The Old Testament, specifically in books like Exodus and Deuteronomy, contains numerous laws that might seem pointless to us today. What can we glean by reading these ancient commands given to the Jews? Please allow me to offer one important truth.
The Jews were not the only ancient people to have laws. For example, the Law Code of Hammurabi, established in 1726 BC, states that if a man commits murder, his daughter can be executed in his stead. The Laws of Eshunna (circa 1800 BC) says that if a man kills someone’s female slave, he must make restitution by giving the slave owner two new female slaves. These law codes make it quite clear that men were of far greater value than women, and slaves were property.
When we compare those Babylonian and Akkadian law codes with the law of God in the Old Testament, we see a completely different picture. Far from the modern claims that the Bible is chauvinistic, the Scriptures stand in stark contrast to the nations around them. Consider Deuteronomy 24:16. “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.”
Exodus 21:27 instructs, “If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.” I do not have space here to get into the slavery issue, but consider in these verses how all life is protected. Female victims were protected just as much as male victims, something unheard of in the ancient world.
Under God’s law, murderers do not send their daughters to die in their place. Slaves are not replaced with other slaves (Slaves were protected so much so that if they were even accidentally injured they were released). Reading these old laws can show us how God views people, namely, that we are all created in His image and we all have inherent worth. There are still cultures around the world that elevate some and denigrate others based on gender or status, but God loves us all equally.
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