099 - You Gotta Make Things Right

You pick up your Bible and wonder, is there more here than meets the is there something here for me.

I mean it's just words printed on paper right it may look like just print on the page but it's more than Inc. join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on as we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than talk about the 10 Commandments. Let's say that someone was my car goes out crashes. Total loss is covered in the 10 Commandments. Good question God care if I loan my stuff to somebody gets abused or lost or broken well and working up the 10 Commandments I think will find out today on good morning and welcome to more than Inc. I'm Dorothy and I'm Jim and were sitting here at our dining room table. We are working our way through that section in Exodus, the law is amplified and applied specifically to the circumstances of community living residential application right been talking last we were talking specifically about slavery and slaves and how to treat your slaves if you are the people of God.

And just to remind you that a slave is one who has no will of his own, but his will is completely subjected to the will of his master and slavery is an idea that runs all the way through the Scriptures. It's a very powerful and a useful idea. So it slavery is not forbidden but this is a particular kind of slavery that's very highly and carefully regulated by God. According to God's justice. So we finished, we pointed out in going that are classic American idea of slavery right sleeping really well. Still, people, and so that's actually forbidden here in this sectionals life.

That's to be punished with capital punishment. You steal a man's life and sell him so if you think that this section on slavery is about endorsing that kind of slavery actually is a Crime to do that. So, go back and listen to last week's if you're not sure exactly were talking about, but but that's where we are sorted. What was the letter in Exodus 20 and we finished with the last little segment about if a pregnant woman is hit and it causes a miscarriage or the ESV says causes the come out what happens and it says there shall be a fine imposed by the husband right and judges will determine the rightness of it, but if there's hunger in verse 23 of chapter 20, then you shall pay life for life.

And so if the woman or the child dies, you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe is fascinating that that very detailed list of the regulation, limitation of vengeance appears here in this little part about striking a pregnant woman, the value of women comes through very clearly in this statement. Not just here but in the whole statement about slavery and how shall treat your female slaves you great respect and we also mentioned at that point that I for I think that that's a radical innovation injustice because at the time the world if someone of something yesterday and you had a loss many times as it will then you can you can overreact and you can hit them. There was an escalation right what limitations someone accidentally kills your goat. You can go over what Dr. Village will that's not an S on a measured response right and so I for I means measured response. You can only respond recognition to the degree which was lost and looking into that a little bit more in a few minutes but we need to pick it up. Now in verse 26 of chapter 20 and are still in this section we were talking about the treatment of slaves.

So I'll start reading in verse 26 when a man strikes the his slave, male or female and destroys it. He shall let the slave go is if he knocks out the two of his slave mail order for now, he shall let the slave go free to continue what kind of reserve it put on the master so they lose a tooth from what you are you going to lose your slave that's writing that investment in this life exactly again. That's why this is not like American African trade slaves because that that would never be the case that are you by someone's to do that you let them go. That wasn't part of America's right.

What remember we had read earlier in chapter 20 that if you buy a Hebrew slave. He will you buying him for six years seventh year he goes out free paint yeah right here.

If you smack him and damages I is the truth. He goes free free such a great caution for Masters really treat people well to treatment well was below 28 okay okay so when an ox when an ox gores a man or woman to death.

The ox shall be stoned and his flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable but the ox has been accustomed to Gore in the past and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in and it kills a man or woman.

Well, the ox will be stoned and its owner also shall be put to well yeah, and if a ransom is imposed on them like yours money because of this, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on if it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule and if the ox gores a slave male and female. The owner shall give to the master 30 shekels of silver in the ox shall be stoned. So we make of this ox goring other people your ox, your property causes damage and well yeah so you have been neglecting your responsibility to take to keep your violent animal under control, but what strikes me here is the constant repetition of man or woman, man or woman, slave, man or woman, or children, so we know that in other cultures at the same time women were not valued to men. Children were not valued as human rights so they were. I mean they were a deposit on the heritage right. They were the next generation coming up but they really were not regarded until they were old enough to earn their way there show their worth. They were regarded as valuable so this case, if you allow his name as he kills someone he can get away with single, that was just your little history is one of your slaves, because just want your slave for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed is in big trouble is in big trouble. So this is really a wonderful statement on the value of mankind even said it if if this if this thing happens you know you take it seriously, not just if a male householder dies. But if anybody else dies, including the slave so strikes me here is that this is an emphasis on responsibility right that you can't just thing you know he's not important to me.

