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8 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course Lesson 22

Exodus 21:16.
COMMENT: The judg-
ment for this crime, which
pervades our societies today, is
that the person responsible
should surely be put to DEATH!
5. A natural question that
arises is, What shall be done
with the thief who cannot make
restitution? Exodus 22:3.
COMMENT: YEHO-
VAH said, “If he have nothing,
then he shall be sold for his
theft.” This means he must
WORK OUT HIS INDEBTED-
NESS. If such a law were in
force today, many a financier
The Ten Commandments Set Up in the Grounds of the Texas
and business magnate who
State Capital at Austin.
through stock manipulations or
“cooking the books” have taken
COMMENT: This explains that if a
millions from the needy (i.e., companies such as
man dug a pit and an ox or other animal of his
Enron, et al) would spend the BALANCE OF
neighbor fell into it the OWNER of the pit or
THEIR LIVES working to restore DOUBLE
well shall make good the loss. If one man’s ox
that which they had fleeced from their victims.
hurt another’s so that it died, then the live ox was
Under YEHOVAH’s law, with two, four
to be sold and the money divided and the dead ox
and even five times increase in restoration over
was also to be divided.
that which was stolen, and with double the
2. What if the ox was known to be
money taken to be returned by the thief, many
vicious and the owner failed to keep it confined?
would-be thieves would FEAR to do wrong.
Exodus 21:36.
Manipulation of finances and reorganizations
COMMENT: The owner of the vicious
for the purpose of squeezing out the small
animal must make good the ox his neighbor lost
investor; in fact all sharp practices by which
and the dead ox was to be his.
much stolen wealth has been accumulated in the
3. What if a man caused his neighbor’s
past would CEASE under the RIGHTEOUS
field to be eaten? Exodus 22:5.
administration of such laws.
COMMENT: He is to make restitution.
There are certain border cases that would
4. If a man lights a fire and it gets out of
be difficult to decide so, under the law,
control and burns his neighbor’s belongings then
judgments have been rendered. Let’s look at a
what? Exodus 22:6.
few of these -- for THE BIBLE DEFINITELY
COMMENT: He must make restitution
BLESSES AND PROTECTS PRIVATE
of the goods or belongings destroyed.
OWNERSHIP!
5. What is the judgment when a man
delivers goods or money to his neighbor for
Personal Responsibility
safekeeping and it is stolen out of the neighbor’s
house and the thief is caught? Exodus 22:7.
1. Notice the case of an accident caused
COMMENT: In this case the thief must
by negligence. Exodus 21:33-34.
YEHOVAH’s Law and Our Neighbor