LOST, FOUND AND KEPT

READING: DEUTERONOMY 22:1-4

Verse 3 – “You shall do the same with his donkey, and so shall you do with his garment; with any lost thing of your brother’s which he has lost and you have found, you shall do likewise; you must not hide yourself.”

Losers weepers, finders keepers. That’s a rhyme that has been used to express a worldly viewpoint of what happens when lost items are found. It says that the person who loses something will suffer for that loss, and that the person who finds will have easy gain. The idea of, and desire for, easy gain is the root of so much of the greed of this age. It is an attitude that operates to support and validate that innocent sounding rhyme. However, let's introduce the eternal wisdom of the Lord. As so often happens, His wisdom is the opposite of the way of the world. In verse 3, the Israelites were instructed to hold and care for lost items until claimed by owners. This godly response is right! It establishes and supports the principle that finding is not an appropriate means of gain. May there be growth in the acceptance of this principle of restoring what becomes lost, rather than keeping what is found. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. Is there any issue of inappropriate gain in your life?

2. How can inappropriate gain take place other than regarding property?