Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Leviticus chapter 6 verses 1 through 7:
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 When any of you sin and commit a trespass against the Lord by deceiving a neighbor in a matter of a deposit or a pledge, or by robbery, or if you have defrauded a neighbor, 3 or have found something lost and lied about it—if you swear falsely regarding any of the various things that one may do and sin thereby— 4 when you have sinned and realize your guilt, and would restore what you took by robbery or by fraud or the deposit that was committed to you, or the lost thing that you found, 5 or anything else about which you have sworn falsely, you shall repay the principal amount and shall add one-fifth to it. You shall pay it to its owner when you realize your guilt. 6 And you shall bring to the priest, as your guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering. 7 The priest shall make atonement on your behalf before the Lord, and you shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and incur guilt thereby.
In the Bible absolution from guilt is never just a matter between a person and the LORD when a neighbor has been wronged. Nor is it enough simply express remorse to the neighbor. Restitution and even reparation are necessary. One who steals from a neighbor has to restore what was taken — and then some.
Desmond Tutu used to say, “If someone steals my pen and then asks me to forgive him, unless he returns my pen, the sincerity of his contrition and confession will be considered to be nil. Confession, forgiveness, and reparation, wherever feasible, form part of a continuum...”
The writer of Leviticus is interested in creating a just community. A just community requires just recompense. This is not a matter of vengeance, but of basic fairness.
NOTE: We’re reading the whole Bible this year. Monday’s Lesson will be from Leviticus chapters 8 through 15.
No comments:
Post a Comment