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Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Exo 22:1-15 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. <\/span><\/span><\/span>If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, <\/span><\/span><\/span>there shall<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> no blood <\/span><\/span><\/span>be shed<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> for him. If the sun be risen upon him, <\/span><\/span><\/span>there shall be<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> blood <\/span><\/span><\/span>shed<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> for him; <\/span><\/span><\/span>for<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double. 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. If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed <\/span><\/span><\/span>therewith;<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. 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. If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, <\/span><\/span><\/span>to see<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods. For all manner of trespass, <\/span><\/span><\/span>whether it be<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, <\/span><\/span><\/span>or<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> for any manner of lost thing, which <\/span><\/span><\/span>another<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; <\/span><\/span><\/span>and<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing <\/span><\/span><\/span>it:<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> Then<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept <\/span><\/span><\/span>thereof,<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> and he shall not make <\/span><\/span><\/span>it<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> good. And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. If it be torn in pieces, <\/span><\/span><\/span>then<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> let him bring it <\/span><\/span><\/span>for<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> witness, <\/span><\/span><\/span>and<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> he shall not make good that which was torn. And if a man borrow <\/span><\/span><\/span>ought<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof <\/span><\/span><\/span>being<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> not with it, he shall surely make <\/span><\/span><\/span>it<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> good. <\/span><\/span><\/span>But<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> if the owner thereof <\/span><\/span><\/span>be<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> with it, he shall not make <\/span><\/span><\/span>it<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> good: if it <\/span><\/span><\/span>be<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> an hired <\/span><\/span><\/span>thing,<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> it came for his hire.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This first half of Exodus 22 deals with loss of property as a result of damage, neglect, or theft. Here is a summary of the extent of liability involved. (\u201cneighbor\u201d is the one in possession of the goods of the \u201cowner\u201d)<\/p>\n

Level 1\u2014no liability for restitution<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if an animal is not returnable to the Owner because of circumstances that are not under the control of the Neighbor (verses 10, 11, 13)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if the Owner’s animal is damaged while he is hired by the Neighbor (verse 15)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Level 2\u2014liability to restore equal value<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if a Neighbor’s actions cause damage to the Owner’s property (by animals or fire\u2014verses 5, 6)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if a Neighbor’s negligence results in loss by theft (verse 12)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if what a Neighbor borrows and uses is hurt or dies (verse 14)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Level 3\u2014liability to restore double<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if there is deliberate and obvious theft and goods are returnable (verses 4, 7)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if there is alleged theft, the one determined guilty by judges shall pay (verses 8, 9) in accordance with Deuteronomy 19:16-19<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Level 4\u2014liability to restore 4 or 5<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if there is deliberate theft and disposal of the goods \/ animals (verse 1)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lev 6:2-5 If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbor in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbor; Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lev 19:11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lev 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lev 24:18 And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Deu 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Gen 43:11-15 And their father Israel said unto them, If <\/span><\/span><\/span>it must be<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: <\/span><\/span><\/span>And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry <\/span><\/span><\/span>it<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> again in your hand; peradventure it <\/span><\/span><\/span>was<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> an oversight: Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved <\/span><\/span><\/span>of my children,<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span> I am bereaved. And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob and his sons felt that they would be accused of stealing so they prepared to make restitution.<\/span><\/p>\n

