It says Genesis. It should say Exodus. I apologize. It should say Exodus chapter 21. Exodus chapter 21, page 103. Exodus chapter 21. Exodus 21, we'll be reading verses 22 through 25. So this is page 103 in your Pew Bible. Exodus 21, reading verses 22 through 25. My friends, this is the word of God. Exodus 21, starting in verse 22. If men fight and hurt a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, Yet no harm follows. He shall surely be punished according as the woman's husband imposes on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, today we consider the issue of abortion part two. And today, by looking at Exodus 21, 22 through 25, we see that God demonstrates that the unborn child should be protected, not killed. The unborn child should be protected, not killed. Now this is the second of a two-part series on abortion, which itself is part of a general or several sermon series on the Sixth Commandment, which itself is part of a series on the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, the law of God, that we've been undertaking for quite a number of months, as you know. And I want to express, as I did a couple of weeks ago when I did the first part of this, appreciation for others and their scholarship. I mentioned Dr. Ken Gentry a couple of weeks ago. There are certainly many others from whom I have borrowed, including the report to the Sixth General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America, the PCA, in 1978. And so one of our sister denominations, a denomination in which I was privileged to serve for a number of years, the PCA, is one church, one branch of the church that has done good work on this whole idea, this whole issue of abortion. Now you remember a couple of weeks ago, we said there are two key questions. That's what it boils down to, two questions. Number one, is the unborn child a human being made in God's image? That's the first question, right? Is the unborn child a person? Is it a human being made in the image of God? And as you may recall, we dealt with a number of passages, including Psalm 139. but also Job chapter 3, in which Job talks about, again, from the very moment of conception in the womb and then continuing on to birth and so forth, that his life was a continuity. It was a continuum. We also looked at Psalm 51. In sin did my mother conceive me. In other words, David recognized that from the point of conception, he was a sinner. But how can you be a sinner unless you're a person? A person, a responsible individual, which again demonstrates that that which is developing in the womb is indeed a human being. And today we read from Luke chapter 1, And we made reference to that a couple of weeks ago, in which from when Mary, who was with child, with Jesus, who, by the way, when did Jesus enter the human race? From the point of conception, not from his birth. It's technically the miracle, I guess you could say, is the virgin conception, right? It's the virgin birth too, but it's the virgin conception. From the moment of conception, Jesus, the son of God, became human. And in recognition of that, John the Baptist, at six months pregnancy in his mother's womb, leaped in recognition of the one who was his Lord. Well, that's the first question. Is the unborn child a human being made in the image of God? The Bible is abundantly clear that the answer is yes. But now the second key question is this. May we kill the unborn child? Of course, to ask the question that way almost answers it, right? But may we kill that which is in the womb? Now in dealing with this, I hope, I trust, that we can focus, and I've certainly tried to focus, not so much on the emotional, the emotive side, although I want to say and will say that there is a lot of grief and a lot of anguish that is often affiliated with this in many dimensions, but rather the rational and the biblical. The Bible does indeed address this question. So let's look then at Exodus 21, 22 through 25. Let's first of all do an explanation of our text. The context here is the giving of the Decalogue. So back the previous chapter, chapter 20, this is the giving of the Ten Commandments given to Moses. And now as you come into chapter Well, following that, particularly in chapter 21 and in following chapters, what we have are what are called the case laws. That is to say the application, if you will, the application of the moral law of God to the society. That's what the case laws are all about. Now we cannot always apply these case laws directly. So it's not like we take all of these case laws and just automatically plop them in mass into the body politic today. Nevertheless, we can apply these case laws. We are to apply the principles in these case laws as much as possible because they do illustrate what God is talking about in terms of his law being applied to society. So, in these four verses then, what is the scenario? The scenario is that two men are fighting and a pregnant woman gets in the way during this struggle and is hit. She is probably the wife of one of the two men Most likely, she would have tried to intervene on her husband's behalf. But in any event, she is struck, which causes the premature exit