The Call of Moses: The Second Excuse: Authority (Ex.3)

Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them,`The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me,`What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" (Exo 3:13)

"So, who are You?" Moses asks the Lord. In response, God gives to Moses a three-fold revelation of Himself.

1. He IS that He IS. The FINAL Authority of Mission. He replies, "I AM WHO I AM."..."Thus you shall say to the children of Israel,`I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exo 3:14). This reveals the ESSENTIAL IDENTITY of God. He cannot be identified with any definition because His existence is not dependent on anything outside Himself. My existence is dependent on many factors. So, if someone asks me who I am, I would reply saying, "I am the son of so and so, I live in such and such place, and I do such and such job or work for so and so...." This would still be only one aspect of the many things that makes me who I am. There are many defining factors. In fact, the very basic statement, "I am a human being" is a highly contingent or dependent statement; its meaning is dependent on a number of things like "mortal being," "rational being," "social being," "biped being," etc. However, God cannot be defined because He is that He is.

The gods of the world had contingent identities: god of river, god of pestilence, god of harvest, god of war, god of love, god of death, and so on. But, the ALMIGHTY ONE is the NECESSARY being. He is not existence; but, there is no existence without Him. He IS that He IS.

He is the self-existing, self-sufficient, self-contained, self-content one.

2. He is YHWH God of their fathers, The RIGHTFUL Authority of the Mission. "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob". This reveals the RELATIONAL IDENTITY of God to Israel. YHWH is the God of Covenants. It is the Name which He revealed when He swore by Himself to Abraham, an oath that is impossible to be broken (Gen.22:15-17; 26:3; Heb.6:13-17).

Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only [son -- ] "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which [is] on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. (Gen.22:15-17)
For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you."... For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation [is] for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it [is] impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before [us.] (Heb.6:13-18)

God reveals two things about His Name YHWH:

• This is His name forever. (Exo 3:15)
• This is His memorial to all generations. (Exo 3:15)

Scholars have believed that the name YHWH may mean "The Existing One", which relates to His declaration that He is I AM [EHYH] THAT I AM [EHYH]. In that case, we have a linguistic relation [HEBREW] as well. However, God precedes humans and all human languages. Therefore, it is dangerous to sacralize any human language as being divine. For instance, the Name JESUS is Y'SHUA in Hebrew, but the New Testament calls Him as IESOUS. Now, there are some who feel that there is something to the Hebrew language [in the same way as Muslims regard Arabic as heavenly and Hindus regard Sanskrit as heavenly]. However, the Bible discourages such thinking by asserting God as the God not just of the Jews but also of the Gentiles. The New Testament gift of tongues actually transcends all human language barriers. The Age of the Holy Spirit is the Age of Gospel to All Nations. And, this is part of the Abrahamic Covenant: "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham." (Gal 3:8-9)

At this point, prior to the Exodus, this declaration of God affirms God's relation with the children of Israel by His covenant with their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the God of their fathers. This was His relational identity with them.

We must contrast this with the New Testament declarations of God's relational identity with the church. He is not the God of our fathers; but, He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This speaks about relationship with us by the New Covenant. Also, God is referred to as "our Father", i.e. through Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2Co 1:2-3 NKJ)
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever (2Co 11:31)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 1:2)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3)
We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you (Col 1:3)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phm 1:3)

Certainly, Jesus Christ is the One of whom God did say, "My name is in Him. (Exo 23:21)

and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (1Co 10:4)

Moses was being sent by YHWH with a mission of deliverance; but, the True Deliverer, the Heir, was to come. And, in His Name is Everlasting Life. (Hebrews 3:1-19)

The Bible declares why God send Moses to save Israel out of Egypt.

...because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power (Deu 4:37)

The Bible also declares why God sent His Son to save us from our sins.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (Joh 3:16 NKJ)

God had the Reason to Send Moses on this Mission: He Loved the Fathers.
God has the Reason why He sent Jesus Christ and will send Him again: His Love Us.

How much more shall we not love and await His Second Coming!?

3. HE has the Mission Plan. HE is the PERFECT Architect of the Mission.
God reveals to Moses His plan how to declare His Name (Exod.3:16-22). The commission was two-fold:

• Declare to the Elders what the God of their fathers had Declared (Exod.3:16-17)
• Declare to Pharaoh what the God of the Hebrews had Demanded (Exod.3:18).

