God's Laws: Property Damage and Theft

Exodus Chapter 22

5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.
6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.
8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods.
9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.

Let's say you are a farmer and you have a goat. Your goat gets loose and goes over to your neighbor's house and eats up all the tomato plants your neighbor spent so much time planting and taking care of. Or maybe you have a dog and it goes over and digs up all the flowers in your neighbor's flower garden around the house. You will be responsible for replacing all of the lost crop with the best you have to give.

You know those teenagers who wanted to smoke in an overgrown California field and caught the field on fire, and the fire burned out of control until it burned forests and houses...you get the picture. They are responsible for all the homes that are destroyed, according to God.

And, remember when you loaned your friend that barbie to play with and some mean girl stole it? That mean girl should give you TWO Barbies...or maybe a Barbie and Ken doll, too, to pay for it. But, if that mean girl didn't steal it, and it still came up missing, you could take her to court to decide if she was just hiding it because she wanted to keep it.

Regardless, whatever is lost or stolen has to be repayed double.

God's Laws: Theft of Animals

Exodus Chapter 22

1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.

Oxen are beasts of burden, or work animals. They have a myriad of uses for mankind, from ploughing fields to pulling carts and treading meal. Sheep are used for making coverings and clothings, for warmth and body protection. Both animals were used in sacrifice and meals. Oxen are worth more, in God's eyes, therefore God wants thieves to pay more for stealing them.

So, you can safely say that any animal used as a beast of burden or work animal is worth 5 times it's market value, and any animal used for only their skins and fur mainly is only worth four times it's market value, but either way a thief has to pay the fine if found stealing them.

If a thief is in the process of stealing and someone kills him, then the man who kills a thief is not subject to the law of life for life. He was protecting his property and livelihood. But, if the thief is only injured, then the thief shall pay full restitution, and if he can't, he is sold into servanthood for his theft. He's going to work it off, and then some.

And, if a thief is caught in the act with a live animal, then he should pay double for whatever was in his hand at the time.

God's Laws #8: Don't Steal

When I was about three years old, I was attending a family reunion at a place that had a swimming pool.

The family gathering was upstairs. The building was made nearly all of glass.

The swimming area had a store in it where anyone could buy snack foods.

My cousin and I were running around chasing each other and we saw the candy bars. My cousin and I both took a few.

The attendent, who was not seen nearby, went and told our parents what we had done.

My mother spanked me right there in front of everyone and made it perfectly clear that stealing would not be tolerated.

I was ashamed. I didn't know I was stealing. I was three years old. And, I was forced to apologize to the attendent in front of everyone and give back the candy, which, thankfully, I hadn't eaten yet. It was a lesson I learned well.

When we steal, God takes something from us. It might be our peace of mind, or our security, or our relationships...something goes missing from our lives. When we steal, we are robbing someone else of their livelihood. We are robbing someone else of their blessings, and God won't tolerate that.

But, more than that, Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death". When we sin, we are committing a slow painful suicide. The good news is that Jesus addressed this in John 10:10 when He said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

So, if you are a thief, there is hope. Turn to Jesus as Lord of your life and, as Jesus told the prostitute, "Go and sin no more".