Exodus 21:14 –
However, if someone deliberately kills another person, then the slayer must be dragged even from my altar and be put to death.
We need to consider two bits of background for this chapter. First general, “The Law” is believed by many to only be the 10 Commandments, but Moses came down with the 10 Commandments and then went back to get the rest of the law. From this point forward the rest of Exodus and the next 3 books are mostly “The Law”. Reading this you get a great insight into the origins of our current legal system in the USA.
Second background is about murder, if it’s an accident you can go to a “place of refuge”, most of the times a place of worship. Churches today are considered sanctuary, based primarily of this. But if murder was deliberate, the person is not protected; they must pay for their act.
Now for those who understand Exodus from a movie starting Charlton Heston (like me, before I read this chapter), you are wondering what happened to the Golden Calf. He came down with the 10 commandments and saw the people worshiping an idol. Don’t worry, that part of the story is to come. Hollywood just adds and condenses stuff to entertain people. You will see the next 30 or so chapters are kinda dry in the aspect of action and adventure for the big screen, but are very insightful with respect to the rest of the bible and the legal system we currently live with.
Unfortunately as much as we love to see religious themes out of Hollywood, don’t take them to be the Gospel truth. Hollywood goes for an expedient view of the Bible and looks for ratings over Gospel truth. Even with your own church in 1st John 4:1 God says test what’s being said, Hollywood is definitely outside of church and should be tested with more scrutiny.
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Proverbs 23:20-21 – “Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons,for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags.”