HOLY RESTITUTION

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.”

"If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed.”

"A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft.”

"If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—he must pay back double.”

"If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man's field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard.”

"If a fire breaks out and spreads into thorn bushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.”

"If a man gives his neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor's house, the thief, if he is caught, must pay back double. But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has laid his hands on the other man's property. In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, 'This is mine,' both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to his neighbor.”

"If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to his neighbor for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person's property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner. If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, he shall bring in the remains as evidence and he will not be required to pay for the torn animal.”

"If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, he must make restitution. But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss."

Exodus 22:1-15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the eighth of God’s Ten Commandments, He demands this:

"You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15

At the start of Chapter 22, God expands on this command and establishes accountability in cases where theft happens. We see that a part of that accountability comes in the matter of restitution.

For example:

- If a man steals and ox or sheep, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. And if the thief cannot pay the compensation required by the law, then he will be sold into slavery with the funds going to the plaintiff.

- If a stolen animal is found alive in the thief’s possession, then he must pay back double what would be normally owed.

- If a man allows his livestock to graze in another man’s field, he must make amends by giving the best of his own field or vineyard to the owner of the land where the trespass took place.

- If a fire breaks out and burns shocks of grain or standing grain in a field (think wildfire that burns other property before coming under control), the one who started the fire must make restitution to all who were impacted.

- If a man gives his neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen, the thief must pay back double, having put the one who was safeguarding in a bad position with the one who entrusted things to him.

- If someone is judged as being guilty of illegally possessing the livestock, garment or any other lost property of their neighbor, the thief must pay back double to his neighbor.

- If someone steals an animal from a neighbor, they must pay restitution to the owner.

and

- If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, then he must compensate the animal’s owner.

So what are we to glean from these scenarios?

There are two key things we should notice.

First, in every one, a form of repayment had to be made. In other words, there was a real price to pay for sinning or irresponsibility. In regard to willingly violating what God has commanded, we must remember that when He tells us to do something, we’re required to do just as He has said. Disobedience will result in us having to pay for our decision through consequences prescribed in His Word.

Second, we should see that the pay back in these instances was often more that the original value of what was stolen.

This was designed to serve as a deterrent to anyone stealing from another. If the required compensation was greater than what was taken then someone might think twice before they would take something that didn’t belong to them. Further, if the thief didn’t have what was required to repay, the threat of being sold into slavery to cover the debt owed served as an added layer of consideration before someone did wrong.

Overall, God wanted the Israelites (and us as well), to see that are heavy penalties for our sinfulness. Thankfully, we also know that our Lord is forgiving and full of grace, ready to forgive us when we repent and in some instances, showing us that we need to respond to His mercy with a show of restitution. Perhaps this could take the form of ministering to others in His name, acts that can provide a return of far greater worth than the sin you may have committed, that being the salvation of lost souls.

So what do we gain from this passage that can help us in our daily lives?

Well…first of all, we won’t need to be concerned about restitution if we don’t sin in the first place.

It’s true that in our humanity, we are all morally diseased and sin-sick inside but if we can keep Jesus at the center of our hearts, minds, and thoughts, then we can ward off the temptation to commit iniquities and maintain spiritual remission. We need to remember the words of our Savior Jesus who said this:

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

If we keep Him and only Him in our hearts, minds, and souls, there will be no room for Satan and the sin he pushes to enter in. Jesus and Satan cannot co-exist in the same place.

So allow Jesus to fully dwell within you, pushing Satan out, and then allow God’s only Son to help you displace any space where sin might try and get a foothold within you.

Our second and final take away is that there is often a heavy price paid for our sinfulness. We need only look to the cross of Calvary to know that is true as Christ believers and followers.

It’s there, at the cross, that we see the most severe penalty ever handed down for the sins of mankind, a death penalty by crucifixion. This penalty was placed upon an innocent, sinless Jesus, a man who carried the weight of every transgression and paid the consequences for every sinner, purchasing their pardon with His own shed blood.

Jesus paid the restitution that we owed and because of Him, we are more than conquerors over death and the grave. Because of Him, we have been taken from despair and moved to hope. Because of Him, our sin debt has been paid in full.

Friends, in Jesus, we see the definition of holy restitution and through His acts of selfless sacrifice, we experience a love like no other, a love that led our Savior to lay down His life for His friends, you and me counted in that number.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.