Daily Scripture Reading Exodus 21:33 - 22:15

Humans tend to be selfish. We naturally focus on our needs and can easily fall into the trap of not caring how our actions affect other people. However, the New Testament contains multiple verses which command us to love others (see Romans 13:8, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8). We need to put others ahead of ourselves.

The 21st chapter of Exodus contains precepts of the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law was given to Israel, applied to Israel, and does not apply to our lives in the 21st century. However, the regulations spelled out in chapter 21 are great illustrations of what it means to love our neighbor.

Ex. 21:33 ¶ “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

Ex. 21:34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

Jesus said the Old Testament can be summed up as love God and love others (see Matthew 22:40). Verses 33-34 are a good example of loving others. It wasn’t permissible to go through life not caring how your actions affected other people. If a person dug a pit, he had to make sure he took steps so that animals owned by other people were not harmed by his pit.

If we love our neighbor, then we will take steps to make sure we don’t do anything on our property that could potentially harm our neighbor.

Ex. 21:35 ¶ “And if one man’s ox hurts another’s so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox.

Ex. 21:36 Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.

Verses 35-36 required people to be cognizant of how their animals would interact with animals owned by other people.

If we love our neighbors, then we will make sure our pets and animals do not negatively affect our neighbors.

Ex. 22:1 ¶ “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

It wasn’t enough to restore the stolen animal. A thief had to pay back more than they stole. That would have greatly discouraged people from becoming thieves. If a potential thief knew the only consequence for stealing an animal was to pay it back, he would be incentivized to steal because he had much to gain and little to lose. However, if the potential thief knew he ran the risk of ending up with less than when he started, then he would be reluctant to try to get away with stealing.

Ex. 22:2 ¶ “If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account.

We will see in the next verse that verse 2 assumed the thief was stealing at night. If it was dark, and a thief was killed while in the act of stealing, the person that killed the thief was not guilty.

Ex. 22:3 But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

Once the sun arose, there was a consequence for killing a thief. The victim could demand restitution, but the victim could not kill the thief.

Ex. 22:4 If what he stole is actually found alive in his hand, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.

Ex. 22:5 ¶ “If a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

If a man allowed his own field to be over-grazed, then it was not permissible to release his animal so that it would graze on another man’s field.

If we love our neighbor, then we will not allow our animals to eat food owned by our neighbor.

Ex. 22:6 ¶ “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, so that stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, he who started the fire shall surely make restitution.

If we love our neighbor, then we will make sure we don’t start a fire that harms our neighbor’s property.

Ex. 22:7 ¶ “If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double.

Ex. 22:8 If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property.

Ex. 22:9 For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

Ex. 22:10 ¶ “If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is injured or is driven away while no one is looking,

Ex. 22:11 then an oath before Yahweh shall be made by the two of them that he has not laid hands on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution.

If our neighbor entrusts us with his property, and if we love our neighbor, then we will treat his property as if it is our own.

Ex. 22:12 But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.

Ex. 22:13 Now if it is all torn to pieces, let him bring it as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.

Ex. 22:14 ¶ “If a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution.

Ex. 22:15 But if its owner is with it, he shall not make restitution; if it is hired, it came for its hire.

Verses 14-15 required the Israelites to determine who was the responsible party. If the owner was with his property, then the owner of the property was responsible for his own property.

Humans tend to be selfish. We naturally focus on our needs and can easily fall into the trap of not caring how our actions affect other people. However, the New Testament contains multiple verses which command us to love others (see Romans 13:8, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8). We need to put others ahead of ourselves.

The 21st chapter of Exodus contains precepts of the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law was given to Israel, applied to Israel, and does not apply to our lives in the 21st century. However, the regulations spelled out in chapter 21 are great illustrations of what it means to love our neighbor. If we love our neighbor, then we will make sure our actions and possessions to not negatively affect our neighbor.

Does your attitude toward your neighbor and his property indicate that you love your neighbor?

What should you change in order to be more loving of your neighbor?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”