The Servant of God doesn't need to be worried how to carry out God's commission. The One Who IS (In Himself) beyond all time and space, The One Who Is Our God (In Relation Through His Blood Covenant) Knows all things, Controls all things, and has Predestined His people to be saved.

This doesn't mean that all who are delivered out of Egypt will enter the Promised Land; but, only those who persevere in faith.

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. (Jud 1:5 NKJ)
whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. (Heb 3:6)
For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end (Heb 3:14)
if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard (Col 1:23)

God is the FINAL AUTHORITY of Mission.
God is the RIGHTFUL AUTHORITY of Mission.
God is the PERFECT ARCHITECT of Mission.

The Call of Moses: The First Excuse (Exodus 3)

Exodus 3 and 4 record God's call of Moses to deliver the people of Israel and lead them into the Promised Land.

Background

Hebrews 11:23 tells us that the parents of Moses were strong believers.

Hebrews 11:24-26 tells us that when the time came for Moses to choose, he "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. (Heb 11:24-26)

In other words, Moses was a person who made a honest choice to follow Christ and His path of suffering. It is wrong to imagine that if Moses would have been patient and not killed the Egyptian he would have become the next Pharaoh. The Bible says that He actually made the choice to refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. It seems that Egyptian politics was deeply tied with their polytheistic religion that in a way also deified, to some extent, the Pharaoh. It is possible that there came a point in Moses' life where identification with the palace meant identification with the Egyptian religion; therefore, he had to make a choice between Christ and Belial. His chose faith in Christ.

The Call

Moses was 40 when he fled Egypt. Moses was 80 when God called him.

It is interesting that in one of Moses' songs, he says that "The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years" (Psa 90:10 NKJ). But, God called Moses when he was 80, i.e. the age when according to his own song, he was supposed to anticipate the end of life and entry into the grave. But, God's ways are above man's ways. Moses' life was not wasted while in preparation for God's work.

When God called Moses, he was still tending the sheep of his father-in-law. From human perspective, he was a very non-prospective person who was not able, in his lifetime, to move from tending someone else' flock to having his own flock. How can he, at age 80, still be tending the flock of his father-in-law! What dependency! Also, it doesn't seem at any case that his condition was going to improve. He still worked for someone and had no business of his own. Imagine that when we can look around and find young men and women in their twenties who have businesses or "ministries" of their own. But, nobody in the world imagined that God was preparing Moses to lead over 600,000 men, besides women and children out of Egypt into the Promised Land. God had designed him to lead an entire nation and pastor the biggest church in history. Also, did anyone know that Moses would lay the legal and doctrinal foundation of the nation of Israel. In process of time, whenever people would refer to the Law, they would refer to it as Moses. The Bible tells us that Moses was faithful in all his house (Heb.3:2).

Man judges by appearance, but God knows His plan for every child that comes into the world. Isn't it most beautiful to read that when Moses was born, his parents acted by faith to protect him because they saw that he was a beautiful child? (Heb.11:23). Only the eyes of faith can see the beauty that is truly beautiful in God's eyes.

The Drawing

God knew how to draw Moses' attention to Himself. He came to him in the burning bush, a bush that burnt but wasn't consumed by the fire (Exod 3:2). This attracted Moses. What is the burning bush in your life that God has used to draw your attention to Himself?

So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."
Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." (Exo 3:4-5 NKJ)

The first thing Moses encounters when He meets God is the holiness of God. The holiness of God becomes an important theme throughout the Bible, in a very special way, from this time forth. God is holy. His law is holy. His people are holy. His gives laws of holiness, instructions to build a holy tabernacle, instructions for a holy priesthood. Holiness is a theme that echoes through the prophets. Isaiah 6 talks about a vision of God's holiness that shatters the self-image of the prophet. It is impossible to be a servant of God, to serve God without first having a transforming encounter with the holiness of God. God is holy in His character, in His acts, in His word. A man who loses sight of God's holiness will fall from grace.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2Pe 1:8-11 NKJ)

