Making things Right

Making things Right
Words of Faith 1-5-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 22
"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.
[2] "If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; [3] 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.
[4] "If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession--whether ox or donkey or sheep--he must pay back double.
[5] "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.
[6] "If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.
[7] "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. [8] 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. [9] 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.
[10] "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, [11] 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. [12] But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner. [13] 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.
[14] "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. [15] 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.

You shall not steal. This is the pronouncement of God in Exodus 20:6. But what is the penalty for stealing? How does one make things right after committing a crime? Stealing a person (kidnapping) could draw a death penalty (21:16), but what about stealing a sheep or an ox? Chapter 22 sets out some detail for making things right.
The Hebrew word used in this text is shalam, shaw-lam'. It means "to be safe" or "completed" and by implication to "be friendly." It means to make amends, make good, compensate or pay restitution. It is a rich word that seems to imply much more than a penalty paid. The word speaks of the restoration of community and friendship. This big issue here is restoration. How does one repay for the cost of sin and make things right?
This passage deals with specific situations that could commonly occur in the ancient community and the restitution that should be made. These laws actually served to prevent excessive revenge by setting a limitation on how much a victim of crime to "take back" from the criminal.
In some ancient (and modern) cultures the hand of the offender was cut off no matter the value of the goods stolen. Such harsh punishment may have served as a community deterrent but it did little to repay the victim of the theft and generally created a more needy person!
The restitution set out in the Bible was fairly severe calling for two to five times the value of the theft. A person could even be sold into slavery repay damages. Such harsh penalties served as a deterrent to crime.
Perhaps more important, restitution is a central and vital part of justice. While there are some criminal damages that can never be made right, there are many circumstances in which the loss and inconvenience caused by sin can be repaid. Scripture teaches that this is the right thing to do.
As a principle, restitution comes right out of God's Word. Restitution is important for both the victim and the perpetrator of a crime. It attempts to restore what was lost on both sides of the equation. Ideally, restitution should help toward reconciliation and the opportunity to "be friendly."
So what do we do with this passage as a devotional text?
It is unlikely that many of us will have an ox stolen today, but the principles here can be applied. In the big picture, certainly we should support systems of just restitution in our courts. Whether we work within the court system or simply vote on issues related to the courts, restitution should be part of the plan.
But there is another issue here. What if we have an unresolved sin against another? We may have perpetrated a theft of some sort. We don't like to think about that. Perhaps it was years ago or before we were saved, but still it was a theft. Perhaps it was minor and went unnoticed. It may have been a petty theft of materials or time from an employer or failure to pay taxes. The Scripture teaches that confession and restitution are the appropriate response.
We need not scour our memories for such situations. The Lord is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness. The Holy Spirit is also faithful to remind us of the matters we need to make right.

Father God, Your ways are just and right. I give thanks for the guidance of Your Word and the application of Your Spirit. Show me how to act justly in love and mercy and walk humbly with my God. Reveal in my heart and life anything that You desire to change and show me any restitution You desire for me to make. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.