Actual Commandments: Social Justice

[alon]

This week we start the category "Social Justice." We'll get through about a third: 

Social Justice

Justice

Exodus 23:1-3, 6 (ESV) “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.  You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,  nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. … You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.” Witnesses are responsible to tell the truth, and not to conspire against either party. Judges are to watch for evidence of conspiracy, and they are to be impartial in all ways. None may pervert justice.

Leviticus 5:1 (NASB) ‘Now if a person sins after he hears a public adjuration to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt.’ We are commanded to testify of those crimes which we witness, whether it be before the assembly, the Beit Din, or the civil or criminal courts.

Exodus 23:7 (ESV) Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. Take extra care in capital cases to make a right judgement.

Exodus 23:8 (ESV) And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. Judges, or anyone in the legal system must not take bribes.

Exodus 23:9 (ESV) “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” Courts should deal as fairly with sojourners as they do with the native born.

Devarim 1:1 (ESV) And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him.” Judges are to judge honorably, virtuously, and morally between both the Hebrews and those others as may be with them.

Leviticus 19:15 (ESV) “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Fairness to all in court.

Deuteronomy 16:18a (ESV) “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, …

Deuteronomy 16:18b-20a (ESV) they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, … Pretty straightforward concerning conduct of judges and officers.

Deuteronomy 1:17a (ESV) You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. Judges should show no partiality to either the man of stature nor the least, most pitiable person.

Deuteronomy 1:17b (ESV) You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God's. The judge should not fear any man, but trust in HaShem, whom he serves.

Deuteronomy 5:20 (ESV) “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Particularly in matters of law, but also among your community.

Leviticus 19:16 (ESV) You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life [blood] of your neighbor: I am the Lord. Do not carry tales, and especially not in court!

Deuteronomy 17:2-5 (ESV) “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing his covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. An argument could be made this only applies to ha’eretz, Israel. And at any rate we cannot stone people today. However we can remove such a person from our fellowship.

Deuteronomy 17:6 (ESV) On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. A death sentence requires at least two witnesses, three if for some reason one of the two is in any doubt.

Deuteronomy 19:15 (ESV) “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. One of the most important legal principles in Torah. Conviction requires sufficient proof.

Deuteronomy 17:11-12 (ESV) According to the instructions that they (priests and judges) give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. Again, a good argument can be made that this applies only to those in Israel. However we are not prohibited from enacting this into law as well.

Deuteronomy 19:11-13 (ESV) “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you. The penalty for premeditated murder is death, and the judge must not show pity.

Deuteronomy 19:16-19a,21 (ESV) If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. … Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Perjury should be treated as a very serious offense, including the death penalty in capital cases.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23b (ESV) “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. The Rabbinical interpretation of this is we should hang those stoned to death on a tree. Technically correct, but more than this I think we must understand the underlying principle here. One main purpose of punishing criminals is that we make an example of them. However leaving them to hang there and rot goes beyond an example; it is state sponsored terrorism. Bury the condemned man promptly before sunset and move on.

Leviticus 19:17-18 (ESV) “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. The terms “brother” and “neighbor” likely refer to all Israel, and particularly your own tribe, community, and finally family. We need to deal honestly and openly with each other, lest anger and finally violence erupt between us.

Leviticus 19:19 (ESV) “You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material. When looking at this passage we must keep it at the level of understanding of the ancient Hebrews. Most likely this does not mean breeding cattle for better production or performance, or crops for more resistance to disease or better flavor. It does mean cross breeding of different types, such as to get Tangelos or mules. Todays DNA experiments are absolutely a violation.

Leviticus 19:35-36 (ESV) “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Fair dealings in all our business.

Deuteronomy 23:15-16 (ESV) “You shall not give up to his master a [servant] who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him. Law concerning extradition. Asylum should be granted when the case warrants it. The Hebrew ‘ebed’ [servant] designates a range of social and economic roles.

Respect for Elders

Leviticus 19:32 (ESV) “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” We are to show respect for our elders.

