Let Justice Be Done
Opening Prayer
God, open my eyes to my daily practices. Do I conduct them in a way that is pleasing to You?
Read Exodus 22:1–15
“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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Remember the last time you were involved in an insurance claim. How did you feel during the process, and what did you pray?We come to some rulings about property, couched in the terms relevant to ancient rural life: sheep-stealing, livestock-grazing and situations going wrong when you have borrowed something. What is an honest Israelite to do?
The answer involves letting justice be done, with evidence used as was appropriate. So
successful did this method become, in official terms, that it is hard for us to read this passage as anything other than stating the obvious. But arguably, at least, the roots of modern criminal justice are being spelled out here, long before they were common. Also, note that the concerns of everyday(business) life are woven into the heart of Holy Scripture. Being spiritual is not an alternative to getting on with our day-to- day work. God is concerned with the ethics of our business transactions too.
Of course, we all know that the world still does not work this way very often. Factors like family relationships, angry retribution and dishonest reporting are all more common than even-handed weighing of the evidence. Could the laws of Exodus 22 even be a prophetic voice for today?
Apply
Our work lives are part of our discipleship, not a separate area of life. How could that impact the way we work today?
Closing prayer
God of All Creation, be in my life today. Be the very center my life is built around—my work, my home, my pleasure. Lead me.
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