James 3.5, 6

Exodus 22.5

“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.”

Negligence can result in a form of stealing. Fires that get out of control or beasts that graze the crops of others take from our neighbors that which God has entrusted to them as surely as if we seized their possessions ourselves. When loss was incurred because of negligence, full restitution was required. Thus the balance of justice would be maintained in the community.

These statutes caution us to think about our neighbors, and not merely ourselves, in whatever we undertake, lest, by our negligence, we bring harm to them or their property. They are examples of preventive justice. Neighbor love begins in thoughtful consideration of our neighbor’s interests and concerns. If all we can think about, in any undertaking, is how we might benefit from our actions, the danger to others or their property might not be clear. To avoid being guilty of stealing, even when that was not our intent, we must take precautions in all we do to make sure that our actions do not injure our neighbor.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.