Here I do that that you are responsible for not just your own actions, but the actions of your property.

Yeah, this is really move into an area that we call negligence in law and you know many times you say something or someone do something malicious, deliberately premeditated, that's one thing but what if it's just negligence. I'm sure they'll come to the penalties great and here it is actually just negligent is because this is descriptive of the way of people who claim to be people of a holy God, creator and author of everything that God is just and loves justice as we said last week. What is God, made known to you from Micah 68.

He's told me what's good do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God. Right. So even the way you care for your animals or keep track of your responsibilities yes before, not just an issue of absence of malice is of caring for your neighbors by pageant and that's a big deal. Which is why Jesus answered right was the greatest commandment love the Lord your God, and the second commandment love your neighbor as your self sums up all of these community righteous is as loving for you as the owner of an ox that you know is dangerous to be negligent right allow him to kill someone. Is that loving your neighbor. Not even close. And that's were talked about exactly this. Will you this sort of transitions us into a whole discussion about restitution, which is a part of justice.

Our system really overlooked quite a bit. Someone is arrested to ship right what's it about to basically equalize someone else's loss that can't, that's right, and tied up in this Hebrew word is the idea of peace thinking right reestablishing by paying the cost of someone else's loss so I know are our criminal system emphasizes locking people up right because, while some people's life. These the Israel system. I got institutes are really the backbone of it is rest restitution and make things right right make things right so that puts us in the chapter 21. Let me read the ceiling in the right place here.

Verse 33 verse 33 so so for instance when a man opens a pit or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it in an ox or donkey falls into it with the owner of the pit shall make restoration he should give money to its owner in the deadbeats shall be his. So you dig a hole like for storage or greater for water and some something but don't market responsibly else's property falls into negligence issue right and you gotta make it right. That's the restitution or how about verse 35 11 man's ox, but another so that it dies you know someone ox, but right well then they shall sell the why box and share its price in the deadbeats. They shall also share or if it's know if it's known that the ox has been accustomed to goring in the past and its owner has not kept it in the dunes, he shall repay ox for ox in the deadbeats shall be his restitution and not and not you.

You give me everything you own Justin ox for the ox that loss restitution just make it right. Just to make a right. Chapter 22 verse one we continue on restitution. So if a man steals and oxen are really value for well property agrarian society. That's the way you plow your it's your livelihood. Yes, your livelihoods is a big deal. You not just doing a piece of property or stealing someone's ability to feed themselves.

Okay, back to the ox okay so if a man's ox or sheep and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox or for sheep for his sheep. So that's that's big, that's big. That's not just ox for ox use: that you broken that commandment you shall not steal yeah and so you pay back five folder fourfold is a big deal here. Yeah, and if a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no blood guilt for him.

But if the sun has risen on him. There shall be blood guilt on him and he shall surely pay okay. Stop. Yeah that is a blood risen on the one who found the thief came in and stole from right. Anyway, today, and then goes and hunts them down kills him, then he's guilty we can make a case for you know that the thief was killed in the dark and iffy if he's killed during the daylight.

You know than the measured response was that you don't have to kill a thief you can restrain them in some way so little ways of looking at this. There's blood guilt on the person is protecting his property right when a thief comes in is actually a measured response thing that's placed on top of it is just apprehended the thief.

