You Shall Not Steal (Part 3)

28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

This week is our 3rd and final look at the 8th commandment, “You shall not steal.” In part 1 we looked specifically at the nature of the 8th commandment. We began by answering the question, “Why is theft sin?” or “Why is stealing wrong?” And we answered that question by first recognizing that God owns everything, second by recognizing that we’ve been made managers of his assets, and third that God has allocated each of us a portion of those assets, therefore to steal from one another isn’t wrong merely because it hurts our neighbor, but first, and foremost because it’s a sin against God. That to steal from our neighbor is to challenge God’s authority and wisdom to give whatever portion he sees fit to whomever he pleases. Therefore, it’s not enough to say that stealing is wrong simply because it hurts people, rather stealing is wrong first and foremost because it’s a sin against God.

We also considered how the 8th commandment is foundational to the concept of personal property. That it assumes the notion of ownership and private property, that we have rights over that property which cannot be violated by our neighbor. Therefore, the 8th commandment is also foundational to our idea of the free market, that it isn’t the government who controls the production and exchange of goods, but individuals, freely. That it’s the individual who has ownership of their goods, and exchanges those goodly freely and ethically, as they see fit.

Then, in part 2, we considered the scope, application, and heart of the 8th commandment. First, that it’s scope is far reaching, so much that none of us have escaped it’s reach, that the 8th commandment includes much more than shoplifting. That violations of the 8th commandment also include cheating, swindling, scams, borrowing without asking or returning, neglecting to pay back our debts, piracy and using using someone else’s media subscription, plagiarism, underpaying or neglecting to pay your employees, bribery, gambling, wasting our employer’s time, laziness and squandering the resources God has entrusted us with, and so on.

Second, that at the heart of every 8th commandment violation is greed, and the belief that life consists in the abundance of possessions. That the possessions entrusted to us by God are treasure, and are therefore to be treasured. So, rather than storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven, we begin to store up for ourselves treasures on earth. Our possessions become a treasure and an idol. Therefore, we determine that we must accumulate for ourselves as much as we can, and inevitably begin to set our sights on our neighbor’s property. And as a result, we become increasingly willing to steal from our neighbor, here or there at first, but increasingly, as we think we’re able to without consequence.

So, this week, my aim is to build on parts one and two. To consider, further, the scope and application of the 8th commandment. Just as we’ve recognized with the other commandments, there are always two sides to each. On one hand we’re forbidden (or prohibited) from certain behaviors, but on the other hand we’re also implicitly commanded to uphold the commandment by carrying out certain behaviors. For example, the 6th commandment not only forbids taking innocent life, but it implicitly teaches us that we must honor life. Or the 7th commandment that forbids adultery, also implicitly teaches us that we must honor marriage. Therefore, while the 8th commandment forbids stealing from our neighbor, it also implicitly teaches us that we must honor and preserve our neighbor's property. The 8th commandment teaches us that we must honor and preserve our neighbor’s property.

Honor and preserve your neighbor’s property

Listen to just some of the examples provided by the Westminster Larger Catechism. The duties required in the 8th commandment include rendering to everyone their due, faithfulness, truth, restitution of goods, giving and lending freely according to our abilities and the necessities of others, just dealings, to procure, preserve, and further the wealth of others, to provide for our family, to avoid unnecessary lawsuits, to work diligently and to make a return on the assets entrusted to us by God, to seek frugality and avoid wastefulness. And like I pointed out in our last time, if laziness is a violation of the 8th commandment, then to work diligently is one way we uphold the 8th commandment.

Depend on no one, burden to no one

We also see an example of how we uphold the 8th commandment in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, where we’re instructed to work in order that we’re not dependent on anyone. The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

9 Now concerning

Paul says that you should “work with your hands” in order to “be dependent on no one.” Now, when Paul says to “work with your hands” he isn’t saying that it’s more biblical or noble to work in construction than it is behind a desk, no, his point is that your work is by your hands, and not someone else’s, in order that you’re dependent on no one. And notice how he connects working with your hands and being dependent on no one with brotherly love back in verse 9. In other words, this is what it looks like to love your neighbor, working to ensure that you’re not an unnecessary burden upon your neighbor. In short, the 8th commandment admonishes us to depend on no one, in order that we might not be a burden on anyone.

Paul would later emphasize this point again in his second letter to the church in Thessalonica, in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12,

2 Thessalonians 3:6–12 ESV

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

Paul tells them to avoid anyone who calls himself brother but is “walking in idleness,” anyone who is walking “not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.” And what was the tradition that they had received from Paul back in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12? “To work with your hands” in order to “be dependent on no one.”