Those in Authority

Exodus 22:28 (ESV) “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. The term נָשִׂיא nâsîyʼ, ruler could mean anyone in authority over you. However the term “God” here is interesting: אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym; plural; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty. Contextually this might better be applied to the gods of a land or again anyone in authority. When traveling in ancient times, it was well known one did not insult the gods of that land. Pagans for fear of angering them, but even Jews because to do so might anger the inhabitants and get you killed. I’d still say we should be careful not to anger the God of all creation by reviling His name.

Deuteronomy 17:14-15a (ESV)  “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. We elect our “kings,” but we’d do well to elect Godly politicians to public office.

Deuteronomy 17:15b (ESV) One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. No foreigner should rule you.

Deuteronomy 17:16-17 (ESV)  Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. Politicians should not get wealthy while in office.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (ESV) “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by [from before] the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. Yet another that could apply only to Israel, however it too would be good to adopt into our laws.

[alon]

Marriage & Divorce

Genesis 2:24 (ESV) Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And here we have the model for marriage: 1 man, 1 woman, 1 marriage, making 1 new family. God allowed multiple wives at times, but He never said we should have them. Looking at the examples where there were more than one wife, it caused a lot of problems.

Exodus 20:14 (ESV) “You shall not commit adultery.” The Hebrew term is נָאַף nâʼaph. It includes having relations with a married woman, but it also carries the connotations of apostatizing. This might be analogous to what we would call “alienation of affections.” We are responsible not only for our own families, but for our neighbors as well.

Deuteronomy 22:9 (ESV) “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard.” Some say this applies only to ha’eretz, others everywhere. It is one of those instructions we don’t understand the reason for as well, which tends to influence people’s decisions on whether it applies to us. This could also be a metaphor for mixed marriages with Gentiles.

Deuteronomy 22:10 (ESV)  You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. Obviously this won’t work, but I think the instruction here goes beyond just plowing:
2 Corinthians 6:14  Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Ancient Hebrews tended to speak allegorically or metaphorically, and the lessons in their statements/instructions/laws could hold many lessons in all areas of our lives.

Deuteronomy 22:11 (ESV) You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together. Popular wisdom is the fibers will shrink at different rates and the cloth be ruined; and this is true. But is it really talking about cloth here? Mark 2:21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. Say a much younger person marries an older one. Wouldn’t they be unequally yoked? Whether the marriage just puckers, or tears apart, there would be troubles ahead. How much more if a believer and unbeliever are married. So I believe these two (this and the previous) instructions to be connected.

Deuteronomy 22:11 (ESV)  “You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.” The law of tzitziyot repeated. But we are still talking about garments here; Numbers 15:38-39a “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord,” So could this be telling us to remember these instructions concerning our responsibility to God, our families, and communities?

Deuteronomy 24:4 (ESV) then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. She is permitted to remarry. “She has been defiled” is in regards to being remarried to her previous husband after having relations with another man.

Sexual Immorality

Exodus 22:16-17 (ESV) “If a man seduces a virgin [girl of marriageable age] who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins. A man who seduces a woman is civilly liable for it. Today this would especially apply if he gets her pregnant. This does not apply to an adult seducing a young girl, or if the woman is the seductress, except I’d say in the case of pregnancy provision should still be made for the child’s welfare.

Deuteronomy 5:18 (ESV)  “‘And you shall not commit adultery.” נָאַף nâ’aph; adultery; adulterer; to commit adultery; figuratively to apostatize

Deuteronomy 22:22 (ESV)  “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Hebrews 13:4a Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; Simple.

Deuteronomy 22:23-25 (ESV)  “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.” According to the laws of kiddushin, an engaged couple is as though they were married, they just have not consummated the union yet. So should they lie with another, they have the same as committed adultery. However note if there was evidence or even the possibility of rape she would be innocent. He would not be.

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 (ESV)  “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.” The Rabbis did not seem to think to “seize her” meant rape. While it does sound that way to western ears, I’d have to agree with them. I find it inconceivable that a woman should be sentenced to live the rest of her life with her rapist. But if a man convinces a woman to lie with him, he should be liable to marry her.

Deuteronomy 22:30 (ESV)  “A man shall not take his father's wife, so that he does not uncover his father's nakedness.” You should neither lust for nor lay with your fathers wife. Not just talking about incest here, but if he remarried this is the same.

