Exodus 22:1, 4 NKJV
“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.
As we read the laws Moses gave Israel, it is interesting to note that when something was stolen the penalty included not only restoration of the stolen item but additional items added to it. For animals that were stolen and killed or sold, 5 oxen were paid back to replace one ox. If it was one sheep, 4 sheep were paid back. If the stolen goods were recovered alive, the restoration was to be double. The stolen item was returned and an extra of the same item added to it. Now that makes more sense than the modern system. If someone steals from you today, the court penalizes them and you. You get nothing back and the thief goes to jail at your expense (as a taxpayer). I like God’s plan better. I suppose God’s plan is the inspiration for the lawyers today who handle suits that asks for damages to be paid due to emotional and other types of suffering. This also helps me see how God wants me to be repaid spiritually and naturally for stolen items. He doesn’t just want me to get back what I lost, He wants me to receive more than what I had before. In other words, he wants me to get back what I lost and get compensation for the time I was without it. I’m going to look to my Father for more than just what I lost, but extra as compensation for my suffering due to the loss.