2Sa 12:1-6 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David (after his sin with Bathsheba). And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man<\/i> had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man<\/i> had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As<\/i> the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing<\/i> shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Notice that David passed judgment on this rich man– \u201che shall restore the lamb fourfold\u201d–in accordance with Exodus 22:1. At the same time he passed judgment on himself. He lost four children\u2014Bathsheba’s first child, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pro 30:8, 9 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: <\/span>Lest I be full, and deny <\/span>thee,<\/i><\/span> and say, Who <\/span>is<\/i><\/span> the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God <\/span>in vain.<\/i><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Amo 8:4-7 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea,<\/i> and sell the refuse of the wheat? The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mic 6:10, 11 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is<\/i> abominable? Shall I count them<\/i> pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Zec 5:3, 4 Then said he unto me, This is<\/i> the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as<\/i> on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as<\/i> on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mat 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mat 21:12, 13 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Luk 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him<\/i> fourfold. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Joh 12:4-6 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son,<\/i> which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1Co 6:9, 10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his<\/i> hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Zacchaeus could hardly think that he had heard aright. He was overwhelmed with the condescension of the great Teacher in choosing his home as the place of his abode. It had been in his power to oppress those from whom he was appointed to gather the taxes. He was convicted that his practice was out of harmony with the Old Testament Scriptures. He knew the Scriptures, and under the influence of the words that had been reported to him, that had come from the lips of the great Teacher, he had become aware that he was a sinner in the sight of God. He began at once to follow the conviction that had taken hold upon him, and to make restitution to those whom he had robbed. This was an evidence of genuine conversion. The scribes and Pharisees expressed their indignation, saying that Christ had gone to be the guest of a man that was a sinner; but the fact of the matter was the Holy Spirit was working upon this man\u2019s mind, and the multitude had a clear evidence of the fact. \u201cAnd Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In thus doing Zacchaeus was following out the very instructions which the Lord had given in the Old Testament Scriptures, and showed himself to be a doer of the words of Christ. When the publicans had come to be baptized of John in the Jordan, they asked, \u201cWhat shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.\u201d In restoring fourfold for what he had taken in extortion, he was following the word of the prophet when he said, \u201cHe shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.\u201d Jesus recognized his sincere repentance, and accepted his work toward reformation. \u201cAnd Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham.\u201d Not only was Zacchaeus blessed, but all his household with him. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What a lesson is there for us in the history of Zacchaeus\u2019 conversion! If we have injured others through any unjust business transaction, if we have overreached in trade, or defrauded any man, even tho it be within the pale of the law, yet if we are Christians, we shall confess our wrong, and make restitution as far as in us lies. We should give evidence that there is a genuine work of grace within our hearts. If earthly courts award to us property that is not justly ours, we are not to accept the decision of unjust judges. Tho we may be clear on the records of men, yet in the books of heaven we will be written as oppressors, and the case will go against us when judgment shall take place in the courts of God. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Before Zacchaeus had looked upon the face of Christ, he had begun the work that makes him manifest as a true penitent. Before being accused by man, he had confessed his wrong. He had yielded to the convictions of the Holy Spirit. He had begun to carry out the spirit of the words written for ancient Israel, as well as for ourselves. He said to the Saviour, \u201cThe half of my goods I give to the poor.\u201d The Lord had said long before: \u201cIf thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him; yea, tho he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. Take thou no usury of him, or increase; but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.\u201d \u201cYe shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God.\u201d These words had been spoken by Christ when he was enshrouded in the pillar of cloud. The same Teacher had spoken these words as had spoken the sermon on the mount. It was Christ who had said, \u201cYe shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments.\u201d Christ had presented the same principles on the mount of beatitudes as he had on Mount Sinai. He had said that on the principles of love to God and to our neighbor, hung all the law and the prophets. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When the human agent is awakened by the Holy Spirit, the least that he can do is to acknowledge his wrong, and to work earnestly to restore both principal and interest to those whom he has defrauded. Among the publicans existed a confederacy, so that these men could oppress the people, and sustain one another in the fraudulent practices. Zacchaeus by his repentance and reformation protested against this confederacy. He restored fourfold to those whom he had oppressed. If we have wronged any one by taking away that which was justly his due, we should consider that it is right for us to restore not only that which we have taken, but all that it would have accumulated if it had been put to a wise and right use during the time it has been in our possession.<\/i> ST June 11, 1896<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Kidnapping<\/b><\/span>—<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Exo 21:16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Deu 24:7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Both public and private sins are included in this prohibition. The eighth commandment condemns manstealing and slave dealing, and forbids wars of conquest. It condemns theft and robbery. It demands strict integrity in the minutest details of the affairs of life. It forbids overreaching in trade, and requires the payment of just debts or wages. It declares that every attempt to advantage oneself by the ignorance, weakness, or misfortune of another is registered as fraud in the books of heaven. <\/i> PP 309<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Back to THE TORAH CONNECTION Table of Contents Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal. Exo 22:1-15 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. If a thief be found breaking up, and be … <\/p>\n

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