“And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good” (Ex. 22:14).
The principle set before us in Exodus 22:1–15 is that we should value the property of other people. Such a value can be easily instilled in children when parents faithfully teach them, from the time they are able to reach out and touch an object, that they do not have the freedom to do what they wish with items belonging to others. If a one-year-old grabs daddy’s books off the shelf, she must be taught that the books are not toys and are not to be touched. Children must be trained from the earliest years to respect the property of others. You should be able to take your children into the homes of other people and not worry about them climbing on the furniture, picking items off the end tables, or pulling toys out of their friends’ closets. A parent who instills respect for others’ property in his children will be doing them a great service, for when they are older they will know how to care for the property of others, as well as for their own property.
According to biblical law, the owner of any animal that tramples the field of another must make restitution for the damages done. It is not enough for the owner to go to his offended neighbor and say, “Sorry, things like this happen.” Such flippant disregard for the property of another has no place in biblical law or in the life of the Christian. We are to think more highly of others than of ourselves, and this includes thinking highly of their property and bearing the responsibility of making restitution if we somehow damage something that belongs to them.
This includes times when we borrow items from a neighbor, or when a friend entrusts something into our keeping. If damage occurs to the item when the neighbor is present, then we are not responsible for making restitution. But, if the neighbor is gone and the object is in our keeping, then we are responsible if any harm comes to that object. If you break a bowl your friend allowed you to borrow, you must buy another one to replace it. If you damage a book, restitution must be paid either by purchasing another book or by paying for it to be replaced. Again, our response should never be, “Sorry, I broke your bowl. Hope it wasn’t valuable.” Our response should be, “I broke your bowl, and now I will pay for it or replace it.” This shows value for the property of another, and hence honors the owner.
Do you need to make restitution for something you have damaged? Maybe in the past you did not properly care for an item loaned to you by a friend. Is there any way to make restitution now? If so, do so today. The witness to your friend will be undeniable, and it will honor God who teaches us to value the property of others.
