If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be
stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will
not be held liable. But suppose the ox
had a reputation for goring, and the owner had been informed but failed to keep
it under control. If the ox then kills someone, it must be stoned, and the
owner must also be put to death. Exodus
21:28-29
I was watching a movie about being a father in tough
circumstances. The father had been
involved with gangs most of his life, and rehabilitated himself with the help
of an older mentor. In the final scene,
there is a confrontation between the father and the gang leader over who
ultimately would determine the boy’s future.
As the gang leader threatens to kill the father, the father tries to
teach his son, who was in the middle, a lesson by offering his own life to help
him see the wrongfulness of gang life. The
father says:
Jimmie... son... if you hit a man in his face, in time,
his wounds will heal. And later on, you can apologize to that man. If you steal
his goods, later on, you can return those goods, or you can repay him equal
value. But if you kill... there is no later on. There's no way to repair it
with that man. There's no way to make it right with him or his family. His life
is gone forever. You never come back from that.
I was never a member of a gang or desired to be part of
one. But the story hit me hard because I
was a young father of two children, and it helped me realize how much they
needed me. In a place where single moms had often carried the load far too
often, I had an opportunity to be the father to them many other children did
not have. I had to be accountable. To them.
To their mother who became my wife.
And ultimately, to God.
Accountability to God extends beyond us. After the Ten Commandments, Moses was provided
additional instructions to give to God’s people. They focused on the treatment and injustices of
others. In today’s verses, it covered situations
where an ox kills another. There was
forgiveness for the initial accident, but if that happened again, it now became
an issue where the owner of the ox was negligent because there was a
history. As such, the owner would be
held accountable. There are numerous
situations where we are held accountable for our actions. What is noteworthy here is the expectation that
we are also to be accountable for those who we are responsible for. Whether it be an ox who gores, a dog who
bites, or a child who damages, God holds us to a higher level of accountability
than we might ourselves hold to. As
such, accountability requires us to both prepare ourselves to do right and
teach righteousness to those we are responsible for.
We are to be generous to others for God is a giving
God. He gave His only Son to die on the
cross for our sins, and has given so much that we may at times take it for
granted. He is a provider and lover of
us as His children. For His provisions,
we are not only grateful but also accountable to uphold His word including His
laws and teachings. Jesus in His famous
Sermon on the Mount said:
“You have heard the law that says
the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the
right cheek, offer the other cheek also.
If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your
coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it
two miles. Give to those who ask, and
don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” Matthew 5:38-42
Accountability to God is sacrificing even when we think we
shouldn’t. So when necessary, let us all
be willing to go one step above serving others to profess the love we have for
Him. How accountable are you to
God? Who have you possibly wronged that today
you can go above and beyond to make right?
My prayer is that we look to God and in all we do find ourselves 100%
accountable. Amen.