Deuteronomy 23:17 (ESV) “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.” Cult prostitution had a religious component to it, so this was an abomination of two counts.

Lending

Exodus 22:25-27 (ESV) “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” Lend to those less fortunate with a compassionate heart.

Deuteronomy 15:7-9a,11 (ESV)  “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,  but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, … For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” We are to give to the poor among us. And God stressed this, saying it is a commandment.

Deuteronomy 23:19-20 (ESV) “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.” Your brother here is any member of your community or assembly of worship. At the time it would mean any Hebrew. “Foreigners as distinct from the resident alien who was part of Israel’s social fabric, participating fully in their social welfare system and protected by and subject to their laws.

Help Others

Exodus 23:4-5 (ESV) “If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.  If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.” Help even an enemy by returning livestock which got out. Help him remove the load of a beast that is down and cannot get up. In doing these things you also help the animals not to suffer or be injured.

Leviticus 23:22 (ESV) “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” Tzedikah, charity is again commanded.

Leviticus 25:35-37 (ESV) “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit." You are to help a brother without usury.

Treatment of Others

Exodus 22:21-24 (ESV) “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” We are to treat others fairly, as we would wish to be treated; under penalty of God’s wrath.

Leviticus 19:33-34 (ESV) “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Well treatment for visitors

Leviticus 19:11 (ESV) “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another." Honesty in all things.

Leviticus 19:13a (ESV) “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. Do not steal from a neighbor; further do not for jealousy or any reason hold him back in any honest endeavor.

Leviticus 19:13b (ESV) The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. Pay workers what is owed promptly.

Leviticus 19:14 (ESV) You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. Do not torment anyone with a disability.

Leviticus 19:26b (ESV) You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes. No arts of divination.

Leviticus 19:31 (ESV) “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.” Again, no black arts- this time we are not to have them done on our behalf.

Deuteronomy 10:19 (ESV) Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. Show love to foreigners.

Deuteronomy 22:1 (ESV) “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.” Make your property safe.

Treatment of Animals

Leviticus 22:27-28 (ESV)  “When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the Lord. But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day. Animals should be over 7 days old when killed, and no animal and its mother should be killed the same day.

Deuteronomy 22:6-7 (ESV) “If you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.” Do not kill both a mother and her young. It would be counterproductive, destroying your food chain. However since the context is clearly about useful animals, I do not think this would apply to pests such as rats and mice.

Inheritance

Numbers 27:8-11 (ESV) And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.  And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.  And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers.  And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the Lord commanded Moses.’” While inheritances are subject to the laws of our own lands today, still we can leave instructions in our wills to allocate our assets when we die. This is the biblical model for that allocation.

Deuteronomy 21:15-17 (ESV) “If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn, but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his. A man’s children by any woman are still his, and they should share in his all he has.

Property Laws

Deuteronomy 22:1 (ESV) “You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother.” Return lost property.

Deuteronomy 22:2 (ESV) And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it (the lost animal or object) home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. Care for lost property until it can be restored to its rightful owner. Today that might mean taking it to the authorities.

Deuteronomy 22:4 (ESV) You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again. Help others care for and protect their property. I see this as going past just helping an animal in distress. That’s important, as the beast could injure itself in its efforts to get up. But more than this, in rural areas where say there is a fire, everyone turns out to fight it as a community. You’d also help free an animal in distress, say caught in a fence.

Property Boundaries

Deuteronomy 19:14 (ESV) “You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess." This is given specifically for ha’eretz, however anywhere we should respect property boundaries.

Valuation of People

Leviticus 27:2-8 (ESV) “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, If anyone makes a special vow to the Lord involving the valuation of persons,  then the valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.  If the person is a female, the valuation shall be thirty shekels.  If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.  If the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation shall be three shekels of silver.  And if the person is sixty years old or over, then the valuation for a male shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.  And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford. Valuation of people. This becomes important when redeeming them, say in the case of the firstborn. Since before our conversion we probably did not do this for our own children, or for ourselves, the valuation of what is owed is based on their/our current value. Also for legal matters, such as restitution.

