Ordinances Regarding Theft, Crops, & Personal Property

INTRO

God was revealing himself through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and through the Seed of the woman. Yesterday we talked about the ordinances. God was intervening and implementing these conditions so the Israelites would know how to handle the situations they deal with.

TEACHING

Exodus 22:1: Verse 1 discusses stealing animals. Why so drastic? What happened to “cattle for cattle” or “a sheep for a sheep”? Animals were their livelihood––their means of living. Five times the cost for cattle, and four times for sheep.

Second Samuel 12:6 says, “Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.” This was David unknowingly pronouncing judgment on himself for sleeping with Bathsheba. Wiersbe wrote, “The prophet Nathan saw King David as a sheep stealer and Bathsheba as a stolen lamb, for adultery is thievery” (1 Thessalonians 4:1–7)”¹David, because of this sin, experienced fourfold punishment:

• 2 Samuel 12:18—David’s child died
• 2 Samuel 13:28–29—Amnon was murdered (David’s son)
• 2 Samuel 18:14—Absalom was murdered (David’s son)
• 2 Samuel 13:14—Tamar was raped (David’s daughter)

Yes, this was practically talking about the sheep, but it was also revealing God’s just nature and a spiritual principle.

Exodus 22:2–3: If someone was breaking in at night and an Israelite killed him, there was no guilt. There was guilt, however, if there was bloodshed in daylight. Wiersbe wrote, “To kill the thief in daylight would be an unnecessary expression of revenge.”²A thief had to make full restitution or be sold as a slave.

Exodus 22:4–5: Repayment was double. The ordinances in verses 1–4 were about stealing animals. One was to repay with the best of his own field. There were no fences back then, just boundary markers (Deuteronomy 19:14). Because there were no fences, naturally the animals will just come across the boundary. Proverbs 22:28 says, “Don’t move an ancient boundary marker that your father set up.”

Exodus 22:6–8: The one who started a fire had to repay the damage. The word meaning “full restitution” is seen six times in Exodus 22. The Hebrew word “shalan” means, “to make whole or complete.” It’s tied closely to the word “shalom” for peace. When you bring full restitution, that peace begins to come into play. It all comes down to a heart condition.

Exodus 22:9: We’ve gone from stealing animals to stealing crops, and now we’re talking about personal belongings. Right away I think of Solomon and his wisdom with the baby (1 Kings 3:16-28). Who is really right, and where’s the heart condition?

It also makes me think of Joseph and his brothers who sold Joseph into slavery and then lied to their father (Genesis 37:25-36). I want to keep going back to the heart condition. It’s weird to me how jealousy and bitterness led the brothers in doing this to Joseph and their father. When we see wrong behavior (i.e. stealing from your neighbor), there’s a heart condition underneath it.

Exodus 22:10–15: No restitution was needed if there was truly no wrong done. If someone was entrusted with something, and they didn’t take care of it, they had to pay it back. The loss was covered by the rental price. Remember, the Israelites were wandering around in the wilderness, so they needed structure and regulations.

Exodus 21:16–17: A girl was the property of her father. When a young couple had premarital sex, a man then had to marry the girl and give a dowry to the father-in-law. If the father refused to give the daughter to him, the man still had to pay the bridal price. The bridal price could be 100 silver shekels (Deuteronomy 22:19).

In our generation, for some reason, people think it’s ok to have premarital sex and live together before marriage. It’s sin, and it will lead to all sorts of problems. Genesis 2:24 states that when two people have sex, they become one flesh. God designed it for one man and one woman. Look at Sodom and Gomorrah; God did not design it for man and man or woman and woman (Genesis 19). The body of Christ needs to begin declaring the truth.

Exodus 22:18–24: Black magic was an attempt to override God’s will and was punishable by death. Sexual intercourse with animals was punishable by death. In all of this, the greatest temptation Israel had was idolatry.

God said, “I want to protect the vulnerable—the foreigners, the widows and orphans.”God would hear their cries and His anger would burn.If they didn’t care for widows and orphans, they would be killed; and then their wives and children would become widows and orphans.

Exodus 22:25–27: Proverbs 28:8, “Whoever increases his wealth through excessive interest, collects it for one who is kind to the poor.” If the Israelites would focus on the Lord and not themselves, they would naturally bless others. Quit thinking about yourself but think of others!That’s really Jesus’ message: love God and love others.

Exodus 22:28–30: In Acts 23:4–5, Paul apologized for speaking against the high priest (referencing Exodus 22). God’s commands: be generous, don’t delay the obedience, let the animals get stronger for seven days, and don’t try to hold back what I’m asking of you.

Exodus 22:31: Finally, God said, “Be My holy people.” Remember the things from the heart of the Pentateuch (Exodus 19:5-6).

You’re My special treasure.

You’re a kingdom of priests.

You’re a holy nation.

God commanded, don’t eat the meat of a mauled animal—you are a holy person. The righteous doesn’t have to beg for food (Psalm 37). God was going to provide food for them.

CLOSING

These ordinances continually point the Israelites back to the Lord. God was saying: “Do you remember how I’ve delivered you through the innocent lamb? Through the hyssop and the blood on the post? Through the staff that has set all of you free from the plagues? Through the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night? I want you to act like I’ve delivered you! I want you to act like I’ve got your back in the wilderness. I will take care of you.” God is in all of it. All of this points to the Messiah.