Leviticus 6:1-7: a reflection

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“If anyone sins, and commits a trespass against the LORD, and deals falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or has oppressed his neighbor, 3or has found that which was lost, and lied about it, and swearing to a lie—in any of these things that a man sins in his actions— 4then it shall be, if he has sinned, and is guilty, he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he has gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found, 5or any thing about which he has sworn falsely: he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth part more to it. He shall return it to him to whom it belongs in the day of his being found guilty. 6He shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest. 7The priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven concerning whatever he does to become guilty.”

The law for wronging a neighbor, by fraud, robbery, or deceit, requires not only an offering to God but restitution to the one wronged, restoring what was taken and adding to it. If anyone sins and deals falsely with his neighbor, robbing or oppressing him or lying about what was entrusted, the law says, he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth part to it, and return it to the one to whom it belongs; and then he shall bring his offering to the LORD. When a person had wronged his neighbor, taking or withholding what was not his, true dealing with the sin was not only a matter between him and God; it required making it right with the one wronged, restoring what was taken and adding to it, before bringing his offering to God. Restitution to the neighbor was part of setting the sin right. This shows that wronging others requires restitution to them, not only an offering to God. When you have wronged another, make it right by restitution, not only seeking God's forgiveness. Repentance for wronging a neighbor includes restoring what was taken. Setting right a sin against another involves making it right with them. Do not seek only God's pardon while leaving the wronged person unrestored.

Notice what this law requires for wronging a neighbor. When a person had defrauded, robbed, oppressed, or deceived his neighbor, taking or keeping what was not rightly his, the law did not treat this merely as a matter between the person and God, to be settled by an offering alone. It required, first, restitution to the one wronged: he was to restore in full what he had taken, and add a fifth part more, returning it to its rightful owner. Only then was he to bring his offering to God for forgiveness. Setting right the sin against his neighbor required making it right with the neighbor, not only seeking God's pardon. This holds a searching truth about repentance for wrongs done to others. When we have wronged another, cheated, robbed, deceived, taken or withheld what was not ours, we can be tempted to treat it only as a matter between us and God: to confess it to God, seek his forgiveness, and consider it settled, while leaving the wronged person unrestored. But this law shows that true dealing with such a sin includes restitution to the one wronged: making it right with them, restoring what was taken, so far as we can, not only seeking God's pardon. Repentance for wronging another is not complete while the wronged person is left unrestored and we have only sought God's forgiveness. We do well, when we have wronged another, to make it right by restitution to them, not only seeking God's forgiveness. When you have wronged another, make it right by restitution, not only seeking God's forgiveness. Repentance for wronging a neighbor includes restoring what was taken. Do not treat a sin against another only as a matter between you and God. Set right the wrong with the one wronged, so far as you can.

That is worth taking to heart, for wronging others requires restitution to them, not only an offering to God, and we do well to make it right with the one wronged, as this law required restoring what was taken. We can treat wronging another only as a matter between us and God; but this law required restitution to the neighbor before the offering. Make it right. When you have wronged another, do not seek only God's forgiveness while leaving them unrestored; make it right by restitution to them, so far as you can. When you have wronged another, make it right by restitution to them, restoring what was taken so far as you can, not only seeking God's forgiveness, as the law for wronging a neighbor by fraud, robbery, or deceit required not only an offering to God but restitution to the one wronged, that the wrongdoer restore it in full and add a fifth part and return it to its owner and then bring his offering to the LORD; for when a person had wronged his neighbor, taking or withholding what was not his, true dealing with the sin was not only a matter between him and God but required making it right with the one wronged, restoring what was taken and adding to it before bringing his offering, restitution being part of setting the sin right, which holds a searching truth about repentance for wrongs done to others, since when we have wronged another and taken or withheld what was not ours we can be tempted to treat it only as a matter between us and God, confessing it and seeking his forgiveness and considering it settled while leaving the wronged person unrestored, but this law shows that true dealing with such a sin includes restitution to the one wronged and making it right with them so far as we can, not only seeking God's pardon, so that repentance for wronging another is not complete while the wronged person is left unrestored, and we do well, when we have wronged another, to make it right by restitution to them.

Lord, the law for wronging a neighbor, by fraud, robbery, or deceit, requires not only an offering to you but restitution to the one wronged, restoring what was taken and adding to it. If anyone sins and deals falsely with his neighbor, robbing or oppressing him or lying about what was entrusted, the law says, he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth part to it, and return it to the one to whom it belongs; and then he shall bring his offering to the LORD. When a person had wronged his neighbor, taking or withholding what was not his, true dealing with the sin was not only a matter between him and you; it required making it right with the one wronged, before bringing his offering to you. Restitution to the neighbor was part of setting the sin right. Show me what this law requires for wronging a neighbor. When a person had defrauded, robbed, or deceived his neighbor, the law did not treat this merely as a matter between the person and you, to be settled by an offering alone. It required, first, restitution to the one wronged: he was to restore in full what he had taken, and add a fifth part more, returning it to its rightful owner. Only then was he to bring his offering to you for forgiveness. Setting right the sin against his neighbor required making it right with the neighbor. This holds a searching truth about repentance for wrongs done to others. When I have wronged another, cheated, deceived, taken or withheld what was not mine, I can be tempted to treat it only as a matter between me and you: to confess it to you, seek your forgiveness, and consider it settled, while leaving the wronged person unrestored. But this law shows that true dealing with such a sin includes restitution to the one wronged: making it right with them, restoring what was taken, so far as I can, not only seeking your pardon. Repentance for wronging another is not complete while the wronged person is left unrestored. Take that to my heart. When I have wronged another, keep me from seeking only your forgiveness while leaving them unrestored; help me make it right, Lord, by restitution to them, restoring what was taken so far as I can, before I consider the matter settled, for setting right a sin against another involves making it right with them.