eyephone said:Mety said:eyephone said:Leviticus 24:19-21, reads, "And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death."
or
Exodus 21:24, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
I respect you, eyephone. I?m not 100% sure what was your intention was to quote these, but that law was given to Israel when God led them out of Egypt to bring them into the promised land before they become a nation. And that law was meant to protect someone weaker since one could have abused someone who couldn?t protect themselves like widows or poor people at that time. It was never meant to be used as a personal retaliation or revenge. Jesus thus came and taught that very verse with completing in a full picture by saying,
?You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.? - Matthew 5:38-42
In a way, our society follows those principles that I previously mentioned. That being said, I say take an extra step to protect your family. Martial Arts: enroll your kid, go to the range, check your parameter on a nightly basis, get to know your neighbors
eyephone,
You are dead correct that our society tend to follow those principles you mentioned. I'm glad you are at least honest rather than trying to look all nice and holy.
When Jesus taught that message of turning the other cheek and giving cloaks, etc. it must have sounded like an impossibility to those who were hearing. That is exactly the point Jesus wanted to teach. We can't do that on our own. We can't be that nice since we tend to punch both eyes of someone when he/she punches only one of our eyes. Jesus was raising the bar even more than what they understood of the law.
What then is the message? Jesus was telling us we can't be holy by our will. Following all the laws of Old Testament will not only be impossible but will not also make us holy. Thus Jesus fulfilled all those laws FOR us. Now we just abide in Him, remain in Him by devoting ourselves to know the word of God and The Holy Spirit will guide us to love God and others. We can't love God and others by our will. We are sinful humans, but only when we submit to His authority, He will make us holy when we don't even know it took place. We can't bear the fruit. God will through us.
If you are not Christian and this all sounded weird to you, I at least encourage you to get interested in Jesus and hopefully you will find the truth.
As for your recommendation, I think learning martial arts and being careful are all good things especially if you are trying to protect your family. But also know, God will protect you and your family if you ask for He wants no harms to all people.