You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray, and hide yourself from them; you shall certainly bring them back to your brother. Deuteronomy 22:21
Taking care of one’s neighbor is not a very common sight. The majority of people are out for themselves and only to take care of themselves, even at the expense of others.
During the time of Moses, oxen or sheep were one of the main livelihoods of the people. It was their source of income, their help in plowing the fields, and providing clothing. It was also traded for other items of need and ultimately used as a sacrifice to God.
There would be times when an ox or sheep would stray away from its owner. God had told the Israelites not to ignore it, but to immediately return it to the owner.
It is common for people to ignore the needs or property of others. Although today, most people do not use sheep or oxen for their livelihood, there are other things of value to people. People will see a neighbor’s fence falling down on the backside of the property out of normal sight. They ignore it and do not tell the neighbor anything about it.
Other times, they may see something wrong in their neighbor’s property or life and will just ignore it, rather than letting the neighbor know what was seen or perceived. People are all about minding their own business, unless it affects them or it is juicy gossip.
The greatest need of any person is the need to know Jesus and receive the salvation that He offers to every believer. Most people will not say a word to the person about Jesus, because he does not want to offend the person with the gospel message. Yet, every person has the right to know.
If they have the right to get their property back, which is here today and gone tomorrow, they definitely need Jesus and the salvation He is offering them. Believers must take care of their neighbors and let them have what God wants to give them or has already allowed them to have.
Do not take anything that belongs to your neighbor, but even more so, do not keep back anything from them that can be theirs. God has salvation ready for all who believe. How can your neighbor believe if you do not tell him?
Take time today to care for your neighbor.
I pray today that you will have God’s love for your neighbor; that you will not take anything that belongs to your neighbor; that you withhold anything that belongs to your neighbor; that you will take care of your neighbor as God takes care of you.
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This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Insights from Tom
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