“‘You shall not see your neighbor’s ox of his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.’” Deuteronomy 22.1-4

“Finders, keepers” was not a practice in ancient Israel. Every effort was to be made to return lost objects to their rightful owners. No one was to consider his neighbor’s misfortune a means to personal benefit or boon.

The communities of God’s people were to be composed of people who were true neighbors to one another. They must work hard with and for one another. They must look out for one another’s wellbeing, protect their property, respect their privacy, act fairly and justly in all transactions, make restitution for any damages, and protect their good names (Ex. 23.1).

The wellbeing of individual community members was intimately connected to the wellbeing of the entire community; each member of the community had a vested interest in caring for the needs and rights of all the members of the community. Thus, in the same way he sought to be loved by all, he must love the other members of his community.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19.18) was not merely a platitude. God’s Law prescribed specific courses of action whereby neighbors, in each community, could exercise care for one another and thus ensure not only the health and prosperity of the community but of themselves as well.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.