Exodus 22:7-8 "When someone delivers to a neighbor money or goods for safekeeping..."

 "When someone delivers to a neighbor money or goods for safekeeping, and they are stolen from the neighbor's house, then the thief, if caught, shall pay double. If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house shall be brought before God, to determine whether or not the owner had laid hands on the neighbor's goods" (Exodus 22:7-8 NRSV).

Question:

My daughter asked me to provide more insight to this "theft" idea; I checked RW [The Revealing Word] and could not find thief or theft—so I'm kind of stuck.

Comment:

Learned people—particularly of the Jewish faith—have spent lifetimes poring over the minutely detailed laws found in the Torah, analyzing, interpreting and debating every nuance. They are basically outgrowths of the basic Ten Commandments—applying that powerful spiritual energy to very specific circumstances. If there's an underlying theme, I think it might be, "Choices have consequences." If we act out of fear—or if, as in this case, we steal from another something we feel God has denied us—then we will experience negative consequences.   In this case, a thief has basically robbed from two people. He has stolen from one man goods that had been entrusted to him by another. So when he's caught, his repayment will be double. And if he's not caught, the man in whose home the theft occurred may or may not be liable to the neighbor who left the goods for safekeeping. Did the man make every effort to safeguard the goods? If so, there would be no negative outcome, because his conscious would be clear before God. If he was careless in protecting the property, then there would be a liability in consciousness to be resolved.   How do we know? We don't. God does. If there is no guilt, there will be no negative energy expressing as a result. If there is guilt, no amount of denial can prevent the guilt from generating equivalence in negative energy. It's like Jesus teaches many centuries later: By their fruits you will know them.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed