October 24, 2013
IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU
Deuteronomy 22:1-12
Kevin Mereness
Central Truth
Our responsibility as Christians leads us to love our neighbors and to protect what is theirs.
Key Verse | Deuteronomy 22:4
"You shall not see your countryman's donkey or his ox fallen down on the way, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly help him to raise them up." (Deuteronomy 22:4)
Deuteronomy 22:1-12
Various Laws
1 You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. 2 And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. 3 And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother's, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. 4 You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.
5 A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.
6 If you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. 7 You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.
8 When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.
9 You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, 1 22:9 Hebrew become holy the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. 10 You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. 11 You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.
12 You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.
Dive Deeper | Deuteronomy 22:1-12
As Moses is speaking to Israel with further instruction from God, he makes it clear that we are to take care of our brother's property until it has been returned. In this verse, the property referred to is a donkey or an ox. As believers in Christ, we are expected to act with humility, put our own cares aside, and look after the interests of our brother (Philippians 2:3-4) .
My grandpa used to tell me a story when I was a child growing up on the farm that reminded me of this illustration in Deuteronomy 22. One winter, a storm had blown snow across the plains, and as cattle often do, they had huddled up together near a fence to keep warm. Cows in number can easily push through a fence, jeopardizing their own safety in the process. As my grandpa was going out to check on his own herd, he noticed that his neighbor's cattle had broken through their fence and had begun to scatter to another field. This particular field was adjacent to the highway and railroad tracks, which posed great risk for the animals. Grandpa quickly called the owner, told him what had happened, then quickly began leading the animals back to safety until their owner arrived.
In Mark 12:31, Jesus commands us to "love your neighbor as yourself." It is our responsibility to look past our personal fences to identify and respond to the needs of our neighbors, as well as protect what is theirs. In going out of his way, my grandpa was able to help and serve his neighbor by protecting most of the cattle who were helplessly wandering around when he arrived. Who in your life is waiting for you to show up and lead them to safety?
Discussion Questions
1. How would you define taking care of a neighbor?
2. What are the three greatest commandments God gives us regarding our neighbor?
3. Based on the "charge" given in Deuteronomy, where do you see an opportunity to show Christ to others by giving your time and energy to them?
4. Think of a time when you received love from someone when you really needed it. How did it make you feel?