Exodus 21-22

Exodus 21-22

Much of this may seem unimportant to us.  I mean, we aren’t under the law any more, right?  At first, I didn’t really know what I was going to write about, but I think that what we can glean from verses like these is that we should always be quick to make restitution for any wrongs that we have committed against others.

I remember my dad was going to do some work around the house, so he borrowed a wheelbarrow from a friend.  It was an older wheelbarrow with wooden handles.  The wood was definitely weathered  and rotten on the inside.   When my dad went to lift the wheelbarrow after putting the first load of dirt in, the handles snapped in half.  Now, my dad could have brought the wheelbarrow back to his friend and showed him the rotten handles that broke on the very first use.   Instead he went to Home Depot, bought new wood, and fastened new handles to the wheelbarrow.  My dad’s friend was surprised that he received the wheelbarrow in better condition than when he had given it to my dad.  But it was the right thing to do, so that there would be no bad blood or bitterness between my dad and his friend. 

I also found it interesting that nowhere in these verses is the word “forgiveness” mentioned?  You see, it is important to recognize that if you wrong someone in some way, restitution must be made, even if you have been forgiven.  The person wronged must be made whole again, and be made whole at the expense of the person who caused the issue. 

We saw in these two chapters what type of payment must be made as restitution for certain types of situations; but what type of payment must be made when we sin against God? 

There was only one payment that would satisfy God.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for us when he died on the cross for our sins.