Property Management – Dealing with Thieves
Exodus 22: “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters
it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a
sheep. 2 If the thief is found breaking in,
and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for
his bloodshed. 3 If the sun has risen on him, there
shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if
he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If
the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or
donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.
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GOD gives Moses specific instructions on how to handle a
thief. Earlier, GOD gave everyone the commandment, “You shall not steal.”
My Observations:
- GOD
seemed to be dealing with a selfish mindset that would cause people to
take what was not theirs.
- GOD
wants to be the provider, but when someone steals, HIS provision is
tainted.
- GOD
seemed to desire that the thief make things right.
“I deserve this thing” is the limiting mindset that GOD is trying
to address. HE is the one who determines what we deserve or not. Later GOD
would speak about how HE hates robbery and wrongdoing, to Isaiah.
A thief is a person who steals something without asking for
the thing or paying for the thing, usually done in stealth and without force or
violence. Today, the mindset of the thief can be quite complex. It’s not just
about oxen (tools) or sheep (food and clothing). Today’s thief takes ideas
(Intellectual Property), identities (Digital Property), Housing (squatter), and
stuff (Physical Assets).
I believe al of the Laws of Moses were put in place to
protect the children of Israel and to point to CHRIST. They were supposed to
act different than the Egyptians and the children of Canaan who would steal at
the drop of a hat.
The thief did not want to work for their tools or food. GOD
gave instructions that the caught thief needed to be put to work as the
punishment. This is what the thief should have been doing in the first place,
so the owner would have no guilt. If the punishment, however, caused the thief
to die and nothing is done about the death, then the guilt would fall on the
owner. GOD hates circumventing HIS provision to get one’s way.
Challenge
- Why
does GOD remind Moses about HIS way of dealing with the mindset of the
thief?
- Are
you stealing anything and trying to justify the theft?
- What
do you have and what do you feel you deserve and does this cause a
conflict between you and GOD?
