Lost lives, stolen years – murder and kidnapping (Exod 21:12-14, 16)

A girl I know quickly got into a relationship as she started her undergraduate studies at uni. However, her boyfriend turned out to be very possessive and controlling, unhappy to let her meet with friends without him. She became increasingly isolated while he skilfully manipulated her making a breakup difficult. When she finally managed it, she looked back on those lost student years with regret. Her story illustrates in a small way that there are more ways to lose one’s life or a part of it than through physical dying. The laws in today’s reading deal with murder and manslaughter (vv.12-14), as well as with kidnapping for the purpose of selling or using someone as a slave (v.16). While no one is killed in the latter scenario, as in my example above, years or someone’s whole life may be stolen never to be the same again.

The laws on crimes that lead to the victim’s death (Exod 21:13-14) point to the preciousness of all human life, irrespective of gender or social status. God is the giver of life and only He is authorised to take it or confer that authority on human judges. Motivation matters (for cities of refuge see my explanation here), but even if the death was not premeditated, the manslayer cannot pay money to return his life to normal (Num 35:32). In comparison, in the ancient Near East, theft is seen as a weightier crime (generally punished by death), while manslaughter only draws a fine and the social status of the victim determines the amount. Thus, life is measured in financial terms and does not have the same sacred value as in biblical understanding. Below is an excerpt from Hammurabi’s Law that demonstrates these points.[1]

22: If a seignior [a nobleman or free man] committed robbery and has been caught, that seignior shall be put to death.
[…]
206: If a seignior has struck a(nother) seignior in a brawl and has inflicted an injury on him, that seignior shall swear, “I did not strike him deliberately”; and he shall also pay for the physician.
207: If he has died because of his blow, he shall swear (as before), and if it was a member of the aristocracy, he shall pay one-half mina of silver.
208: If it was a member of the commonalty, he shall pay one-third mina of silver.

The law on kidnapping is a grave commentary on the ancient slave trade and also sheds more light on the severity of the sin committed by Joseph’s brothers who sold him into slavery (Gen 37:28). More positively, kidnapping for slavery points to the larger issue that God wants to give life in abundance (John 10:10), which encompasses the emotional, mental and spiritual sphere as well. Perhaps the closest modern parallel to the ancient kidnapping scenario is the plight of men and women from poorer countries, who are enticed by better prospects in the West and then lured into prostitution or slave labour in the criminal underworld. Beyond judicial matters and thinking about enslavement in a broader sense, the manipulation and control of others for one’s own benefit (be it financial, emotional or physical) is wrong.

Once again, it is also important to reflect on what the condemnation of certain sins teach us about God’s character. He is the giver of Life, the kind that leads to thriving and flourishing. He does not entrap us into following Him, nor enslave us for His own benefit. In fact, it amazes me how God, who is all-powerful, refuses to coerce us into decisions or put pressure on us to serve Him. Rather, He wants our love and devotion given freely. In contrast, it is Satan who entices and ensnares us, who tricks us with promises and makes us captives and slaves to sin. When we subtly manipulate and control others, whether in a church setting, in our family, or among work colleagues or friends, we are in line with the methods of the Evil One. When we act in line with how God treated us, with respect and dignity, we are truly His children.

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[1] Hammurabi was a Mesopotamian king who ruled between 1728-1686 BC. “The Code of Hammurabi”, trans. Theophile J. Meek, in James B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (third ed.; Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969), 163-180.

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