A
Manhattan, Kansas cable company received $300 in cash in the mail, along with
an unsigned letter from a man apologizing for his actions and asking
forgiveness. The letter-writer said when he was a sophomore at Kansas State
University, he had pirated cable TV from an upstairs apartment.
He
wrote, “I didn’t fully consider at the time how we were cheating your cable
company out of revenues” and that he wanted to commit himself to the
teachings of the Bible. The $300 was restitution for the cable TV signals
he had taken without paying.
Zacchaeus
was a chief tax collector in Israel and became rich by swindling people out
of their money (Luke 19:1-10). One day he heard Jesus was coming to Jericho,
so he climbed a tree to see over the crowd. Jesus looked up, called him by name
and said He wanted to stay at his house. Zacchaeus told
Jesus, “Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have
defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much” (Luke
19:8). Notice that Jesus did not tell him to do this. Zacchaeus decided on
his own to make things right.
Restitution
is God’s way of paying back to the rightful owner what was lost, stolen, or
damaged. The restitution amount wasn’t equal to the crime, but often
much more than the amount taken. The book of Exodus speaks about making
restitution for a variety of situations. If a thief stole an ox and killed it,
he had to pay back five times as much. If he stole a sheep, he had to pay
back four times as much (Exodus 22:1).
If
you’ve stolen something or damaged someone’s property, God will show you how
much to pay. It will relieve your guilt, heal a relationship, and will be
pleasing to the Lord.
www.makinglifecount.net www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net Twitter: @KentCrockett
www.makinglifecount.net www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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BIBLE STUDY: Answers to Theological Questions
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net Twitter: @KentCrockett
