Exodus and the Law

Exodus and the Law
Dectective Robert R. Surgenor

One of the most important things to a police officer is his knowledge of the law. I studied the law on a daily basis while on the job, familiarizing myself with the court system in our society, along with local, state, and federal laws. As a Christian, I quickly recognized the similarities between our current legal system and the system instituted by God, given to Moses during Israel's journey in the wilderness.

The workings of our current court system were founded in Exodus Chapter 18. Moses was overworked as a judge. He was becoming weary hearing cases between disputing Israelites. A suggestion on how to alleviate this workload was made by Moses' father-in-law, Jethro. In verse 14 we read, "And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?" Moses answers in verse 15, "And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws."

Dad-in-law was quick to point out that being a judge 24/7 was going to cause a major burnout. He says in verse 17, "The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone:"

Jethro then suggests the first law school. He felt that it was important for certain people to become well versed in God's statutes. Verse 20 reads, "And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do." Jethro then lays out the structure for a court system. We read in verse 21, "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee." Here we have the first network of lower and higher courts, similar to our Municipal Courts ("every small matter they shall judge") all the way up to the Federal Supreme Court ("every great matter they shall bring unto thee").

The book of Exodus also clears up many controversial topics being tossed about by today's legal system. Numerous courts on the state and federal level have heard the subject of capitol punishment. At the site of a pending execution of a murderer, you will see a person carrying a sign that states, "Thou shalt not kill." Taken from a verse located in Exodus, the sign holder is trying hard to convince the viewers that the Bible teaches that executing a murderer is wrong.

The verse referred to in the protester's sign is taken from the book of Exodus, chapter 20, verse 13. The verse, "Thou shalt not kill," is part of the Ten Commandments. It is one of the prohibitions given to man by God on Mount Sinai. Carved into the tablets of stone and provided to Moses, these Commandments have been the basic building blocks for all of our current laws, ordinances, and statutes.

If you study the ordinance book in your city, you will realize that it is separated into separate sections. Each one of these sections includes an offense portion of the code and a penalty portion of the code. The offense section comes first, followed by the penalty section.

Much like our present day law books, the book of Exodus is separated into different sections. In chapter 20, God gives us the offense section, detailing the restrictions set on our behavior. It is in this section that we are instructed, "Thou shalt not kill." In the original Hebrew text, the word for "kill" is "ratsach," (pronounced raw-tsakh), which means to unjustly take a life. Like any restrictions set up by any governmental agency, this commandment expresses the will of the controlling agency.

If you look up the traffic offense code in your state, you will find the restrictions listed along with a code number. In Ohio, you will find the restriction on exceeding the speed limit on public highways under section 4511.21 of the traffic code. You have to look a bit further to find the penalty section. There, you will find the punishment you can expect if you get caught by the police officer violating the speeding restriction.

It is in the following section, chapter 21 of the book of Exodus, that we are given the penalty section. Exodus 21:2 reads, "Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them." God is instructing Moses to put before the people the penalty section for the offenses he has just described in the Ten Commandments. The penalty section describes the punishment for offenses against persons, property, and humanity.

In Exodus chapter 21, we are given the penalty for murder. Exodus 21:12 reads, "He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death." The word "smiteth," in the original Hebrew text is "nakah," (pronounced naw-kaw), which means to intentionally physically attack. This eliminates the possibility that the act was an accident. The verse indicates that a person who murders another person "shall be surely put to death." This instruction doesn't say that the murderer should "maybe" be put to death, it says "surely."

The rest of the penalty section in Exodus addresses the consequences for violations of other restriction. The text is clear. If you do the crime, you do the time. Exodus 21:23-25 states "thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." Is there any question here about crimes and penalties?

The Lacy Peterson murder has dominated the headlines during the past several months. One of the objections of the pro-abortion crowd is the fact that Scott Peterson is being charged with a double murder, which enables the state to impose the death penalty for the crime. Abortion advocates say the fetus is a tissue mass. To admit that the fetus is a person would cast some doubt on the morality of the abortion procedure.

The penalty section of the Ten Commandments is the first indication given by God that the fetus is something that should be protected. Exodus 21: 22 says, "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished." The term "and yet no mischief follow" refers to the woman who suffers no permanent injury. This verse clearly shows that the destruction of a fetus carries with it punishment by the court.

It would benefit our present day judges to study the Bible. They would learn more about our legal system than they learned in law school!