of the child from the womb. Now, some people have taken these words to refer to a miscarriage, and have therefore concluded that scripture thinks less of the pre-born child than of one who is already born. But in point of fact, that's not what it says. The verb used here refers to the unborn child coming out of the womb. The text does not use the common form for miscarry. The verb is commonly used for normal deliveries, Genesis 25-26 and 38-28-30. There is no necessary reference here as to whether the child was stillborn or not. It simply is saying there has been a premature birth that has been caused because of the trauma of the woman being hit. Furthermore, the later verses are not specific with regard to the one to whom harm comes. That is to say, the law of retaliation here life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and so forth. That law, you see, is nonspecific, whether it applies to the woman or to her offspring. Well, there are two possible outcomes here, two possible outcomes. And the first is that there is no harm to either mother or child. And what it says here, Verse 22, yet know if it has happens, she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows. He, the one who struck the woman, shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. In other words, if there is no harm, no physical harm to either mother or child, but nevertheless, because of the miscarriage, there is a fine that is levied. Undoubtedly, this is because of the emotional stress and could also be because of economic cost in caring for a premature baby. And so even if nothing happens other than just the premature birth, nevertheless a fine is levied. But what happens if there is harm to either or both the wife or the child? In this instance, then, we have what is called the Lex Talionis, or the law of retribution. And what's interesting, we're familiar with this, right? Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. What's interesting here is, first of all, that the formula that is used here is about the longest that we find in scripture. It doesn't just say eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Notice what it says. Life for life. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Which seems to be emphasizing, therefore, yes, pay attention to this in terms of this law of retribution, this law of payment. The notice also that it could be that an appropriate ransom could be paid instead of actual physical infliction upon the perpetrator. That's usually what happens then. Just because you lose an eye doesn't mean that you can poke out someone else's eye. Just like insurance policies today, an eye is worth a certain amount, a hand is worth a certain amount. So that seems to be what is in view here. But nevertheless, it is striking that this appears to be the only place in the Old Testament in which capital punishment is mentioned for accidental death. So precious is that life in the womb, and precious is the life of the one who bears it. The Bible seems to be pretty clear here in terms of the preciousness of the unborn and of the mother who bears the child. And so this, of course, is a case law. Now, it does raise the question then, and more generally, when may men kill another human being? Remember a few weeks ago? Remember a few weeks ago when we We actually had an interesting incident out here, didn't it, in the middle of the sermon. We had a few gunshots out here, right? I don't mean to deter anyone from being here, but anyway, it was very interesting here. And I was preaching on this very question, when is it okay to kill someone? And of course, I had spoken of several things, three instances, capital punishment or public justice. self-defense, and just war. I just made application of these things and made further application after the 10-minute interruption, right? So we dealt with that. Three instances only that the Bible gives us permission and in some cases really requires us to kill someone else. Capital punishment, that is to say public justice, self-defense, and just war. So the question then is, is there any other instance when you may kill another human being? There is none. And that includes the baby in the womb. Now with respect to abortion, of course, what about the hard cases? What about the hard cases? Well, what about pregnancy by rape or incest? Now, let me be very clear. Rape is a horrible crime and should be punished severely. But the proper way to punish the rapist is to make him or his estate to pay for the support of a child conceived in such a way. Thankfully, statistically at least, very few pregnancies, it does happen, but very few pregnancies, relatively few, come about because of rape. With regard to incest, let us be clear. Again, it's horrible. But two wrongs do not make a right. God has not given permission to kill the unborn child just because of incest. That's one hard case or a set of hard cases. Secondly, what about economic hardship? Well, there are many couples, let us be clear, who would love to adopt children. And so relieve then the stress of those who would not otherwise perhaps be able to raise a child. But we must also be careful not to put a price