In Exodus 21:33 and 34, “If a man uncovers a pit or digs one but fails to cover it afterwards and another man’s ox or donkey falls into the pit and dies, the pit owner must pay whatever the animal is worth to its owner but keep the dead animal for himself.”
Well, who in his right mind would dig a hole big enough for a cow to fall into and deep enough to kill it, and not post a warning or put a railing up? But that’s the point, isn’t it? Only an inconsiderate oaf would do a stupid thing like that. And more to the point, how on earth can Yahweh create a holy nation full of wisdom and heart when he’s got people like this man with neither?
To prevent something like this happening, then, Yahweh introduced a “Duty of Care” law, that made people responsible for not caring, by having them pay for any injury or damage caused by their negligence – like the store owner who neglects to put out a “Wet floor” sign after swabbing the floor, and his first customer breaks an arm and can’t work for six weeks. That’s six weeks wages the store owner now owes.
Duty of care as a law has carried over to our day too. Drivers of vehicles, for instance, have a legal duty of care to drive safely, according to the rules of the road and road conditions. If they fail to uphold that duty of care and they cause an accident, they can be held liable for whatever damage and injury they caused.
It’s such an obvious principle, and a practical deterrent too, to car manufacturers dismissing reports of their cars being dangerous, to Doctors prescribing vaccines known to be dangerous to pregnant women, to politicians pushing policies that are bankrupting their people, or to anyone being reckless and dismissive about safety, malpractice and defective products. Because if there’s proof they’ve been negligent, then they must pay, and pay dearly if necessary, to get the point across that duty of care is essential to the functioning of a civilized society.
But it’s also care in such unseen small ways too, like picking up all the bits of a dropped glass bottle, or digging up thistles from a lawn where kids run, or signalling before a turn – simple practical things that are much appreciated when done, and a (blank, blank) pain when not done.
So what does Yahweh rule for costly damage done to someone’s property “When negligence isn’t to blame”?….(next blog)