Numbers 22:12b (ESV) “You shall not curse the people [of Israel], for they are blessed.” Contextually this is speaking of an actual curse. But you don’t curse God’s people.

Numbers 33:52 (ESV) then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. We may not go forth and kill them today, but we should be out winning souls, bringing the truth to a lost world in our own back yard. Driving the enemy of our souls into hiding.

Deuteronomy 23:24 (ESV) “If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. If you go into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing grain.” Eat what you need or want at the time, but do not steal.

[alon]

This week we complete the category of Social Justice:

Restitution:

Exodus 21:33-34 (ESV) “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, the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his. Either the owner and the aggrieved parties must agree on damages, or the courts must adjudicate the damages. And the owner must pay. I’d say this applies to much more than a pit.

Exodus 21:35-36 (ESV) “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. 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 may not have many oxen today, but apply this law to a poorly maintained vehicle, or to a pet, such as a large dog.

Exodus 22:1 (ESV) “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. Courts must implement heavy punitive actions as well as criminal charges against a thief.

Exodus 22:2-4 (ESV) If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,  but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. [The thief] shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.  If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double. Thieves typically work at night, so I would interpret this as you have the right to protect your property as well as the lives entrusted to your care when someone is caught in the act. But you do not have the right to hunt them down later and kill them. That is a matter for the law. The law should also impose heavy criminal and civil actions against the thief.

Exodus 22:5 (ESV) “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard. Courts must determine damages caused by another’s carelessness, such as allowing an animal to get out, and impose them on the guilty party.

Exodus 22:6 (ESV) “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution. This would probably be for a carelessly set fire. Arson would, I should think be a much more serious crime.

Exodus 22:7-9 (ESV) “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.  If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property.  For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor. Any breach of trust is a very serious crime before God. It should be so in our courts as well. Theft is also obviously a serious crime.

Exodus 22:10-13 (ESV) “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn. If property is entrusted to someone and is lost or damaged by fault of the trustee, it is his responsibility to repay the owner. If through no fault of his own, then he is not responsible. If however he steals or intentionally damages it, that would be a breach of trust.

Exodus 22:14-15 (ESV) “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee. If you borrow it, you are responsible for it until it is returned. If it is hired out, especially with the owner, then it is the owners responsibility

Leviticus 6:2-5a (NASB) “When a person sins and acts unfaithfully against the Lord, and deceives his companion in regard to a deposit or a security entrusted to him, or through robbery, or if he has extorted from his companion,  or has found what was lost and lied about it and sworn falsely, so that he sins in regard to any one of the things a man may do;  then it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall restore what he took by robbery or what he got by extortion, or the deposit which was entrusted to him or the lost thing which he found,  or anything about which he swore falsely; he shall make restitution for it in full and add to it one-fifth more. He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day he presents his guilt offering. We are responsible for the property of others which may come into our care, whether by design or by accident. We must confess our sins individually and make restitution to men when possible, and to God.

Leviticus 24:17 (ESV) “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death." This is one our legal system (and we as voters) should push hard- the death penalty for murderers.

Leviticus 24:18 (ESV) Whoever takes an animal's life shall make it good, life for life. Speaks of animals as property. Kill another's animal, you must replace it with one of at least equal value.

Leviticus 24:19-20 (ESV)(P) If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. In our legal system we must pay for injuries to others both with jail time and paying damages.

Numbers 5:6-8 (ESV) “Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him. Confess to whoever is necessary in order to fulfill the commandment. Certainly to God in prayer. Then if someone is harmed to the aggrieved party. And to the priest or Rabbi in the case of vs. 8.

Indentured Servants:

Exodus 21:2 (ESV) When you buy a Hebrew slave [bond-servant], he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. According to the footnotes, the Hebrew term ‘ebed designates a range of social and economic roles. In terms relevant to today, I’d say this means do not treat employees as slaves. They owe you an hours work for an hours pay, and at the end of the day they go home and live and do as they want.

