Property Management – Dealing with Thieves

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?

Eighth Commandment – No Stealing

Eighth Commandment – No Stealing

Exodus 20:  ¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

 

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GOD told Moses and the children of Israel not to steal. This was HIS eighth commandment.

 

My Observations:

• GOD may have been addressing a mindset of stealing that was adopted from the Egyptians.
• GOD may have seen how powerful people steal to remain in power.
• GOD may have also been addressing the fact that the people may have ignored HIS provision

 

 

Being a god was important to the Egyptian Pharaoh. They would go to great lengths to obtain the status of a god and to keep it. One method they may have used was stealing from those who served them. During the plagues, all of the Egyptian animals were killed by GOD. The Egyptians may have used force to steal some of the living animals from the children of Israel.

 

This mindset was dangerous to the LORD. Thievery is a form of trying to be a god. The thought behind it is “I want what you have and I have decided to take it by force or by sneaky activity.”

 

Stealing reduces GOD’s power and provision. The thief may feel GOD’s timing or current provisions were inadequate. GOD provided manna, turned bitter water sweet and provided water from a rock. HE wants you and me to know HE is the provider. But when wee take matters in our own hands, we become thieves.

 

The result of getting more money or more food or a better living space may not be pleasing to GOD. Undercutting and devaluing may be a form of stealing that also surfaces from the Egyptian mindset. Over valuing a house or under paying for a car could be an example of adjacent thievery that is more complex.

 

GOD was addressing a mindset that keeps a person from asking for something. They take without giving and make decisions for how they treat the people around them as justification for their thievery.

 

GOD is the provider, but when we steal, HE no longer is viewed as the provider. Fortunately, GOD is merciful. JESUS was hung on the cross between two thieves. One thief gave a testimony about JESUS not deserving to be put to death. The thief was forgiven.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about HIS warning to not steal?
• Have you stolen something that should have been provided by GOD?
• Is GOD your provider?