Exodus 21 Devotional

Justice That Sets Limits

The first laws after the Ten Commandments begin with servants. A Hebrew servant goes free in the seventh year without paying anything (21:2). A young woman sold into service may not be sold to foreigners or denied food, clothing, and marital rights, and if she is, she goes free (21:8-11). A master who knocks out a servant's eye or tooth must let that servant go (21:26-27). These laws do not abolish servitude, and some lines are hard to read, especially the one that calls a servant his owner's property (21:21). They speak honestly into a harsh world, and they set firm limits on the powerful within it.

The rule of equal payment for injury belongs here too (21:23-25). It matches the penalty to the harm, so that punishment cannot grow larger than the wrong. God cares about the injured, the vulnerable, and what is fair. Because he is this careful with the weak, any power you hold can be used to protect rather than to take.

To think about: Where do you hold some power over another person, and how could you use it this week to protect rather than take?