Exodus 22:1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.
6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
Capitalism is not a bad word, nor is it a bad concept. Capitalism is based upon hard work that allows a person to purchase things. When a person works for something he appreciates it more than when he is given things he never earned.
It is important to teach children from a young age the importance of ownership. In our text God taught the law of ownership. If a man owns an ox, or a sheep, then no one has the right to just walk up to that animal and take it. That is called stealing. The thief needs to be punished for his crime. If he kills the animal or sells it, then he needs to restore five oxen for the stolen ox, and four sheep for the stolen sheep.
The thief might argue and say he does not have the money to pay that. That is his problem. He should have thought of that before he decided to steal something that does not belong to him.
In verse 2 we see that the thief puts his life at risk when he chooses to be a thief. The rightful owner has the right to defend his property. If the thief dies while the owner is defending his property, that is too bad.
Not long ago there was a situation in Ontario where a thief broke into a person’s residence and wanted to take things. The owner defended his property and the result was that the thief was injured and taken to the hospital. The criminal system in Canada is so broken that the owner was charged as a result of this crime. This happened a couple of weeks ago and the media has reported this widely but the government and the police insist they did right in arresting the owner. The police in Ontario have stated before that an owner should leave his car keys close to the door so that if a thief breaks in he can get the keys and leave without harming the owner. That is foolishness. That is why theft is on the increase. When there is no legitimate consequence, the criminal will assume he can do as he pleases.
This is what happens when a nation rejects the true God. They have no way to enact good judgment.
In verse 3 we see that if the thief does not die, he needs to make full restitution. If the thief has nothing with which to pay, then he is to be sold as a slave. God knows what He is doing. A true society cannot be a free for all. It cannot be run properly if there is no just standard of justice.
In verse 4 we read that if the theft is found alive with the thief, then the thief needs to return it and restore double for what he stole. With this being implemented it would cause the thief to think twice before stealing things.
In verse 5 we see further that farmers need good fences. If a man’s beast gets into the neighbour’s vineyard or field and feeds off of that person’s crops, then he must give the best of his field to the offended person. Payment needs to be made. Years ago we were farmers. We had a neighbour that did not care to keep his fences up. His cattle would often break through to our field and he just left them there. I would call him on it, but he always had an excuse and was not at all concerned. Due to the unjust laws of our land, I had to put up a fence in that area to keep his cattle out of my field. It was a joke to him but it will not be funny when he stands before the Lord. Justice will always be done by the Lord.
In verse 6 we see that if a farmer sets a fire and it catches the thorns and then the stacks of corn or the standing corn, and consumes it, the person who started the fire needs to pay for the damages. Fire can get out of hand rather quickly at times. Fire creates its own wind and it is important to have a good plan in place if you need to burn some thorns or other trash.
Again we see that God was teaching the children of Israel the importance of being responsible. They needed to understand this before they ever entered the land of Canaan. Life works well when people walk in the fear of the Lord. With that in place a person can make wise decisions. He has an absolute authority that guides him in his decisions. We need the Lord in our lives today. We need His counsel. He is all wise. He knows what works. We do not need to waste time experimenting with man’s opinions. We have enough history to know this does not work. They say one of the marks of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Following God’s way is the way of wisdom.
Pastor Bartel
