Day 1211: Responsibility and restitution - Exodus 21 vs 28 - 36

28-30 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.

31-32 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[d] of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33-34 “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.

35-36 “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. Exodus 21:28-36 English Standard Version

In Genesis 9:5 we read how God said to Noah “for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning; from every beast I will require it, and from man.” An the reason was because mankind was made in the image of God. One can understand how this would apply to wild beasts such as lions and bears. But Moses sets out how it applies to domestic animals as well. What is the important distinction he makes if an ox gored someone to death? (vs 28-30)

Responsibility for the ox must be taken into account. If the ox had been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner had been warned but had not kept it in, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death! However, even here we see that the life of man is of more value than the life of a beast. A ransom was permitted that his life be spared. The ransom could be costly as it was whatever was imposed upon him. The flesh of an ox that was stoned was not to be eaten. It could not be sold off and some profit made.

We're not told if the people mentioned in vs 31-32 were gored to death, or just injured. But the same rules would apply, and the ox would be stoned. But now we see that restitution was to be made in the form of a payment to the owner of the slave. This principle of making restitution is continued in vs 33-34 where a man who'd left a pit uncovered was obliged to restore to the owner the value of any animal that fell into the pit and died. This policy was extended to any animal that was responsible for the death of another animal. (vs 35-36)

What was the difference between an ox that caused the death of another animal, and one that caused the death of a human being?

The ox that was responsible was not put to death, but sold. Once again we see the difference God puts on the death of an animal, compared to the death of a person. We live at a time when organisations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) often miss this point. Jesus said “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep!” (Matthew 12:11-12) Human beings take priority in God’s eyes.

But the important lesson that emerges here is that of responsibility. We ought not to be like the man who didn't keep his dangerous ox safely away from people or other animals, or the one who left a pit uncovered. How true this is for the owners of dangerous dogs! And where a human life has been lost, there ought to be severe repercussions. Animals should always be looked after in a responsible way. But the lives of men, women and children should always be our first concern! It was of them that Jesus said: “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)