We steal from our neighbors when we fail actively to consider their interests. This statute showed that “finders, keepers” was not to be the governing norm among the people of God. An item of personal property – a beast, or a garment, or anything belonging to one’s neighbor – could become lost or misplaced for any number of reasons. That did not mean that the owner forfeited his ownership of the property.

Instead, lost items of personal property presented an opportunity for neighbors to aid one another in fulfilling their stewardship. Lost property was to be returned to its rightful owner as soon as ownership could be determined. Or if one’s neighbor needed some other form of help in exercising stewardship over his property – as in the case of an ox fallen – it was every neighbor’s duty to come to their aid. Thus coveting would be denied, stealing would be avoided, and the strife that could potentially arise in claims of disputed ownership would be avoided.

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.