JUDGEMENT 19
Exodus 22: 10 If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox,
or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven
away, no man seeing it:
11 Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath
not put his hand unto his neighbour=92s goods; and the owner of it shall
accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
12 And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the
owner thereof.
If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he
shall not make good that which was torn.
My comments:
When Jacob look after his uncle Laban`s flocks, his uncle treated him
very harshly and sometimes unfairly. Jacob tells him that he made him
pay for anything stolen (as per this judgement) but also he carried
the loss of that which was torn by beasts (which he should not have
had to do).
Gen 31:39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I
bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen
by day, or stolen by night.
An employee who doesn`t own the sheep would usually run off when
wolves arrived, and would let them kill the sheep =96 he can take the
remains back to the owner without having to lose any money over them
(and they could be fed to the dogs).
The owner of the sheep, however, who has an interest in the sheep will
stay and try to keep alive as many of his own sheep as possible.
John 10:12 He who is a servant, and not the keeper or the owner of
the sheep, sees the wolf coming and goes in flight, away from the
sheep; and the wolf comes down on them and sends them in all
directions: (BBE)
John 10:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth
not for the sheep.
Some shepherds are so careful about their own sheep they won`t leave
them, even at night (especially at lambing time).
Luke 2:8 =B6 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
|
