Wednesday; September 2
When God was establishing a criminal and civil framework for the people of Israel, He established the Law of Retaliation. After laying down specific penalties for certain actions, to make sure justice was served His people were told, “But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” (Exodus 21:23-25). Throughout history this principle has been used to promote retaliation; however, there is another aspect to this – restraint. Inherent in this teaching is an equity for damage done. In essence it was an eye for an eye, not a life for an eye. There was not to be any one-upsmanship for revenge or excess punitive damages. It was about making someone whole, not making someone pay. When Jesus laid the foundation for a better way to live, He suspended the “eye for an eye” doctrine by teaching, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for