on human life. I mean, what exactly is a human life worth? Well, it's without, you can't count you like that, can you? Right? You can't put a price on a human life. And so therefore, the idea of economic hardship should not be a consideration. If the baby is a human being in the womb, then it has, it should have all the protection that afford it to every other human being. Thirdly, by way of hard cases, what about a child with some handicap or deformity? Well, let me just say that although there are tests that are done to try to discern whether a deformity is there, let us be clear that science is not infallible. It's not always right in terms of these tests. That's one thing to be aware of. Secondly, even a handicapped child may be quite talented and enjoy a very rich and fulfilling life. One of our relatives has been born with a defect and yet she is just a precious girl. and actually brings a lot of life to the family. And so just because there's a handicapped child doesn't mean that that person does not bring things. But moreover, we must not second guess God as to why he sends that special child to a particular family. For example, maybe It's in order that that family demonstrate what compassion, what love is all about. Demonstrating that, putting into actual practice an illustration of what God does for us in terms of dealing with us and showing love and compassion to us who have nothing to offer him. What about to break people's pride? You know, parents always want to think the best of their children, don't they? And they always want, oh, what is my child going to do when he or she grows up and so forth? And anticipation of that. He's gonna be a great scientist. She's gonna be a great musician. Whatever it may happen to be. And then God sends a handicapped child. Maybe it's in order to humble them and to chastise them for their spiritual good. And so a child with some handicap or deformity, again, this does not give us grounds for killing that child. And then fourthly, what about when the mother's life is in jeopardy? Now of all the reasons for abortion, this is by far the most plausible. On the surface, it seems to invoke the principle of self-defense. One could argue that the mother's life has priority since she is already a mother and a wife. Now, let me just say that there are very few truly critical cases today. And I was reminded last night in speaking with Professor Tom Reed about this, who was at Westminster Seminary. I was at Westminster Seminary about the time he was. And he mentioned to me that about 50 years ago, Dr. C. Everett Koop, who would later become the Surgeon General under President Reagan, but prior to that, Dr. Koop had gone to Westminster Seminary, made a presentation on abortion, and stated that in all of his 25 years or so of being at this hospital, on staff at this hospital in Philadelphia, a children's, I think, research hospital, whatever it's called, which specializes in problem pregnancies, that he had not known a case where the woman's life where it was necessary to do an abortion in order to save a woman's life. Isn't that interesting? Now, not saying that it might not be the case. Obviously, there are many pains and many dangers affiliated with childbirth. But his testimony is very telling, it seems to me, with regard to the life of the mother. Let me also mention that sometimes a premature birth has to be induced for health reasons. But even then, the baby does not have to be deliberately destroyed. Efforts can be made to save the child. In all of this, my friends, one must recognize the sovereign hand of God. As I mentioned a moment ago, childbirth is a painful and sometimes dangerous process. which stems from sin and God's decree in response to man's rebellion. That is to say, we're all sinners, and we're all subject then. We're all subject, just like we did in our catechism question today. What is the misery of that estate wherein two men fell? All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself. and to the pains of hell forever. So childbirth is a painful and sometimes dangerous process. But we also affirm that God is a loving father who asks us to trust him in every circumstance of life. Furthermore, medical science is not infallible. It cannot say with any certainty that a woman will die from any given pregnancy. Well, let's then thirdly, having considered the text itself from Exodus 21, and then secondly considered the hard cases, let's thirdly ask, how bad is the situation? How bad is the situation with regard to abortion in our country? Well, let us be clear, abortion is murder. It is killing an innocent person made in the image of God. And surely, that should get our attention. But secondly, it gets God's attention. For blood cries to God from the land for justice. God is not mocked. How much blood cries to God. from Atlanta's hospitals and clinics. Thirdly, infanticide, or killing someone after birth as an infant, infanticide is the next logical step. Some pro-abortionists concede that life begins in the womb, but say that women have the right to abort. Some suggest that personhood should be defined as beginning not at birth, but three days after birth. Or