EXODUS 21
Having stated His basic law, God then told Moses how to apply it to specific situations so that everybody would receive equal justice, which is the principle in verses 22–25. No person was to take the law into his or her own hands. When it comes to personal retaliation, we must obey
God’s law shows that He is concerned about everything: men, women, children, the unborn, property, and even animals. This is His creation, and He has the right to tell us how to manage it. The Law did not change people’s hearts, but it did help to control their conduct and give order to the nation. Laws and government have been instituted by God, and we should respect them (Rom. 13).
Some penalties given here may seem harsh to us; but keep in mind that the nation was in its “childhood” (Gal. 4:1–7), and children learn best through rewards and punishments. Forty years later, when the new generation was on the scene, Moses emphasized love when he repeated the Law (