A
Sorry. That's not the title for my sermon today. I don't do sermons. That's a real question brought to me by reading Numbers 5:6-10.
And, yeah, I know this is supposed to be about stealing, as all my Dead Guys say, but it seems to go past that. "Breaking faith with the Lord." Doesn't that cover all ten commandment? It seems to me the first five commandments cover how to behave inwardly and outwardly directly to God, but the rest cover how to inwardly and outwardly behave with others, which is still indirectly behaving to God. So if we break any of them, there goes "breaking faith."
So if I cheat on hubby, that's breaking faith with him and God. If I lie, that's breaking faith with the person I lie to and/or about, plus breaking faith with God, and if I covet, same deal. That means it's all stealing, sometimes stealing from God and sometimes it's that plus stealing from someone else. So how much repenting am I really doing if I just say "oops, sorry about that," even if I really mean that and I'm really repenting of it, if I don't take that next step to restitution?
And, if that makes sense, what is restitution for cheating on a spouse even if its "just lusting," or calling a brother a fool, or lying about someone? Seems to me, sometimes the sin is best handled by not telling the person you sinned against. (How often would you want to hear from your spouse, "I was lusting after (fill in blank) today, and I'm really sorry"? Or, how often do you really want to hear, "I thought you were a fool today, and I'm really sorry"?) But, have we simply dropped restitution from repenting? Since the concept is to restore a bit more than we took by sinning, that doesn't seem right, but how could I figure out how much I should pay the church for lusting? (And how broke would I be if I kept giving God money every time I broke a commandment?)
I don't want a halfhearted repent, because that's not much of a repent, but just because Jesus filled the Law doesn't mean the Law is void. He's the ram, not the payer of the restitution. (See verse 8 for that reference.) Well, he did pay for our sins, but I don't think that means we no longer need to restore whatever we screwed up for the commandments about how to behave around others. So, honest question -- Where does restitution fit into repent in Christ? I'm not seeing that well.
Num 5:6 "Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the LORD, and that person realizes his guilt,
Num 5:7 he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.
Num 5:8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the LORD for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.
Num 5:9 And every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.
Num 5:10 Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his."
Num 5:7 he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.
Num 5:8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the LORD for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.
Num 5:9 And every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.
Num 5:10 Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his."
So if I cheat on hubby, that's breaking faith with him and God. If I lie, that's breaking faith with the person I lie to and/or about, plus breaking faith with God, and if I covet, same deal. That means it's all stealing, sometimes stealing from God and sometimes it's that plus stealing from someone else. So how much repenting am I really doing if I just say "oops, sorry about that," even if I really mean that and I'm really repenting of it, if I don't take that next step to restitution?
And, if that makes sense, what is restitution for cheating on a spouse even if its "just lusting," or calling a brother a fool, or lying about someone? Seems to me, sometimes the sin is best handled by not telling the person you sinned against. (How often would you want to hear from your spouse, "I was lusting after (fill in blank) today, and I'm really sorry"? Or, how often do you really want to hear, "I thought you were a fool today, and I'm really sorry"?) But, have we simply dropped restitution from repenting? Since the concept is to restore a bit more than we took by sinning, that doesn't seem right, but how could I figure out how much I should pay the church for lusting? (And how broke would I be if I kept giving God money every time I broke a commandment?)
I don't want a halfhearted repent, because that's not much of a repent, but just because Jesus filled the Law doesn't mean the Law is void. He's the ram, not the payer of the restitution. (See verse 8 for that reference.) Well, he did pay for our sins, but I don't think that means we no longer need to restore whatever we screwed up for the commandments about how to behave around others. So, honest question -- Where does restitution fit into repent in Christ? I'm not seeing that well.