Exodus 21:3-6 (ESV) If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.  If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone.  But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’  then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever. A bit tougher, because today we do not “own” anyone in most western countries. Even in Israel then, those “slaves” were considered part of the masters household and not as we understand the term today. The principle seems to be that all the produce of the time spent in the employ/service of another belongs to him. Then it included the produce of a marriage.

Exodus 21:7-10 (ESV)  “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.  If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her.  If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money. This speaks to fair treatment of those in our charge.

Exodus 21:12-14 (ESV) “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die. Again, do not commit murder, including manslaughter. However self defense is excusable if the assailant dies.

Exodus 21:15,17 (ESV) “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death. … “Whoever curses [Or dishonors, reviles] his father or his mother shall be put to death. The seriousness of honoring your father and mother is here emphasized in these extreme examples. Practically, today they should be disinherited by family and disfellowshipped in our assemblies.

Exodus 21:16 (ESV) “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death. Law against human trafficking. This should be reflected in our own laws, including the penalty; death!

Exodus 21:18 (ESV) “When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed. You are to be held responsible for the harm you do to others.

Exodus 21:20 (ESV) “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money. Even bondservants (not “slaves”) should be avenged if killed by their master. No one because of position or title is above the law.

Exodus 21:22 (ESV) “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. But if there is harm [so that her children come out and it is clear who was to blame, he shall be fined as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he alone shall pay. If it is unclear who was to blame], then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Protection for the unborn and for the mother is absolutely required under the law.

Exodus 21:26 (ESV) “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.  If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth. We are held accountable for damages done to those in our charge.

Exodus 21:28-32 (ESV) “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. 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. If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him. If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule. 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. No owner should benefit when his ox (or other property) kills another. He should be held accountable under our laws to both correct the problem (stone the ox) and for damages, and in the case of negligence for murder, if applicable.

Leviticus 25:39-43 (ESV)  “If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers. For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God. “Your brother” refers to other Jews. A Jew is not to “own” other Jews as slaves. They were indentured servants, and treated as anyone else working for wages until their debt was paid or the Yovel. For us, this would mean Messianic believers first, then Jews and Christians. We take care of our own first, as they are brothers in The God of Israel.

Leviticus 25:44-46 (ESV)  As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly. Goyim, those of the nations can be owned in perpetuity as slaves, but a Jew cannot own another Jew. We are to treat believers who work for us as God’s own first.

Leviticus 25:47-49 (ESV)  “If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger's clan, then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him, or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or a close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he grows rich he may redeem himself. Sojourners in the land (Yisroel) are subject to the same laws as an Israelite who buys a Hebrew as an indentured servant. So foreign employers are subject to our laws when doing business here.

Leviticus 25:53-55 (ESV) He shall treat him as a worker hired year by year. He shall not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight. And if he is not redeemed by these means, then he and his children with him shall be released in the year of jubilee. For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Those who work for us serve God first. Keeping them late on Friday, working them hard for little pay so they have nothing to give in His service is wrong.

Warfare

Deuteronomy 7:2c (ESV) … You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. Contextually this speaks of those we have conquered in His Name. We, with the Ruach share in Yeshua’s conquering of sin when we accepted Him. Therefore we should not compromise with sin. And when dealing with the world, I have a saying, “Never compromise with evil.”

Deuteronomy 20:1 (ESV) “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. When faced with overwhelming odds, trust God.

Deuteronomy 20:2-4 (ESV)  And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’ We have chaplains. They should be men of courage and conviction, and should not be restricted in ministering to their charges.

Deuteronomy 20:10-11 (ESV)  “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. Aways try for peace first, and if your enemy surrenders treat them accordingly; fairly, honorably, and with a degree of compassion.

Deuteronomy 20:12-13 (ESV)  But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, Belligerent forces are treated more sternly.

Deuteronomy 23:9 (ESV) “When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.” Not being home where everyone can see you does not mean you can do as you please. If we expect God to fight with us, we must remain a holy, set apart people.

Deuteronomy 23:12 (ESV) “You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement.” Latrines should be established outside the camp when in the field militarily.

Environment

Genesis 1:26-27; 2:15 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created *man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. … The Lord God took the *man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. *The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind, and becomes the proper name Adam. We have a responsibility before God to care for our environment.