LIFE SCRIPTS

18 “If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, 19 the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed. 20 “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, 21 but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property. 22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Exodus 21:18‭-‬25 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/exo.21.18-25.NIV.

Assault is not just an act to be brushed aside. It’s one punishable by death if it also results into death. Human life is sacred and protected by God under the law. So whether it’s a child in the womb, a slave or two parties engaged in a quarrel, injury must attract a penalty. But our God is also reasonable in this regard. If an injured person doesn’t die but is on a path towards recovery, then a reasonable compensation would be enough. However if the result is death, then the law would demand that the offender pay with his or her life. As harsh as capital punishment seems, it’s positive impact lies in it’s deterrent mechanism. If I know that killing another person would lead to my death then I’ll take care of the lives of others…I’ll also be careful of the way I treat others. When the law rewards grievous crimes with a slap on the wrist, pandemonium is created in society. Spaces governed by criminal gangs emerge… crime soars… the innocent suffer. God’s prescription for punishment on those who take the lives of other people is premised on protecting the poor and weak who’re the most vulnerable to such violence. Picture our scripture above which highlights such vulnerable groups…the slave, the unborn infant, the expectant mother. God’s word reminds us that He stands for the weak and with the weak…those who experience wanton violence and bloodletting in the hands of oppressive tormentors…those who suffer in silence…those who live a life of dejection and struggle…God is on their side. He institutes laws to protect them. He vouches for them. He’s their God.