Moses | Page 7 of 7 | Author Peter DeHaan

Moses gave a curious command: “Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

This seems to be an excessive response when one is wronged, but given the culture of that day, it was actually a move towards moderation.

For example, when Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped, her brothers avenged her violation by killing the perpetrator and all the men in his village and then sacking the city.

That is excessive—and what God, through Moses, wanted to rein in with his “eye of eye, tooth for tooth” imperative.

Jesus, however, took this one step further when he told us to love our enemies and pray for them. That’s how we should act today—lovingly, not vengeful.

[Deuteronomy 19:21, Genesis 34:1-31 (especially verse 2 and 25), Matthew 5:38-48 (especially verse 44)]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Lessons from Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus

A reoccurring statement in the Bible is “Here I am.”

This was often said to God when he calls out or speaks to one of his children.

Twice, when God called to Abraham, Abraham responded with,“Here I am.” [Genesis 21:1 and 22:11]
Abraham’s grandson Jacob had similar experiences.Once an angel came to Jacob in a dream (on God’s behalf) and another time God spoke to Jacob in a vision at night. Both times Jacob replied by saying, “Here I am.” [Genesis 31:11 and 46:2]
Some 400 hundred years later, God spoke from the midst of a burning bush and Moses said, “Here I am.” [Exodus 3:4]

Abraham, Jacob, and Moses were all expectantly ready to listen to God.We need to do the same.

Later Jesus said, “Here I am” in obedience to do the will of his father. [Hebrews 10:7-9, which is quoting the prophetic text in Psalm 40:7.]

Lastly, this phrase is spoken to us by Jesus. He says,

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelation 3:20]

Jesus is saying that he is ready for us; he is waiting; all we need to do is open the door for him.

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.