The First Excuse: Identity

God says to Moses:
"I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." (Exo 3:7-10 NKJ)

Moses responds with the question, "Who am I..." (Exo 3:11)

It is important for us to understand that God doesn't send His servant on His mission because the servant has great passion for souls; He sends because God has the passion for souls and the lost sheep belong to Him. Jonah had no desire to go to Nineveh. But, God sent him because God wanted Nineveh to be saved. We were all under the cloud of destruction, but God sent His only Son because He loved us. Moses doesn't seem to show any desire for this mission. He seems to have no passion at all. But, God calls him and sends him. It is because He has heard the cry of the people for deliverance. The eyes of mission must be focused on the Great Sender, the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

Moses does ask a genuine question, "Who am I..." He is a nobody in the worldly sense. He is no savior-metal. He is an old man. He may be at the point of death. And then, he is disconnected from the people of Israel for decades. He's just a small shepherd looking after his father-in-law's flock. Who was he?

It is interesting to see that God never tells Moses who he is. What we are and who we are doesn't determine God's calling. His calling determines who we are. It is wrong to count our background, abilities, talents, prowess, intelligence, or whatever in the matter of divine calling. He doesn't call us because of who we are. His calling gives us the identity.

God's answer is simple: "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." (Exo 3:12)

God doesn't tell Moses, "Have you forgotten all your training in Egypt? You are Moses, the one taken out of water. You are that Moses who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. (Act 7:22) Not just that, you have the experience of this wilderness. There is none like you. You cannot see what you have in you. But, I can see the greatness that is in you. I can see the deliverer that is in you. Know yourself!"

Familiar with this? This is the gospel of false self-confidence. We see social media bombarded with these statements all the time: "Greatness that is in you" "Have confidence in yourself" "Believe in yourself". G.K. Chesterton once said that those who have strong self-confidence are usually found in a mental asylum. God is not interested in building the false self-confidence of Moses. God's call of Moses is not based on the training of Moses, the skills of Moses, the education of Moses, the connections of Moses. He is not called to rely on them. They all are fallible. God's call of Moses is based on God Himself, "I will certainly be with you...."

Isn't this beautiful? This is the only valid NT identity. God with us! Emmanuel.

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Act 10:38, bold emphasis mine)

"And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Mat 28:20)

The first excuse of Moses was "Who am I?"
God's answer is "I will certainly be with you."

Mission is not about me and my skills and abilities. Mission is about God's presence in the world in redemptive action.

I AM THAT I AM

"I AM THAT I AM" is the Name by which God introduced Himself to Moses. The exact passage is:

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. (Ex.3:13,14)

This is the Name by which only God can introduce Himself.

If somebody asked me who I am, I might answer by telling that I am the son of so and so, or that my profession is such and such, or that I work at such and such, etc. My identity is dependent on a host of other things. The technical term is “contingency”. My identity is contingent upon a number of other factors.

However, God’s identity is not dependent on anything else. He is who He is! As Ravi Zacharias said, “God is the only being in existence, the reason for whose existence lies within himself.” God’s identity is absolute, independent, and final – He is the Beginning and End of all things. In the ultimate sense, in fact, it is from Him that all things derive their particular identity.

“For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

He is self-sufficient, self-contained, and self-satisfied eternally – in need of nothing. He is the great I AM!

I AM THAT I AM (Ex. 3:14)

This is the Name by which God introduced Himself to Moses. The exact passage is:

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. (Ex.3:13,14)

This is the Name by which only God can introduce Himself.

If somebody asked me who I am, I might answer by telling that I am the son of so and so, or that my profession is such and such, or that I work at such and such, etc. My identity is dependent on a host of other things. The technical term is "contingency". My identity is contingent upon a number of other factors.

However, God's identity is not dependent on anything else. He is who He is! As Ravi Zacharias said, "God is the only being in existence, the reason for whose existence lies within himself." God's identity is absolute, independent, and final - He is the Beginning and End of all things. In the ultimate sense, in fact, it is from Him that all things derive their particular identity.

"For in him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28)

He is self-sufficient, self-contained, and self-satisfied eternally - in need of nothing. He is the great I AM!

