Exodus 22:7 – 8 “If a man gives his neighbor money or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has taken his neighbor’s property. “
At first, this hardly seems fair! After all, nobody has control over whether or not a thief breaks into your house. By the time you discover the theft, the thief might be far away. But notice that in addition to requiring the thief to pay back double if he is caught, the home owner may appear in court and swear before God that he has neither used nor stolen his neighbor’s property. Keeping something for your neighbor does not mean that you begin using his possessions as you choose. Several years ago, we stored some things with a relative while we were overseas. When we returned, we found that the relative had actually given my bicycle away to someone outside the family. I felt violated! Had I known what would happen, I would have rented a storage shed.
Dennis Prager notes, “If the guardian refuses to take such an oath, he has to make restitution for the stolen item.” Prager goes on to point out that, “In ancient Israel, the fear of God was so great an oath invoking God was regarded as sufficient to end a trial.” Recently, some courts in the U.S. have eliminated “so help me, God” from the oath that a witness is required to swear; however, this is a sorry mistake! If someone giving testimony does not wish God to stand as assurance for the truth of his/her statements, how far can we trust what the person is about to say? Yes, people have lied under oath before; but none of us know how God has handled that person afterwards.
v.9 “In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any lost item that someone claims, ‘This is mine,’ both parties shall bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges find guilty must pay back double to his neighbor.” Here, the meaning is quite clear: once the judges reach a decision, a thief must pay back double. If my neighbor is traveling and asks me to keep his ox for him, I might decide to hide the ox someplace and claim that it was stolen. But when my treachery is discovered, I must return the animal, plus an additional animal. If on the other hand, I am honest and the animal really has been stolen, Prager states that “if the witnesses are found to have lied, they pay double to the guardian.” WOW! Bearing false witness in court can get expensive in a hurry! (Dennis Prager “The Rational Bible: Exodus”)
v. 10 – 13 “If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to be cared for by his neighbor, but it dies or is injured or stolen while no one is watching, an oath before the LORD shall be made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has taken his neighbor’s property. The owner must accept the oath and require no restitution. But if the animal was actually stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner. If it was torn to pieces, he shall bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for the torn carcass.”
The big question here is this: are you being paid to watch the animal, or are you only watching it as a favor to your neighbor? If you are just doing your neighbor a favor and the animal dies or is injured or stolen, you must swear before God that you were not responsible for the theft, injury, or death. But if your neighbor has hired you to care for his possessions and the animal is stolen, you must make restitution because you have failed to fulfill your agreement. But what happens if a wild animal attacks the animals you are being paid to watch? In that case, you must bring the torn carcass as evidence that you did not steal the animal. Nobody can reasonably expect you to fight off wild beasts.
At this point, you might be asking what is to keep someone from killing an animal, faking the marks of a wild animal attack, and having a barbecue? But the guardian is expected to bring in the torn carcass. If the steaks are missing, somebody is definitely going to get suspicious! And the guardian is going to have to swear before God as to what happened.
v. 14 “If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not present, he must make full restitution. If the owner was present, no restitution is required. If the animal was rented, the fee covers the loss.” Poor Shmuel the Fool! Shmuel borrowed his neighbor’s ox; however, Shmuel wasn’t careful, and the ox stepped in a hole and broke its leg! Now Shmuel must make full restitution (Two animals or their price.) But if Obed, the owner of the ox, was with Shmuel, then it is assumed that Obed had control of his animal and Shmuel is off the hook. If Abram rents Obed’s ox and something happens to the ox, Abram is safe because he has paid a rental fee.
APPLICATION: We look at these laws and wonder if they still apply to us. But consider this: we frequently refer to our possessions as our “valuables.” Nobody wants to work for years to have a nice vehicle, only to have it stolen or wrecked. If your neighbor’s teen age son borrows your new car without your permission and brings it back with a big dent in one fender, you will be furious! Your subsequent discussions about repairing the vehicle will actually have their roots in the verses we have just studied. If the matter goes to court, the laws on which the judge’s decision are based also began with these verses.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for knowing us better than we know ourselves. Thank you that you want all of us to live in peace with our neighbors. Help us to treasure your Word and to be grateful for your boundless love. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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