8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 1/14

THE FETUS IN EXODUSThe Pro-Life Theology

of the Book of Exodus

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 2/14

1. PEOPLE ARE NOT “MEANS” BUT ENDS IN

AND OF THEMSELVES

2. GOD IS GREATLY CONCERNED FOR THE

VULNERABLE AND HELPLESS

3. CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING FROM THE LORD

4. GOD OWNS ALL THE CHILDREN – THEY ARE

HIS ALONE

5. HARMING THE UNBORN IS A CRIMINAL AND

IMMORAL ACT

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 3/14

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 4/14

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 5/14

1. PEOPLE ARE NOT “MEANS” BUT

ENDS IN AND OF THEMSELVES

Exodus 21:16 – “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and

anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.”

Contrast with Pharaoh’s attitude:Exodus 1:11 - “They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and

Raamses.”

Exodus 14:5 - “What is this we have done, that we have let

Israel go from serving us?”

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 6/14

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 7/14

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 8/14

2. GOD IS GREATLY CONCERNED FOR

THE VULNERABLE AND HELPLESS

Exodus 22:22-24 – “You shall not mistreat any widow or

fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me,

I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will killyou with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and

your children fatherless.”

Exodus 23:6-8a – “You shall not pervert the justice due to yourpoor in his lawsuit. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill

the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. And

you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted …”

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 9/14

Adoption over/against Abortion

Exodus 2:6, 9-10 …Pharoah’s daughter adopted Moses because

“she had pity on him”.

Exodus 2:10 … Moses became the Pharoah’s daughter son!

Exodus 2:23-25 …God heard Israel’s cries and this is why he raised

up Moses.

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 10/14

Our Son’s Adoption Story

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 11/14

3. CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING

FROM THE LORD

Exodus 23:24-26 “… you shall not bow down to their gods nor

serve them, nor do as they do … You shall serve the LORD your God,

and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness

away from among you. None shall miscarry or be barren in yourland; I will fulfill the number of your days.”

Exodus 32:13 “…Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your

servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I

will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven …’”

Exodus 1:16-20 … Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives to

kill all newborn baby boys. 1:17 says they let the baby boys live &

1:20 says God dealt well w/them

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 12/14

4. GOD OWNS ALL THE CHILDREN –

THEY ARE HIS ALONE

Exodus 13:2 (cf 34:19) – “Consecrate to me all the

firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the wombamong the people of Israel, both of man and of beast,

is mine.”

Exodus 22:29 – “You shall not delay to offer from thefullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your

presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to

me.”

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 13/14

5. HARMING THE UNBORN IS A

CRIMINAL AND IMMORAL ACT

Exodus 20:13 – “You shall not murder.”

Exodus 21:22-25 – “When men strive together andhit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out,

but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely

be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on

him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for

eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

8/8/2019 The Fetus in Exodus the Pro Life Theology of the Book of Exodus

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-fetus-in-exodus-the-pro-life-theology-of-the-book-of-exodus 14/14

“Basic to a Biblical anthropology is man's creation in

the image of God. This is stressed three times in

the creation account in Gen 1:26, 27. It’s

man's character as an image of God that makes his

life sacred. This is clearly set forth in Gen 9:6.

Because man is the image of God, the crime of murder is so terrible. It’s the statement that man

is God's image that distinguishes the penalty 

required here from other penalties in thePentateuch. The point we wish to stress is that 

life is sacred, not because of some ‘natural right’,

but because God made man in his own image.”