He is going to be legally required to make restitution you can get your property back right right but if you kill them. Then a different law applies yeah that's in our laws today to if you own a gun and someone breaks into your house and you see them. Just hearing you TV. I can't just shoot him because you're not in physical danger. So it's a it's a measured response issues with this is so, he shall surely pay but it has nothing then he shall be sold for his left son is going into indentured servitude up To pay his debt you economically pay back what you take right by hours of being in slavery. So the stolen beast is found alive in his possession. Whether it's an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall pay double so if the property is recovered. He pays double evident that he took it to pay not only return the sheep but pay for what he has done exactly in here in verse five we move into the kind of the careless issues of life and negligence were talked about before. If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another Mansfield. He shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard so someone let's there be scope no eat someone else's stuff while the need to let them eat your stuff. That's just the way this I'm thinking this has practical application to daylight. Some stray some animal in the neighborhood. Somebody left their dog out, which should be leasing it comes over and eats all your dogs food. It's the right thing to do would be for them to bring you up back at dog food restaurant dog but I'm just thinking of people. I know you have have had similar experiences like this practical and and again we get to this carelessly in verse six. So if a fire breaks out and catches and thorns so that it the stacked grain or the Cindy Green or the field when you started the fire shall make forest. That's a lot that's a lot, and this usually comes around to when he mentions this whole thing about the catches and thorns.

Many times it would, they would control weeds and thorns on the edge of the growing your lighting on fire. What you do so carelessly that you like the guys wheat field on fire and he loses his entire crop for the year were you supposed to do. You gotta make risk to make fall edition of the whole field of green you have to pay back what I didn't mean church all of his grain yet you being careless to pay all of these kind of touch on that commandment not to steal right and not to covet right it's a matter of respecting your neighbors property property rights as much is your own yeah in a proactive way even if even if there's absence of malice because of the loss you go to pay restitution.

This is the right thing to do, what you picks up okay so verse seven.

If a man gives to his neighbor, money or goods to keep safe and is stolen from the man's house then thief is found, he shall pay double okay so there we are dealing with student. If the thief is not found the owner of the house, shall come near to God and show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbors property okay right so that suspicion exists. I entrusted this to you and it went missing. While it was at your house did steal and so this is it, shall come near to God and show whether or not right. God knows God sees verse nine. For every breach of trust, whether it's for an ox or donkey for sheep or a cloak or kind of lost thing of which one says well this is the case of both parties shall come before God, the one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor yeah this purposes, this is it that's applying to the sing of something lost.

So what if you lost, you lost something in its is gone and then you wait a couple months and you see it's in your neighbors backyard right in using this is mine right well then you can be forgotten by Lewis's come before God.

He's really talk about coming to judges who represent God stretches need to come for minute and then they'll decide with God's justice about what's really going on right and end it is interesting you know we we have the stupid law when you're in elementary school finders keepers losers leaders that this is not final draw. That's just on the that's not an enforcer were saying if someone claims and their word is that mine right then the judge will kind of decides you're right, it's yours.

Especially if some times past and you discover you're missing property in the possession of another one and there's a strong suspicion that he just did away with it.

Yeah, just from right right and that takes little discernment by the judges who rely on God's you know information know what's going on here and it will go on here that will establish judges to decide these matters and also all through the Old Testament. She judges this is exactly what they're doing to deciding civil matters piercing out how incredibly practical this is the chapter full of don't do this don't do that. Yes, this is a very practical way of restoring your relationship with your neighbor when I'm wrong or a loss has happened. Yeah. And if you're if you're seeing these things is kind of obvious, like all sure that's what you do what what you do understand is that in Western civilization. So much of our legal system is based on these very things right here and they were they were radical at the time the backbones of peace and will of course it's what you should do because you used them because in Western civilization. This is how we've done things and it came from the Bible and in the absence of law that is based on some external source of justice, not just like the book of Judges, every man did what's right in his own eyes right this is what's right in God's eyes got put it right and you know if you're the victim and we need to finish these. But if you're the victim of these things you've suffered loss your cheering as your hearing. That's right like you sense yes absolutely that finally some justice for my lost right that I didn't cause and someone else because what ever said okay verse 10.

If a man gives to his neighbor, a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe and it dies or is injured or is driven away without anyone seeing it an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has with his hand to his neighbor's property. So again, this is the case of the suspicion I entrusted him my animal to him disappeared. Yeah right. I'm going on vacation. Can you watch my ox right now it's gone. So this is the second half of the verse. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. But if it's stolen from him. He shall make restitution to its owner. If it's torn right beside him, bringing his tenants he shall not make restitution for what has been torn yes to this. This is back to pretty fascinating.

