Addressing Blame
Exodus 22: 9 “For any kind of
trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or
clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims
to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever
the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. 10 If
a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep,
and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, 11 then an oath
of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand
into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and
he shall not make it good. 12 But if,
in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of
it. 13 If it is torn to pieces by a
beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he
shall not make good what was torn.
14 “And if a man borrows anything from
his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with
it, he shall surely make it good. 15 If
its owner was with it, he shall not make it good;
if it was hired, it came for its hire.
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GOD continued with HIS discussion with Moses. HE provided
rules to guide people in dealing with conflict.
My Observations:
- GOD
knew people would have selective memories when it concerned conflicting
situations that needed to be resolved.
- GOD
allowed humans to deal with their own situations versus inserting HIMSELF.
- GOD
seemed to also be addressing a mindset of blame.
Being responsible for an accidental death of an animal meant
paying for the dead animal because it was in the care of someone else. This
applied to lost or stolen items as well. I believe GOD wants us to see two
things, namely blame and responsibility.
Before taking on the care of an animal or a thing of value,
know that you are responsible for it until it is returned. Blaming the person
who put the thing in your care does not go well with GOD, so do not accept the
responsibility. The same goes for the person who needs someone to care for
something.
The owner of that thing needs to be responsible for placing
something of value with people who may or may not care. The owner had
responsibility of not blaming the caretaker. I believe GOD was demonstrating
the care we should have in spreading the Gospel.
GOD gave this extremely important message and wants us to
care for it without accidental death. HE wants us to be joyful in spreading the
Gospel versus blaming HIM. The mindset of blame had to be addressed and turned
into a mindset of responsibility.
Challenge
- Why
does GOD remind Moses about HIS rule or responsibility?
- Have
you examined your tendencies to see if you blame others easily?
- Are
you blaming GOD for anything that you should be responsible for?