I forget if it was Crick or Watson, one of the discoverers of DNA, who actually maintained that personhood should be defined at the age of two years old. So infanticide then is the logical next step to the abortion position. Fourthly, how bad is the situation? Abortion represents a pagan worldview. Abortion has been called a secular sacrament, a secular sacrament. We'll be singing at the close of the service from Psalm 106, from Psalm 106, and in Psalm 106, And verses 37 and 38, we read, they even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. And the land was polluted with blood. The sacrifice of children for false notions of religion. Abortion's even being promoted on religious grounds today. But it's pagan. And fifthly, while bad is the situation, the acceptance of abortion is dangerous for the church and society. Those advocating for life have often been portrayed as unreasonable and cruel fanatics. And so that in itself should be a cause for concern, that we who are pro-life would be portrayed that way and being viewed as the terrorist and so forth. But notice also, how bad is it? Let us note that the same arguments for abortion in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s contributed to Nazism and what eventually became the Holocaust, not only with regard to the Jews, but also with regard to people that were the undesirables. The Holocaust didn't just happen in Germany. It didn't just happen with Hitler. It didn't just come out of the blue. It came out of a context in which life was cheapened. and in which the arguments for abortion were already laid in the 1920s and 1930s in Germany before you get to Hitler. So, by way of application then, what should be done? What should be done? Well, first of all, the church appropriately should prophetically condemn the slaughter of children. In Amos 1, verse 13, Ammon was condemned for ripping open pregnant women during war. And this issue of abortion, we don't like the church to get involved in politics. We believe in the spirituality of the church. But at the same time, there are extraordinary situations in which the church should get involved in terms of, in this case, protesting and speaking prophetically against this issue. Number two, rulers must obey God. They are to rule in the fear of God. They are ministers or servants of God to do what is good and to oppose the evil. And so the civil magistrates must be called to do their duty in terms of opposing abortion. Thirdly, let me be clear. One thing not to do is to engage in vigilante action, which leads to violence and murder. Several years ago, there was a former Presbyterian minister down in Florida who murdered an abortionist. And that gentleman was arrested. and tried and executed for murder. And I say, amen. He, by murdering the abortionist, himself became a murderer. It's not his place. It's not his place, you see, to put an end to abortion. This is why you have civil magistrates. And fourthly, what things then can you do? Well, first of all, pray. Pray. That's always a good idea. Secondly, witness. Don't be ashamed. Don't be ashamed to promote the idea that human life is precious. Don't be ashamed of that. Witness. counsel with compassion. I want to say here, this is a small congregation that's gathered here today, but it could very well be that someone here, certainly someone who's listening, who will listen to the sermon later on sermon audio, may very well have been involved in abortion. And so I don't want us to look down our self-righteous noses at anybody. Women today have been sold a bill of goods on this. And we need to be compassionate in talking with them about these issues. Or talking with others who sometimes, men who try to promote abortion and so forth. We need to be compassionate, but also we need to be definite in terms of talking about the issue. But counsel with compassion, not with hardness, not with a sense of smugness or patting ourselves on the back at how goody two shoes at how righteous we are. And that leads me to the final point of what things can you do. The fourth thing is have faith. Now let me be clear. There are many people in the pro-life movement, many people in the pro-life movement who will go to hell because they trust it in themselves and their good works. or perhaps even the Virgin Mary, but they trust it in themselves, not in Christ. And so I call upon you to trust in him who was born of a virgin. Don't trust in yourself, trust in him, the one who was born of a virgin. and who himself died, that we might have life through him. Amen. Will you please stand for prayer? And Lord, we pray for thy grace and thy mercy. We pray for this land. We pray for the church. We pray for women who are with child this night, this day, and who may be despairing. We pray, Lord, that thou wouldst have mercy upon us all. We long for the day, O Lord, when human life will not be regarded so cheaply, but will once again be regarded as a precious thing, even the life in the womb. We give thee thanks, Lord, as we pray in the name of him who was born of a virgin conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. In closing, please turn to Psalm 106, selection E, verse six.