Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20061129.htm

EXODUS: FUNCTIONING WELL IN A HOPELESS GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Part II: God's Sustainment Of Israel In The Wilderness Amid Humanly Helpless Trials
K. God's Elaboration And Application Of The Ten Commandments
3. God's Elaborating On His Commands Regarding The Structure Of The Home
(Exodus 21:12-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. As an institution, God views the home as a key element in man's social structure.
    2. God thus intends that the home be preserved at great cost, and Exodus 21:12-17 reveals the great degree of this commitment as God applies several of the Ten Commandments to the protection of the home:
  2. God's Elaborating On His Commands Regarding The Structure Of The Home, Exodus 21:12-17.
    1. Following His giving Moses the Ten Commandments, God enlarged and applied them in Israel's life so that there would be no possible misunderstanding as to what He meant by them, and this elaboration is known as the "Book of the Covenant" in Exodus 20:22-24:11, Bib. Know. Com., O. T., p. 140.
    2. The third part of that "Book of the Covenant", Exodus 21:12-17, details applications of commandments five, six and eight that show the import God places on preserving the structure of the home:
      1. Moses revealed that any premeditated murder (Exodus 21:12, 14), a violation of the sixth command about not murdering anyone, was punishable by death, Ibid., p. 141. The premeditated murder of a person in a family unit was a capital offense, for this crime caused the depletion of the home by the forced loss of one of its members, constituting the most basic attack against the home itself.
      2. Moses revealed that if a person took the life of another person, but that he did not do so by willful intent, contrary to the typical practice in the Ancient Near East, provisions would be made for him to find refuge, Exodus 21:13. We know from later passages that the cities of refuge were set up for such a person, Numbers 35:11. This provision is given in light of the family unit's welfare as follows:
        1. In the Ancient Near East, the accidental slaying of a man could bring just retaliation against his killer by the surviving family members of the victim.
        2. However, such a retribution unfairly punished the man who killed as well hurting his own family.
        3. Accordingly, God made provision for the accidental killer to find refuge providing he gave evidence he truly respected his victim's family: (1) When God set up the cities of refuge for those who accidentally killed another, the slayer could flee there to be protected from reprisals by avengers of the victim's family providing he stayed in the city until the death of the High Priest. (2) Yet, if the slayer ventured outside the confines of the city, he could be slain by the avenging family because he therefore displayed a lack of reverence for the death of the one he killed, Numbers 35:26-28.
      3. Moses revealed that if a person struck his parent, a violation of the fifth commandment, whether his parent lived or died, he was to be killed, Ex. 21:15, Ibid. Striking one's parent violated the role of the parent to have the lead in punishing the child so he could be properly reared, so this sin was to be met with capital punishment to protect the family unit as a foundational unit in society, cf. 1 Sam. 3:12-13.
      4. Moses revealed that if a person stole another person, a violation of the eighth commandment against stealing, whether he sold him or not, he was to be punished by death, Exodus 21:16. Stealing another person invades the sanctity of that person's home life and relationships within his family, violating the rights of the victim and his family, so it was not to be tolerated under any circumstances! (Ibid.)
      5. Moses revealed that mere verbal abuse against one's parent(s) constituted a capital offense, and was to be met with the death penalty, Exodus 21:17. Such a sin not only violated the fifth commandment, but countered the leadership the parents were to take over a child in that home, which leadership was necessary to establish law and order in society in general. As such, even mere verbal abuse against a parent countered the structure of family life, and was thus to be punished by death!
Lesson: The home plays a key role in the foundation of human social order, so God upheld the sanctity of the home's individuals and their respective roles with the greatest degree of personal accountability.

Application: (1) May we ALWAYS PROFOUNDLY revere EACH PERSON and the ROLE of each person in EACH home. (2) If we realize that we have FAILED to have such a viewpoint, may we REPENT and ADJUST to GOD'S VIEW of the home, for we are VERY accountable to GOD to do so!