11 Lessons from the Journey of Israel

1. Exo. 14:10-12
Don't panic at your SITUATION
God is never late for SALVATION
He is the ARCHITECT of Time

2. Exo. 14:13
When all you can do is nothing, then be silent and wait patiently on the Lord
(Ps.40:1; Job)

3. Exo.14:15
When professional logic says "It is impossible", God will lead you to do what seems crazy and impossible; because God's crazy ways are remarkable.
(walking on water! mud-spit....)
--However, waiting doesn't mean doing nothing (Keep preparing, practicing)

4. Exo. 15:22-27
When you face a problem, choose what you'll let it do to you, make you.
- You didn't choose the problem, but you can choose your reactions
- You can't control times, but you can compose your responses
- You either turn pain into profanity or into poetry, the choice is yours (Robert Schuller)

5. Exodus 16
Happiness is the balance between Vision and Commitment
Killer fantasies create lack of contentment
Commitment= Contentment + Godliness

6. Exodus 17
Faith never tests God (Heb.11:6)

7. Exodus 32
Divine silence doesn't mean He has not been active
(Remember the ram in Abraham and Isaac's story... It was climbing up from the other side, while they were on this side)
The visible is not the only reality.

8. Exodus 32:26
Your faithfulness to God alters your history and makes you distinct
(Gen.49:6,7)

9. Numbers 13
Only the Valiant and the Violent take the Kingdom of God by force.
(Eph.6:1, Matt.11:12)

10. Numbers 16
(Korah, Dathan, Abiram)
God has an authority structure, Never despise authority

11. Numbers 20
The pulpit is not the place to show your personal frustration
-Serve God as He desires, not as you feel.

The Law Against Deliberate Murder (Exodus 21:12-14)

THE BOOK

The passage is taken from the book of Exodus which forms the second book in the Pentateuch. The name “Exodus” comes from the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament and means “exit” or “departure”. This name was also retained by the Vulgate, the Latin version, by the Jewish author Philo, and by the Syriac version. The name of the book in Hebrew is taken from the first words of the text: “And these are the names of” (We’elleh Shemoth) or simply Shemoth. The Pentateuch (i.e., “the five books) is in the Hebrew known as Torah, which means “Law”, “instruction”, “teaching”.[1]

AUTHOR
The traditional belief is that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible (i.e., the Pentateuch). The NT writers believed that to be true (Lk.2:22-23; Jn.7:19; Acts 3:22).[2]

DATE AND PLACE OF WRITING
The date of writing can be inferred to between Moses’ eightieth birthday and his one hundred and twentieth birthday, when he died, just as the wilderness wandering was drawing to a close (Deut. 34:7).[3] It was, then written in the wilderness, about 1406 B.C.

RECEPIENTS
Without any doubt, the Israelites in the wilderness on their way to Canaan.

THE CONTEXT
The passage is from the section called as the Book of the Covenant (Ex.20:22-23:33). The people of Israel are on the way to Canaan after a miraculous deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. They have seen the hand of God in all these and have seen it as more powerful than the gods of Egypt. God went before them and continued to provide them with bread, meat, and water. They had also fought a battle with the Amalekites and won it (17:8-13). About seven weeks after the Exodus (Ex.19:1) they arrived at the desert of Sinai, “the desert in front of the mountain”. This desert is called er-Raha (meaning “the palm [of a hand]”) in that it is a flat plain about five thousand feet above sea level and stretches over four hundred acres almost like an amphitheater with additional areas in adjoining valleys. It is a matter of controversy as to which mountain Moses refers to when he speaks of the Mount Sinai. Most scholars prefer to identify Sinai with Gebel Musa because of its relation to the plain (20:18 “they stayed at a distance”) and because of its imposing granite formations.[4] There in that mountain God gave to Moses the Ten Commandments and commanded him to speak to the Israelites what came to be known as the Book of the Covenant. The whole mountain was enveloped with smoke and quaked greatly; there were thundering and lightning and an increasing sound as of a trumpet. Here God gave His people a law, so that they may not become lawless and depraved, a law that distinguished them from the rest of the people of the world, in that this law proceeded and was given by God Himself by revelation. And the foremost commandment was to worship YHWH God alone and bow down before no other gods. This Book of Covenant and adherence to it would determine a lot the standing of the Israelites in relation to their God. It should be noted that the Law is for the people of Israel, as a community, nation, and people.

