“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. If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood on his account. But if the sun has risen on him, there will be blood on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double." (vv.1-4)
Here in chapter 22 we continue with the "Civil" laws given to Moses by God and the judgments or restitutions which go along with them. The first 4 verses deal with theft and the restitution required in cases of theft. The command against theft was already stated in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:15). Here we see more specific principles given to judges, so they could apply that principle in the daily life and administration of justice among the people of Israel.
The Mosaic Law did not send a person to jail because of theft. Instead, the thief was required to restore what he stole, plus an additional penalty. In this passage, the penalty could be anywhere from 500% (he shall restore five oxen for an ox) to 200% (he shall restore double). The reason for the fivefold penalty in the case of stealing an ox is probably because one man stole the means of another man’s livelihood. This principle would extend to taking any of the man’s plowing or cultivating implements.
As we can see from our text, if the thief was unable to pay back what he stole, the thief was sold as an indentured laborer, with the money from the sale going to the victim (v.4).
God respects private property. It is part of man's dignity to own. Stealing, therefore, is more than taking what belongs to another, it is an insult to the image of God in man. God takes such insults very seriously. Stealing was not considered to be just an act of taking someone else's property, the thief became guilty before the Lord and had to atone for his sin by bringing a guilt offering.
F.B. Meyer comments, “This chapter is full of restitution, of which there is far too little in ordinary Christian life. We try to make amends for injury done to another by an extraordinary amount of civility; but we are reluctant in so many words to frankly confess that we have done wrong, and make proper reparation for the act or speech.”
As far as life on earth is concerned, in the event that the thief is caught, God wants him to make restitution above and beyond that which he stole. This is what Zacchaeus did when he was visited by the Lord Jesus and understood that his sins were being forgiven (Luke 19).
How far we have drifted away from God’s Law today when so many feel it’s ok to steal from another. What’s yours is mine because I deem it necessary, and with no responsibility toward restitution. Sad.
The Truth: Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:6-9)
