Passage
Exodus 22:1-15 (ESV)
“you Will Be My Witnesses”
Acts 1:1-11
Key Verse: 1:8
Opportunities to Pay Restitution
Date: Jan. 7, 2016
Daily Bread
Key Verse: 22:3b
but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
First, make things right with others (1-9). God provided opportunities for restitution. There needs to be a means to make things right, even for the poor who have nothing to give. There is always a way to make restitution. These laws ease the pain of loss. They help the wronged person to be forgiving. They empower a person to make a new start. Being able to make restitution preserves human dignity. God's people must overcome selfishness and personal grudges to make things right with others.
Second, God's wise justice in complicated cases (10-15). Sometimes implementing justice is complicated. God's law covers these instances too. Someone protecting someone else's property is not responsible for lost or damaged items. The owner can not take revenge on the keeper. Owners can not say, "Can you take care of this?" and then steal it and blame the keeper in order to get more for themselves. God is very wise to cover all angles.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for opportunities for restitution. Help me to make things right.
One Word: God's laws protect on so many levels
