It is written in the Book of Exodus:
“If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly 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.” (Exodus 21:22–25)
Here, God lays down a law to protect the weak and the oppressed from the harm caused by the strong. It’s also a warning to the strong that God sees and defends the weak, and He avenges their suffering. In this case, the strong are the fighting men, and the weak, oppressed one is the pregnant woman they struck. The Old Testament law says:
“If there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is injury, the punishment must match the injury.”
God wanted to teach His people not to go too far in punishment—which often happens in moments of anger. Therefore, the law defined a limit: the punishment must be equal to the harm done, no more. Thus He said:
“Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”
Q: Was this law of “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” only in the case of the pregnant woman?
A: No. In Leviticus, God generalizes this principle:
“Whoever causes injury to his neighbor, as he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him.” (Leviticus 24:19–20)
This confirms that people reap what they sow. The evil committed brings harm to the evildoer himself, in hope that the people would fear and turn from wickedness. Such punishments were usually carried out by judges. As also mentioned in Deuteronomy:
“If a malicious witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges… and if the witness is a false witness… then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother… Your eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Deut. 19:16–21)
Q: But was this law always enforced in the Old Testament?
A: No, it was rarely enforced. It was applied in special cases where God intervened directly, using leaders or kings to carry it out. For example, Joshua was commanded to destroy the house of Achan son of Carmi, who had brought trouble upon Israel. Likewise, David ordered the death of the young man who claimed to have killed King Saul and also punished the men who murdered Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son.
Q: Why then did God give such a law if He knew it would be hard to enforce?
A: Because humanity was in its spiritual infancy during the Old Testament. God couldn’t yet reveal the fullness of truth but gave them laws that would guide them closer to it. Through this law, He taught them that evil is costly, sin is exceedingly harmful, and revenge must not exceed justice. He also taught them obedience to judges and priests who represent God, and that He defends the weak and punishes the guilty—until the fullness of time came, when Christ…
“…emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and came in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:7–8)
He paid the price for our sins and reconciled us to God through His blood. If we believe in Him and in all that He has done for our redemption, the love of God is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Thus we become partakers of the divine nature. Then Christ could give us the perfect commandment:
“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 an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matt. 5:38–39)
Likewise, we read in the New Testament:
“Repay no one evil for evil.”
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17–21)
This is true faith—to trust in God’s sovereignty over evil and evildoers and entrust oneself to the Righteous Judge, just as Moses told the Israelites when they left Egypt:
“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord… The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13–14)
This is the Christian life—not to avenge ourselves, but to leave vengeance to the Lord who sees hearts and tests motives. Our duty is to respond to evil with good so that we do not lose our reward by being overcome by evil, but rather gain a full reward by overcoming evil with good.
Christ gave us the greatest example when He was crucified and said:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
As Christ taught us by His words and deeds, so must we do also.
Q: But doesn’t obeying Christ’s command not to resist evil risk strengthening evil?
A: On the contrary—evil is strengthened when we respond to it with evil. It’s like adding fuel to fire. But evil is quenched by the power of God and our obedience to His command. As Proverbs says:
“Do not say, ‘I will recompense evil’; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.” (Prov. 20:22)
And in the New Testament:
“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” (1 Thess. 5:15)
Evil often tries to appear powerful and tempts us to use it for self-defense or revenge. But this is a satanic deception. Evil comes from the devil, and good comes from God. So who is stronger—God or the devil?
Jesus explained in Luke’s Gospel:
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.” (Luke 11:21–22)
This means: when Satan convinces his followers to use evil as their weapon, his possessions (their souls) are secure under his control. But when someone stronger—Christ—comes, He defeats Satan, disarms him, and liberates those under his sway.
Christ fought and defeated Satan at every turn. As the decisive battle on the cross drew near, He said:
“The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” (John 14:30)
In the battle of the Cross, the forces of evil and good clashed more clearly than ever before. Satan seemed victorious, managing to crucify the Son of God through hatred and deceit. When Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Satan may have thought he had even penetrated the divine unity. But in truth, the cross displayed the triumph of God’s love:
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16)
Christ offered Himself as the sin offering, and “the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Because “the wages of sin is death,” the Father had to forsake the Son on the cross—not in essence, but in representation—so Christ could bear our punishment and we could be justified.
All that happened on the cross was according to God’s eternal plan, as Scripture says:
“Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God…” (Acts 2:23)
“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus… they gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.” (Acts 4:27–28)
So when we look at Good Friday, we might wonder who is stronger, God or Satan? But when we reach Resurrection Sunday, it becomes clear: God is the true victor. The devil and sin seemed to win by crucifying Christ, but in truth, God triumphed through Christ’s resurrection and the Church’s salvation.
“But God, who is rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4–6)
Conclusion:
The power of evil comes from the devil, who “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” But Scripture says “like a lion”—he is not a lion. The true Lion is Christ, the holy and mighty One from the tribe of Judah.
So if you still trust in evil and use it as your weapon, thinking it brings victory, know that the final outcome of using evil is defeat. But if God opens your eyes to Christ’s saving grace, and you unite with Him, you will discover the power of righteousness, holiness, and meekness in all life’s battles—and you’ll truly overcome evil with good, day by day.
As David said:
“Do not fret because of evildoers… Trust in the Lord, and do good… Delight yourself also in the Lord… Commit your way to the Lord… He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light… Cease from anger, and forsake wrath… Evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth… The meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
Amen.
