Psalm 69 is a Messianic Psalm detailing the suffering endured by our Lord. This suffering is prophetically expressed as David writes about the unfair treatment he is receiving at the hands of his enemies. He says, “Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully; though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it” (v. 4).

That last phrase stood out to me. The very thought of having to restore something we did not steal is an injustice. No one should have to do such a thing. However, did you know that we made to restore stolen items every time we buy something at the store?

Shoplifting is a common problem in retail stores. We might assume that stores just absorb the loss as a cost of doing business, but they don’t. Stores typically pass on the costs of shoplifting to consumers in the form of higher prices. You and I end up covering that cost. We restore the loss of that which we did not steal.

Often, when we talk about the high price of sin, we consider what sin takes away from man. However, there is another side of this that needs to be considered – God’s side.

God created man in His own image (Gen. 1:26-27). Unlike the rest of animated creation, humans have an eternal spirit. We are uniquely designed to enjoy fellowship with God. Our sin deprives God of this fellowship.

Something was stolen from God in the Garden of Eden – two perfect, sinless souls. In dying on the cross, Jesus made payment for this loss. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18). Jesus had no sin. He was innocent. He was not the one who had wronged the Father. Jesus suffered greatly to restore what He had not stolen. He did so out of love – love for us in our hopeless condition, but also love for His father who had been wronged.