seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 22:1“Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.
2 “If a thief is caught breaking in at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; 3 but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.
“Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution, but if they have nothing, they must be sold to pay for their theft. 4 If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.
5 “If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else’s field, the offender must make restitution from the best of their 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 anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. 8 But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges, and they must determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’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 the other.
10 “If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their 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, restitution must be made to the owner. 13 If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.
14 “If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they 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.
Here's the link to the commentary I read.He shall restore: The Mosaic Law did not send a person to jail because of theft. Instead, the thief was required to restore what he stole, plus an additional penalty.
He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft:If the person was unable to pay back what he stole, the thief was sold as an indentured laborer, with the money from the sale going to the victim.
If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed: A property owner had the right to protect his property with force — but only with reasonable force. The assumption was that if it was daylight, the property owner had the ability to defend himself short of lethal force.
Any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his: In the law of Israel, an owner did not lose ownership simply because the object was lost. If another found the object and owner laid claim to it (with a dispute following), it was to be decided by judges.
“An object has been lost: the owner later sees a similar object in possession of his neighbor, and claims it as his own. The Israelites apparently did not follow the Anglo-Saxon dictum of ‘finders are keepers’: a lost object remains the possession of the original owner, who can claim it on sight.” (Cole)
He shall surely make it good: This was the simple principle meant to guide the judges. The guilty party had to make it good. Distinctions were to be made according to fairness and justice, not simply to reward whoever suffered loss. Sometimes loss is suffered, and no one is to blame.
It's a lot of reading but it's only 14 verses.
Moses and the Elders are still at the mountain with God. God is still handing down the laws that will bring civility to the Israelites as they move into the land of milk and honey. The Ten Commandments have been stated by God. They are not engraved in stone yet... or at least I haven't read a verse telling me that God handed Moses the tablets.
While all this study of law is being handed down... the mountain the Elders and Judges and Moses are standing on and near... is erupting and quaking and smoking.
I wonder, with all the mountain eruption going on while God is handing down the law, does it remind anyone there of the days of Sodom?
I read what a foramite said about the law had been around long before the Israelites had this epic meeting with God. God is giving His People the law of the land. Someone else might have already written a law for another land. Someone else might have told them how to behave with civility. All this is true, after all, the Israelites had been with the Egyptians for over 400 years. They heard the law according to the Egyptian "gods". This is different though.
These are God's rules and regulations. These laws, handed down by God, including slavery and capital punishment, are from God, not some imaginary character carrying a club or a lightning bolt. These are the requirements set by the One and Only God.
My On-line Bible titled this one.
Protection of Property
