Exodus 22:7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.
8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods.
9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
10 If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:
11 Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
12 And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.
13 If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.
14 And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.
15 But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.
Justice is important to God. Canada has lost sight of what true justice is. We are in a very precarious state at present.
Within the past 24 hours the IDF attacked an Hamas meeting place in Doha, Qatar. Canada, UK and France have condemned the attack along with other Muslim dominated countries. There is conflicting information coming from the U.S. on this matter. Hamas is a terrorist organization that should not be safe anywhere. Those who want to join that organization should understand that they have signed a death warrant. In Genesis 12 God warned of His vengeance against any nation that would curse Israel. God does not make empty threats. There are many bleeding hearts. They are the same people who do not care about any human life except that which personally affects them.
In the Old Testament God dealt with certain nations that had chosen to defy Him. He eliminated some of them. God has not changed. He is still acting according to His righteous standard. Man’s whining will not change His course. Man needs to submit to God and know His peace and His blessings.
In our text, God shows us that private property is to be respected as such. We have accepted the propaganda of the day and we are required to lock everything up to keep it safe. Even then it is not safe. Cars that are locked can be stolen. Houses that are locked can be broken into. Banks are not safe from thieves. The problem is not a lack of security. The problem is a lack of the fear of God. When God is rejected and His laws are not enforced life can be very difficult.
In verses 7-8 we read of a man who delivers money or other things to his neighbour for him to keep for him. If a thief breaks into the house and steals it, and he be found, then he must pay double. Restitution for crimes is important. There must be consequences for crimes committed. Today many people get away with their crimes, at least at this time. They do not get away with them in God’s economy. There is a judgment after death. Those who reject God have all their deeds recorded in God’s book. At the great white throne judgment, Jesus Christ will open the books and the deeds of the lost will be revealed and then they will be cast into the lake of fire.
In the U.S. a young female refugee from Ukraine was recently murdered. The murderer was out on bail and he had fourteen prior charges. His last court appearance had been in January and the judge released him on the promise that he would appear in court when called. That judge and several before her need to be charged with manslaughter. A criminal needs to be treated in a manner to curtail him or her from being able to continue that criminal behaviour. His judgment needs to be a reminder to others of the importance of respect for life and property. That begins with knowing the fear of God. In our society we want to silence the voice of truth. We promote evil, but we stifle truth.
In verse 28 we read that if the thief is not found, then the homeowner is to be brought before the judge to see whether he was the thief. If you volunteer to look after someone’s possessions, then you also need to take responsibility for those things. You need to be honest and trustworthy. The system needs to be in place to hold people accountable and to be able to prove they are not guilty of a crime. Innocent until proven guilty does not mean ignoring the possibility that a person could be guilty. We see here why it is important that a person has a good name and testimony.
In verse 29 we see that individuals should not take matters into their own hands. If there is a dispute it needs to be brought before the judges. We see as well that it is important that the judges not be dishonest. A judge that can be bought is not a good judge. We have many judges and lawyers who are corrupt. The government controls many judges. Judges are supposed to rule according to sound law, but often that is not the case.
We see in our text that if the judges rule and condemn a person of a crime, that criminal must pay double for his crime. There need to be honest witnesses and there need to be honest judges.
In verse 10 we are given more examples of the importance of right laws. If a man trusts his neighbour to keep an animal for him, and that animal dies or is hurt or driven away and there is no witness to the event, then the person who was entrusted with the care of the animal needs to declare that he never stole or hurt the animal. The owner of the animal needs to accept the testimony of the person.
On the other hand, according to verses 12-15, if the person who is to be watching over the animal is negligent in his responsibility, then he is liable for the loss. If a person is willing to look after someone else’s property, he needs to take responsibility for that. If he is not able to ensure that the animal will be protected while in his care, then he should not accept that responsibility.
If a person would borrow an animal from another person and was hurt while in the borrower’s care, then the person that borrowed the animal would need to cover for the loss. If the animal was hurt, he would need to look after the cost of healing of that animal. If the animal died then he would need to pay for the animal according to the demand of the owner. If the owner was there with the animal and it was hurt, the owner was responsible for his animal. He needed to understand the limits of that animal and not overwork it or put it in harms way.
A person needed to know how to say no and how to watch out for his livestock. He was not forced to help his neighbour with his animal. If the job was too risky, then he had the right to refuse it. If he agreed to go and help him, then he needed to accept the responsibility of getting involved in that situation.
God’s laws are very practical and fair. The nation of Israel needed to learn how they could get along with one another and how they could prosper as a nation. There are certain groups of people who work together in partnerships. On a farm there are things that could easily be shared with other farmers. However, the farmers need to be trustworthy. When the fear of God rules, then they will be trustworthy. When money is the god, then people will not be trustworthy.
The problem in our country is the lack of the fear of God. As we see here, personal responsibility is important. God holds us accountable for our actions. A corrupt society may delay that accountability for a person but God will see to it that justice will be done. Those who want to get away with criminal activity, will find that eternity is a long time. The weeping and gnashing of teeth that will take place in the lake of fire, has no end. It is important to know the Lord and walk in the fear of the Lord. That is the way of blessing.
Pastor Bartel
