both oxen belong to the Lord, we are therefore sold as live oxen (slaves) to the Lord. As indicated, in our spiritually dead state, we still belong to the Lord.

Exo 21:36  Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.

We are the ox that had been accustomed to goring in the past. The Lord did not constrain us as He wanted our sins to run their full course so that we come to see that we are the worst sinners. In our spiritually poor state, God came to ransom us by repaying ox for ox. That is, He offered Jesus, a type of an ox to die on our behalf.

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

May the Lord continue to show mercy to us as He delivers us from the uncovered pit of the flesh. Amen!!