Earn your own living

And notice how Paul describes himself as an example for them to follow. Reminding them that he was not idle when he was with them, nor did he eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor he worked night and day, that he might not be a burden to any of them. Now, he didn’t have to do this, he had a right to be supported by the church there, because he was laboring to shepherd and disciple them, however, he says that he didn’t take advantage of that right in order to give them an example to imitate. Therefore, he admonishes them again, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” and “to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” Again, the 8th commandment admonishes us to depend on no one, to earn our own living, in order that we might not be a burden on anyone.

Now, this all might seem obvious to most of us, but much of my generation and the generation after me believes very differently. For example, it’s increasingly common for younger generations to think they’re owed something. Now, we don’t usually come out and argue using this kind of language, because then our arguments wouldn’t get much traction, instead we describe what we believe we’re entitled to as a human right. We argue that healthcare is a human right, that education is a human right, that housing is a human right, that food is a human right, that even internet is a human right, and the list goes on.

Now, on the surface, arguments like these can seem very appealing. Don’t we want everyone to have healthcare? Don’t we want everyone to have a home? Don’t we want everyone to have food? Of course we do, but this isn’t how the Bible argues. Instead, the man who is idle is told, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat,” to “earn your own living,” and to “depend on no one,” that you might not be a burden to anyone. The Bible argues from a place of personal responsibility, whereas many in my generation argue from a place of personal entitlement, or so-called rights, under the guise of loving their neighbor. This is dangerous because it places the burden of responsibility on your neighbor rather than you, as a result, you become a burden to your neighbor. In other words, while we think we’re doing our neighbor a favor by giving him certain so-called rights, we’re actually burdening him with the responsibilities of others.

For example, many have been excited at the prospect of having the federal government forgive $188 billion in student loan debt. No doubt it would be exciting to think that you might not have to pay back your thousands of dollars of student loans, but when you think about the broader implications you quickly realize that it would be a violation of the 8th commandment to do so. Here’s what I mean, if the federal government were to forgive your student loan it would inevitably come at a cost to the U.S. taxpayer. Instead of you shouldering the burden of your own debt, now your neighbor, the U.S. taxpayer, will be responsible for shouldering your unpaid debt. And this is precisely the opposite of what’s prescribed by Scripture. What may appear to be a compassionate endeavor on the surface, is, in fact, an abdication of personal responsibility, and this is not loving your neighbor. If you recall, at the outset of this series I pointed out in a message titled the Law of Love that it’s God’s law that defines love toward our neighbor, not man’s personal sensibilities. Therefore, if we intend to love our neighbor, one way we do that is to seek to depend on no one, to earn our own living, in order that we might not be a burden to our neighbor.

Labor that you might have something to share

At this point, it’s important to recognize the fundamental purpose of this personal responsibility. As we’ve seen already, life does not consist in the abundance or accumulation of possessions. We don’t work merely to accumulate wealth for ourselves, or merely to spend it on our own passions. Instead, we’re intended to labor so that we might have something to share with our neighbor. Listen to to what Paul writes in Ephesians 4:28,

Ephesians 4:28 ESV

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Notice how the language is similar to the language Paul used back in 1st and 2nd Thessalonians when he writes, “doing honest work with his own hands.” And more importantly, what does Paul contrast stealing with? He contrasts stealing with labor or working. In other words, while stealing violates the 8th commandment, laboring upholds the 8th commandment. Furthermore, notice the reason Paul gives for laboring, “so that [you] may have something to share with anyone in need.” There it is, this is why you labor, “so that [you] may have something to share with anyone in need.”

So, not only does the 8th commandment teach us to depend on no one, to earn our own living, in order that we might not be a burden to anyone, but also so that we might have something to share with anyone in need. So, I hope it’s abundantly clear that the 8th commandment is ultimately intended to promote the welfare of your neighbor. First, we labor so that we’re not a burden to our neighbor, and second, we labor so that we’re able to have something to share with our neighbor when he’s in need. You see, the kind of personal responsibility and self-sufficiency prescribed here is not the kind that you see promoted in books and movies by cowboys or ranchers who want to be left alone, and who don’t want anybody’s help. No, this is a personal responsibility and self-sufficiency that has it’s neighbor’s wellbeing supremely in view.

Do you remember in Acts 2:44-45 when Luke describes the early church as having “all things in common”? He wrote,

Acts 2:44–45 ESV

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

Now, many advocates of socialism and communism have cherry-picked this verse out of its context and tried to use it to support their political, economic, and social theories, but within the broader context of the Bible I think it’s obvious that Luke and the Apostles were teaching nothing of the sort. Instead, what we’re intended to glean from this account in Acts 2:44-45 is that Christians are intended to be generous and to “share with anyone in need.” The early church was not coerced or taught to arbitrarily relinquish their possessions, but rather to freely share with anyone in need. This text isn’t about abandoning the concept of personal property, but about how Christians are intended to be generous with their wealth.

