Exodus 21:33  And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;
34  The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.
35  And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.
36  Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

Here we see further important commands for the safety of man and animals. If a person dug a pit and left it open he was responsible for an ox or an ass that might fall into it. Animals can be running along and not see the pit until it is too late.
This is not about setting a trap to intentionally catch an animal. This is digging a pit for some reason but not ensuring that animals coming by while you are away, are safe. If the animal falls into that pit, the person who dug the pit is responsible. He needs to pay money to the owner of the animal plus the dead animal is his to clean up. This would be an expensive error in judgment.
There was also the need to for an owner to keep his animal home. If his ox hurt another man’s ox and that ox died, then the person with the aggressive ox was responsible. The live ox needed to be sold and the money from that animal was to be split between the two of them.
Animals do not always get along. Some animals can be very territorial. The bottom line here is to be sure your fences are in good shape. Either that or have a good cattleman around who can keep his animals under control. God believes in private ownership. If farmers want to share oxen they can, but if they do not have such an agreement, then they better be careful to keep their animals separate to avoid problems such as this.
In verse 36 we are again reminded of the importance of taking appropriate action for an aggressive animal. A person’s ox might be a good work animal, but if that animal is known to be aggressive, the owner better be sure he keeps that animal penned up at home. If that animal either breaks loose or is left to wander and it attacks another animal and kills it, then the owner must pay for the ox and the dead ox is his. He cannot go and buy some worthless ox. He needs to make sure the replacement animal is of equal quality to that of the one that was killed. The ‘innocent’ party should not be left to an unneeded and unwanted expense. He needs a reliable animal and the person who did not take matters seriously enough is the one who needs to learn an important lesson. Being hit in the pocket book can be a good way to learn a lesson that is not learned by speaking to the person.
In this chapter God gave practical laws for the nation of Israel. They were being prepared for the time they would live as a nation in the land of Canaan. Thus far, they had been living under bondage in Egypt. They had livestock, but they were not free to live on their own. They were hard at work for the Egyptians.
When people act in a responsible manner it makes life better for all involved. When there is someone who does not respect another person’s possessions, it makes life more difficult. Israel was to be an example to other nations. Other nations were to learn how they too could function in a safe manner where people can work together and the nation can thrive, rather than a backbiting people who are at each other’s throats all the time.
Jesus stated that He offers a peace that the world does not know. Those who are saved today can still know that peace. Just as in our text, Christians can take the principles given here and they can function in a way that honours God and thus is a blessing amongst people as well.
In the past Christians have been known to work together and be a blessing not just among themselves but in society in general. This is still true of faithful Christians today. There will always be some people who will want to take advantage of those who seek to be neighbourly. Discernment is important.
Pastor Bartel