THE TEXT
"¹²Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. ¹³However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate. ¹⁴But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death.” (Exo 21:12-14, NIV)

EXEGESIS

The Crime           :               Homicide
Penalty                 :               Death

The law demands that the murderer be “surely” put to death. The KJV, Amplified, NASV, and the NIV include the word “surely”; whereas, the RSV omits the word.

The presence of the word “surely” is significant; it means “without any question or doubt,” “certainly”. The meaning the author intended may all be in this one word.

1. “The murderer must without doubt be put to death” would reflect the law of retaliation embedded in every man. It may even be called knowledge a priori (before any experience) though it seems and finds its expression after the experience. The evidence may be traced to the account of Abel’s murder and Cain’s fear of seeming retaliation (Gen.4:14); though there may be variance in interpretations. But the law is made evident in Gen.9:4-6; the reason is given, “man man made in God’s won image” – the crime of homicide is against even the desire of God: that men be fruitful and increase in number. If verse 12 were understood in this line [with an understanding of God’s covenant with Abraham and as such the importance of the law in the community of Israel] the meaning may be inferred as: “¹²That life must be paid with life is axiomatic and without doubt certain, the murderer must surely be put to death.  ¹³But…” and what would follow would be an answer to the ethical question: “How much is a man guilty and responsible for an offence?” “Who would actually deserve capital punishment?” It should be noted that this Law endorses capital punishment.

Verse 12 then may mean a statement of veracity and endorsement, of non-contradiction, of the law embedded in the very nature of man. The law is presented in an unconditional way but its applications to specific situations and thus its relativity will be discussed in verses 13,14.

1. The second approach to construe the verse can be with reference to the existing law codes of the then existing people groups and the significance of the law in the Israelite community.

One thing in common among the already existing law codes of the people around Israelites at that time, as distinct to the Mosaic Law Code, is their overstatement or understatement of penalty for crime. The Mosaic Law Code prescribes the principle of equal justice for all. That is, the penalty must match the crime. The penalty must not be more than the crime merits; thus, life is to be repaid with life. Secondly, and most importantly is the relationship of the Law and the people with God. God, in contrast to the heathenic tribes, is the source of this law for His people. The Law, therefore, is intended to fulfill His purpose and will, in contrast to the autonomous law systems of the pagans.[5] God’s word is authoritative and infallible: man’s reason, finite and fallible.

Then verse 12 would be the statement of God’s will and true justice. The people of Israel as a whole will be held accountable for the implementation of justice. There must be no trifling, exaggerating, and carelessness concerning the Law. The murderer, for the sake of justice (not merely consequences), ought to die and must surely be put to death. And thus keeping justice (as God’s approval and Will – He is the Ultimate Judge) in mind, the following verses 13,14 would be what God describes as the implementation of this true law of justice to people and situations: Where does it apply? To whom?

NOTE: The word “strikes” is relative to the dignity value of the person in view; so that if a man strikes his parents he is liable to death (v 15), which is the just penalty in correspondence to the act and the dignity value of the man to the parent.

Verse 13 and 14, in contrast to verse 12, can be referred to as casuistic law. That is, instead of making a generalization, a casuistic law addresses itself to a specific situation.[6] The condition is seen in the word “if”.

The two key phrases are: “did not lie in wait for him” (NASV), “does not do it intentionally” (NIV); and “God let him fall into his hand” (NASV), “God lets it happen” (NIV).

Unintentionality: “Additional expressions of unintentionality are found in Numbers 35:22-23: “unintentionally” (belosediyyah, lit., “without design”); “without seeing” (beloreo’th, “without knowledge”).[7] A murder that is caused unintentionally does not fall under the law of equal retaliation, as a matter of fact consideration; for murder to be murder fist must proceed “out of the heart” and be intentional (cp. Mark 7:21). The will of man as involved in a n action and, thus, his responsibility to the act is given importance here.