Zacchaeus’ repentance

We also see this attitude exhibited by a man named Zacchaeus, a tax collector, in Luke 19:1-10 while Jesus was traveling through Jericho, so turn with me to Luke 19, we read,

Luke 19:1–10 ESV

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

All of the people despised tax collectors because they were known for leveraging their position to defraud the people and enrich themselves. Which is probably why Luke points out in verse 1 that Zacchaeus “was a chief tax collector and was rich,” and then writes in verse 7 that those who were with Jesus “grumbled” and said, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” Everyone, undoubtedly, recognized that Zacchaeus was rich for one reason, because had defrauded his own people while collecting taxes for Rome. That he had enriched himself and disregarded the 8th commandment.

But then Luke tells us that “Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.””

Similarly, back in Luke chapter 5, Jesus had called Matthew, who was also a tax collector, to follow him. “And Matthew made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

So, in this instance with Zacchaeus, it’s clear that Zacchaeus listens to Jesus’ call for repentance, because he immediately stands up to announce that he intends to give half of his goods to the poor, and to restore to anyone he’s defrauded fourfold. This is significant, first, because Zacchaeus heeds Jesus’ call for repentance, he forsakes his riches for Christ, no longer are his riches his treasure, but Christ and his kingdom are, second, this is evident by his desire to give generously to the poor rather than continuing to enrich himself, third, he’s filled with a desire to give restitution to anyone he’s defrauded. In fact, he intends to restore everyone fourfold, which was 20 times more than the law required in Leviticus 6. In other words, the fruit of Zacchaeus’ repentance was to forsake his riches for Christ, make restitution, and to give generously, his repentance resulted in a desire to please his Lord and to love his neighbor by upholding the 8th commandment.

Restitution and the 8th commandment

As I’ve pointed out before, Israel’s civil laws were deeply rooted in the moral law of God, or the 10 commandments. All throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers are laws concerning restitution, and these laws were rooted in the 8th commandment and the commandment’s intention to honor and preserve their neighbor’s property. In fact, Israel's laws were far better than the laws we have today in our own country. I’ll give you just a couple of examples.

We read in Exodus 22:1, that,

Exodus 22:1 ESV

“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

Now, at first glance, you might wonder if a law like this is unjust to require the repayment of five oxen for stealing a single ox, or to require the repayment of four sheep for stealing a single sheep, but Israel’s laws were not vindictive or retaliatory in nature. For example, if you stole someone’s ox you weren’t only stealing that man’s property, but you were stealing his means of production, and a means of production that took years to raise, therefore the requirement for restitution for livestock that was sold or killed was much higher. Furthermore, the thief would compound his guilt by profiting from the ox himself.

Whereas, twofold restitution was required for livestock that were returned. Exodus 22:4 says,

Exodus 22:4 ESV

If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.

So, when you read through civil laws of Israel recognize that there were very specific requirements for restitution for good reasons, and that Israel’s civil laws where intended to uphold the moral law of God in their nation.

Vengeance is mine, I will repay

Lastly, before we wrap up, I want us to consider one final, but important point. While the law of the Lord is perfect and altogether righteous, we will suffer injustice in this age, injustices that won’t be immediately resolved or addressed. You will be stolen from, you will be cheated in some way, to one degree or another, and many of those injustices will compound past injustices, and compound injustices that have been long forgotten.

I was recently speaking with someone who’s constantly consumed by the injustices of the American slave trade, and how it has potentially affected his family for generations. Because it’s impossible, at this point, to calculate the injustices that were perpetrated 160 years ago, and how those injustices affect a person 4 or 5 generations later, it’s clear that it would be impossible to untangle them all. One would drive themselves crazy seeking restitution in this life. We can’t accurately number the injustices, we can’t rightly calculate them, and the men who perpetrated and suffered them are long since dead. Not that we don’t seek to establish just laws in our own day, but it’s a fools errand to think that we can right the wrongs of the past between parties who are no longer here.

Therefore, the Christian is instructed to remember our Lord’s words, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” That everyone will appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done … whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) That despite the wickedness of men, God has ordained all that comes to pass, and that I shouldn’t seek to avenge myself or take from my neighbor what I believe I’m owed. And recognizing that I have been forgiven a much greater debt than the debt owed to me.

Conclusion

Now, as we wrap up our consideration of the 8th commandment let’s remember that we’re not only forbidden from stealing, but that we’re commanded to honor and preserve our neighbor’s property. That we’re admonished to depend on no one, and earn our own living, in order that we might not be a burden on anyone. That we labor not to enrich ourselves, but that we might have something to share with those in need. That personal responsibility and self-sufficiency serve the purpose of loving our neighbor. Therefore, let us be like Zacchaeus, when we hear the words of Christ we repent and forsake our riches for Christ. Laboring no longer to build our own kingdom, but to serve Christ and our neighbor.

Prayer

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