What Sort of Neighbour are You?
Deuteronomy 22:1,2 If you see that your neighbour’s ox or sheep is loose, you must not ignore it. Be sure to take it back to its owner. If the owner does not live near you or if you don’t know who it belongs to, take the ox or sheep to your house. Keep it there until the owner comes looking for it; then give it back.
Neighbours have a funny way of getting on one another’s nerves. Be it a barking dog, tree roots under the fence, cigarette smoke or a boundary dispute, being a good neighbour can be a bit of a challenge.
Doubtless we’ve all made mistakes in those difficult situations. But as much as keeping the peace is important, God has a much higher calling on us as neighbours.
Deuteronomy 22:1,2 If you see that your neighbour’s ox or sheep is loose, you must not ignore it. Be sure to take it back to its owner. If the owner does not live near you or if you don’t know who it belongs to, take the ox or sheep to your house. Keep it there until the owner comes looking for it; then give it back.
Now just quietly, my neighbours don’t keep any oxen or sheep that I’m aware of, but recently a courier delivered a computer screen in a carboard box, and because my neighbour wasn’t home he left it outside in the rain. Seeing that, I raced out and yes, got wet, but managed to save the delivery for which my neighbour was deeply grateful. It cost me nothing. It saved her a lot.
The point is that we’re called to look out for our neighbours. Not merely to keep the peace, but to be proactive, to go out of our way for them. Because that sort of practical help is a powerful witness of the love of this God in whom we profess to believe.
So the next time you see that your neighbour’s ox or sheep is loose, don’t ignore it. Be sure to take it back to its owner.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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