God lets it happen (weha ‘elohim innah leyado) is an event beyond human control (“an act of God”).[8] The meaning is that what is done unintentionally is not crime in fact (indeed); but is what God lets to happen (not what chances to happen—that’s human perspective); and therefore, God gives the solution to this situation. It should be noted that this law is much expanded in Numbers 36:10-33, where in v.27 we see that if the “avenger of blood” (it may be the victim’s relative or friend) slays the murderer (though the murder be unintentional) finding him without the city of refuge, the place God has designated for him, he will not be guilty of murder. For the avenger, as it can be construed, would be functioning according to the law of retaliation triggered by his own emotions and reasons; and thus from his own perspective the act would be justified: for the Law prescribes the solution, safety is only in the place God has designated, and outside the city of refuge the man is responsible for his life—he has not kept himself under the limits of security. The person must remain in that place for protection until duly tried and if found to be guilty, he will be handed over to death (v.14).

NOTE: Moses’ concept of the will of man and the sovereign will of God. What happens not by man’s intentions happens by the will of God; and yet man is responsible for the act (in the sense that if he is slain without the city of refuge, he who slays it for vengeance is not guilty of his blood). But where an act is intentionally done, the man becomes directly responsible and is accountable to the court of God.

Two key words are “schemes” and “deliberately”. This is an inference to cold-blooded murder; well-plotted act of crime. That that murderer is dangerous to society is self-evident, but even more is the kind of nature he inherits, the nature of the crime, and his total rebellion against the will of God. This kind of man has no reverence, neither for God nor for his fellowmen. He must be eliminated.

Secondly, this kind of murderer must not be let go without justice being done. The avenger will slay him so that the law of retaliation be fulfilled.

The phrase “take him away from My altar” can be interpreted as an expression of God’s hatred for such kind of crime, God’s intolerance of the presence of such criminal near His altar. The altar was a place of protection to which the accused would flee for protection (cp. 1Kgs.1:50). “No sanctuary—even at the altar itself (cf.1Kgs.1:51; 2:28)—was to be given to the deliberate murderer.”[9]

The application of this passage will become much easier to a Christian with an understanding that the Law was for the people of Israel as a nation and community, and so was inevitable for justice on earth, peace on earth. The New Testament perspective, however, is a greater one: the avenger is no longer man but God (Rom.12:19). The concept of forgiveness and repaying evil with good (Mat.6:12; Rom.12:17,21) is of greater order since its aim is heaven, its kingdom. The Christian looks up and therefore doesn’t demand his rights.

Secondly, the attitude and nature of forgiveness and good-willing is a reflection of God’s sovereign act of mercy and forgiveness through Christ. The Law given to the Jews was not wrong so that it should be replaced by a new order: the Law was good, good for peace in society, but its significance must be seen in relevance to their society, religion and faith—there must be an elimination of evil so that evil may not increase. In the Church this law is present but with an higher order of understanding based on the cross of Christ. The trespasser will be counseled if the act is in ignorance or because of immaturity, and if still he doesn’t repent, must be excommunicated from the Church. There should, however, be an attitude of forgiveness and acceptance in case the man repents and returns. But when it comes to acts of direct rebellion against the Law of God (e.g. deliberate murder of innocent persons or anyone without the approval of God), the person is to be excommunicated and handed over to Satan (note: not “put to death”). God will be the judge in this matter and not human reason. For justice is what God wills as the Judge. The Christian is accountable to the Court of God first, but also to the law of government, secondly. In the vocabulary of a Christian, the words “justice”, “vengeance”, “penalty”, “forgiveness”, “mercy”, etc  are, therefore, founded in the love of God through the Cross and aim at the kingdom of heaven, the salvation of souls, and the Judgment Day of God (Mat.7:1,12; Rom.13:1-14).

© Domenic Marbaniang, October 1998.

 

[1] The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, V.2. (Zondervan Publishing House, 1990), p.287
[2] Ibid, p.288
[3] The Expositor’s…, p.288
[4] Ibid, p.415
[5] Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Pentateuch (Michigan, Baker Book House, 1995), pp.218-221
[6] Ibid, pp.211-212
[7] The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p. 432
[8] Ibid, p. 432
[9] Ibid, p.432

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Comment by Instructor, Dr. Bill Pankey:

Does the N.T. teach the death penalty? Rom.13:1ff

Romans 13:1-5

(1)  Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
(2)  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
(3)  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
(4)  For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
(5)  Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.