or anything about which he swore falsely; he shall make restitution for it in full and add to it one-fifth more. He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day he presents his guilt offering.Today, a lot of debate goes into determining what punishment is effective for a given crime, especially property crimes like theft. I find it somewhat refreshing to know that God had this figured out quite simply. You forfeit the theft, plus a 20% "penalty" to the one you wronged. Then you make the proper sacrifice, and that's it. An almost clinical formula, but I can see how it works well.
I also like that you have to pay up the same day that you present your guilt offering. I wonder if some people had to delay the offering because they couldn't pay the penalty at the time. If that's the case, could they participate in the camp until then? I don't think I've run across anything yet that says what one's supposed to do between when a sin is committed and it is discovered. How many would just keep on living their lives, offering up the other required sacrifices until they were found out? How many couldn't go to God until they had become right? It would make for a different kind of punishment, knowing that you're holding out against God while appearing to go through all the right motions. Not too different from many in church today.
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