If the owner shall accept the oath when the oath being I swear I did everything I could but still it's gone. So if the owner accepts the oath that he shall not make restitution if he accepts his word. This is interesting thing if he accepts the word of the persons cared for stuff like okay you entrust your asked me but hey, we had a tornado and when I say in a horse injured and got hurt.

You want to visit whether you are entrusted with a one of the sheep and the sheep got attacked by Wolf. You know what I did everything I could do that ended in that particular case, explains 12 and 13. Here is okay. If that's the case, did you find the car show ß if it's actually just wounded enough to kill it, but is not fully eaten.

He actually did do some due diligence and protection. But if the thing is completely then it looks like maybe he's just come negligent and also to ask of this, the state of the final carcass torn by bees is an important clue to the judges about really how protective this neighbor was when you gave me stuff that's were talking about okay verse 14. If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it's injured or dies. The owner not being with it he shall make full restitution if the owner once with it he shall not make restitution was hired.

It came for its hiring fee. Yeah, that's it. I think Shao is a good distinction.

Yeah so you borrow something from somebody bars him from a neighbor like a bar with chainsaw so I can cut down the tree and then my neighbor who are part of from's as well. Here here's the chainsaw you but let me just help you do that, so the owner of the chainsaw is what is their entry and then you bless the chainsaw doesn't does the guy who owns a gentle sigh.

Hey I let you borrow this and you just destroyed it will Bart would say will, but what you were standing right there. What were doing right you still what has stopped kind of yeah exactly protected your property but you didn't when that's a distinction or if you rented it right hired it, then you don't have to. Presumably the risk is assumed by the one who rented it to you. That's really thought was hired. It came from the hiring fee right so there you go unless you sign a contract is as interesting as this.

This is a great caseworker you go to Small Claims Court.

Sometimes it comes down to you know sometimes losses suffered and no one is to blame right, not really, but this loss is loss, but the person who owns the thing is, there will it's your own is your own damn fault you were there to protect their app so that such a very practical, very practical. What were at the end of the list. In this particular chapter well and we should probably just sort of wrap this up thinking about God's justice and God is God is concerned about the rights of the victim right the one who has been wrong and God is concerned that what is what is true come to light and so that set me thinking about what the apostle John wrote in first John one. He says if we say we have fellowship with him. We walk in the dark. We rely exam. We don't practice the truth. So in essence taking God's name in making it wears representing God slanderously here we miss doing who God is, by acting poorly.

When we act on justly justice.

Justice is very important for people who are victims. Like I said before, justice is a wonderful thing you know, when you look about people who come from Third World countries and they come to America. For instance, they say, you know, I can find justice here, but I couldn't. In my country came from justice is something that everyone yearns for us when we say we want justice. What we really want is not going there. I'm just saying you know just this protective idea of just his own is wonderful thing that worldwide people respect and say this is this is great.

I want to live was just what is just and right and I might point out to that in this particular chapter 21 will talk about restitution were looking at God saying you have the right to own things in the own stuff and when you suffer loss of other people's hand. My losses you we need to reverse that. Something about that you have a right to have your stuff is its fascinating endorsement of property rights. When you look at this whole emphasis on restoration, you have the right to own stuff when someone does stuff to take it from you. We need to make that right. Just this is not right so again this is these are the details. The fine points of working out what God meant when he said now don't steal your mind. People don't lie because you are my people don't murder because you are my people right and my people live in a way that's consistent with my character do what's right, and it reflects on who God is by living like that.

I think the contrast other peoples in the ancient world of the time of that as they saw Israel function like this just as fast and look how they treat their slave life and in fact they let them go after six years. Who does that. So the contrast of what's going on in the world. The time is the testimony of the nation of Israel to who their God is it's it's this actual nation in action injustice that's communicating through what they do.

Who their God is. That's a really important actually just brought to mind what Moses says in Deuteronomy 461 he's talking to people that keeping God's law. He says so keep and do them for. That's your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding for what great nation is that it has in God's own so that there is drawing that straight line from the way God's people have observation these people have lots you have you ever thought about the fact that the way you conduct yourself actually testifies to the next. We get into more moral issues on the wall will come back with us next week on Main Street church is solely responsible to contact us with your questions or comments,Dragon