You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
3 sermons cite this verse
It's the basis of almost every legal system in the world today. The law of retribution, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. You punish people according to their sin. You give them back not only what they deserve, but in this case, double what they deserve. Now, I know you read this and you say, what? And that's kind of strange. God, don't you need to settle down a little bit? That's a little angry, isn't it? Remember what your son said, you know, turn the other cheek? Shouldn't we be forgiving instead of want retribution? Listen, there is a difference between vengeance and justice. When somebody offends us, we are never to seek vengeance. You know what vengeance is? It's hurting somebody else because they hurt me. And when we forgive, we give up our right for vengeance, but we can never give up our desire for justice. What is justice? Justice is the punishment God requires for my offender. When we say, I'm going to give up vengeance, we're saying, I'm not going to try to settle the score of myself. …
There has to be punishment suitable to fit the crime. It's the principle in the Old Testament, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. And what the angel is saying is, God, you have given these people exactly what they deserve. God has an ability to do that. The late pastor Warren Wiersbe said it this way, Pharaoh tried to drown the Jewish boy babies, but it was his own army that eventually drowned in the Red Sea. Haman, the Old Testament planned to hang Mordecai on the gallows and to exterminate the Jews. But he himself was hanged on the gallows and his family was exterminated. King Saul refused to obey God and slay the Amalekites. So in turn, he was slain by an Amalekite. That's the principle here. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I imagine some of you are thinking, wait a minute, wait a minute. Didn't Jesus say, you know, love your enemies, turn the other cheek. Why can't God just let it go? Get over it. Why does God get to apply the law an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth? And I don't get to do that because God alone is holy as we heard today. Only God is able to perfectly design a punishment that perfectly fits the crime. You and I aren't able to do that. Only God can do that. …
… BEGINNING IN VERSE 38, CHAPTER 5 AND VERSE 38, YE HAVE HEARD THAT IT HATH BEEN SAID, AND I FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A A TOOTH. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU THAT YE RESIST NOT EVIL, BUT WHOSOEVER SHALL SMITE THEE ON THY RIGHT CHEEK, TURN TO HIM THE OTHER ALSO. AND IF ANY MAN WILL SUE THEE AT THE LAW AND TAKE AWAY THY COAT, LET HIM HAVE THY CLOKE ALSO. AND WHOSOEVER SHALL COMPEL THEE TO GO A MILE, GO WITH HIM TWANE, THAT IS, GO WITH HIM TWO MILES, GIVE TO HIM THAT ASKETH THEE, AND FROM HIM THAT WOULD BORROW OF THEE, TURN NOT THOU AWAY. YOU'VE HEARD THAT IT HATH BEEN SAID, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AND HATE THINE ENEMY. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU, DO GOOD TO THEM THAT HATE YOU, AND PRAY FOR THEM WHICH DESPITEFULLY USE YOU AND PERSECUTE YOU, THAT YE MAY BE THE CHILDREN OF YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN, FOR HE MAKETH HIS SON TO RISE ON THE EVIL AND ON THE GOOD, AND SENDETH RAIN ON THE JUST AND ON THE UNJUST. FOR IF WE, FOR IF YE LOVE THEM WHICH LOVE YOU, WHAT REWARD HAVE YE? DO NOT EVEN THE PUBLICANS THE SAME? AND IF YE SALUTE YOUR BRETHREN ONLY, WHAT DO YE MORE THAN OTHERS, DO NOT EVEN THE PUBLICAN SO. BE YE THEREFORE PERFECT," AND THE WORD THERE PERFECT MEANS MATURE, BE YE THEREFORE MATURE, PERFECT, EVEN AS YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN …