Righting Wrongs

-April 9, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; If I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.’”

(Luke 19:8).

In a previous devotion, we wrote of the conversion of the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus. Today, we are going to focus on his righting of wrongs. To right a wrong is defined as, “To amend, correct, or make up for a wrong or unfair situation.” In the Christian life, there are times when we must make restitution or restore something to someone we have wronged or defrauded. It takes a lot of humility to do this.

In the OT, there were times when one person needed to make things right with another according to the law. One such example is found in Exodus 22:1 says, “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.” This chapter in Exodus has several other examples of restoration and restitution.

Zacchaeus apparently took this action voluntarily to give half of his goods to the poor for taking advantage of the tax collectors under him and the people whose taxes were increased and harmed. He also said he would restore fourfold. He wanted to make things right. If we have wronged anyone, taken advantage of them, or lied to them, we need to right the wrongs. It is better to take the loss, than to live with a guilty conscience. Otherwise, God’s hand will come down heavy on us.

Being restored to God must always come first, then right after that we must make things right with those whom we have harmed. We should never put it off, it only makes it harder and the situation fester. The Lord will give us the grace to take the penitent place. When righting a wrong, remember to use permanent ink.

Have a blessed day righting wrongs when needed in a spirit of contrition, sincerity, and truth.

In His truth,

Dean