Exodus 21:2 NKJV If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing.
If 3 is God’s numerical signature, not that I’m into numerology, there being 3 persons in the Trinity to 3 parts of man; spirit, soul and body, then 7 represents perfection/completeness. From God resting on the 7th day to God declaring Himself in the Old Testament to be the first and the last (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Revelation 1:11, 17; 2:8; 22:13.), the study of all the patterns made by the number 7 is fascinating. It is to be noted that there are 7 ordained feasts of Israel, 7 letters to 7 churches in the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 21:29 NKJV But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.
This might seem harsh but there is wisdom in this for today. While the Bible tells us to treat our animals well, it also prudently draws a line between emotionalism and practicality based on the morality that God laid down in the Bible.
For example, my first best friend was a dog called Moti, who was with me from the time I was born till my mother gave him away when I was four. She gave Moti away because apparently I was sharing food with him. I considered that harmless at the time, but my mother was wise enough to understand that it was not hygienic. If Moti was rabid, not that he was but if that was the case then it would have been prudent to put him down. Not only that, but it would also be done in the name of safety of those in my household and my neighborhood, especially given that my younger brother was born around then.
Imagine if he had rabies and if I was old enough to willingly let him go around biting folks, then would not the whole village be justified in holding me responsible? Loosing accountability for our actions is lawlessness.