Bible Discussion Thread

Leviticus Chapter 6

Verses 1-6 are a continuation of explaining the trespass offering from Chapter 5. From 7 on is a knew subject.

In this post I will address verses 1-6. The trespass referred to here is the stealing or defrauding another person of his/her belongings/fruits of his labors, starting out with lying to his neighbor about what he had possession of still or not. Perhaps one says that the belonging of his neighbor was never delivered to him (but it was) or perhaps one says that he returned it to the owner (but he never did). He was expected to safe keep the belonging for his neighbor, perhaps in the neighbor's absence or as a surety for a business arrangement, or maybe borrowed from the neighbor. If we say that we will keep another person's possession safe and sound, we are to do so. We are not to lie about having it already having been returned to the neighbor when we in reality kept it or sold it. We are not to be careless with the possession and lose it or damage it. We are to return what we borrow or repay what is lent to us. We are not to deceitfully appropriate to ourselves what belongs to another.

If we promise to keep something safe to be returned to the owner and then do not keep this promise, we not only sin against our neighbor, but we sin against God by swearing before Him fraudulently. If we rob our neighbor of something he owns by force or violence or stealth, we have not only stolen from him, but also have harmed him physically. We are not to extort anything from our neighbor through threats, blackmail, or abuse of power or position.

If we find something that does not belong to us, we are to make every effort to return it to the owner. We are not to lie or swear falsely about how this belonging came into one's possession. We are to deal honestly with our neighbor concerning what he owns and what we have acquired. We are to be trustworthy with others. We are to employ fair business practices, whether an employer or employee.