Paying for Oxen

Now, I am not one who thinks that allegorizing the Biblical text is a good thing. It often causes bad interpretation and completely removes the original context from view. All you have to do is read literature saying that Song of Songs is about Jesus and not about sex to know what I am talking about. That being said, when I read the following text from Exodus, my mind could not help but be moved to an allegorical interpretation. So, while it is not a good interpretation of the text, it is a good lesson nonetheless. Sorry in advance for those who find me deplorable and a traitor to my education.


“If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned. The meat cannot be eaten but the owner of the ox is in the clear. But if the ox has a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, then if the ox kills a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned and the owner given the death penalty. If a ransom is agreed upon instead of death, he must pay it in full as a redemption for his life.” Exodus 21:28-32

When I read it, I couldn’t help but see myself in that bit of law. No, I don’t own an ox, and have never seen an actual goring. But, replace “ox” with “sinful nature” and reread the text. I have committed sins against others (not murder, but that’s not the point). I know that I have a tendency to sin, but yet at times, my sinful nature wanders around unfettered and unabated, wreaking havoc wherever it goes. And the consequences of sin are clear—death. Death of both the sinful nature and my physical body is the sentence handed down.

But then a third party comes in to arrange a settlement. God intervenes and reaches a settlement on behalf of his people. Death, for me, the offender, is no longer the sentence. Death must still be paid out, but it is His Son that dies. And death must still come to the ox, my sinful nature, since it is the offender. All that discussion of “death to self” in the NT is not just talk. It is necessary to make the ransom binding. The sacrifice is not just on God’s part, but on ours as well. And the result—our redemption; our salvation. Praise be to God, who has paid our ransom!