The Eighth Commandment: You Shall Not Steal
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Introduction
Please open your Bibles to the book of Exodus as will just look at one verse in .
We resume our studies in the Ten Commandments and today we look at the commandment to not steal.
As we have been looking at each commandment, we just see the tip of the iceberg when we read these four words “You Shall Not Steal.” Just like every other commandment, the command extends beyond taking something something that does not belong to you and also includes the need to respect the property of others.
An interesting study conducted by the Barna Study group stated that most Christians believe they obey this commandment.
As we look at the below the surface at the iceberg, we will see that no one is really perfectly innocent regarding this command. And we will also see how we need the grace of Jesus to obey this command.
So I want to ask three questions regarding this commandment that really just follows the historic catechisms and along the great Reformers who taught on the Ten Commandments by asking three questions:
As we will see
What does the commandment mean?
The Violations of the Commadment
The Applications of the Commandment
What does the commandment forbid?
What does the commandment require?
Recap
The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God: worshipping the true God, worshipping Him rightly, revering His name and resting in Him.
The fifth commandment deals with respect with human authority, the sixth commandment deals with the value and dignity of man, the seventh commandment deals with the dignity and value of marriage between one man and one woman, and now the eight commandment deals with the right and respect of property.
If dishonoring parents is a violation of authority, murder a violation of human value, adultery a violation of the sanctity of marriage, then stealing is the violation of one’s property.
We need this commandment because in a fallen world, we need locks and bolts on doors, alarms on cars, chains on bikes, passwords on phones, pin numbers for debit cards.
But as we will see, the commandment is much more than just taking something that does not belong to you, it includes making sure that your neighbor is helped so that he can flourish with what God has given him. Just four words in our text this morning:
Scripture Reading:
“You shall not steal.
I. What Does the Commandment Mean?
I. What Does the Commandment Mean?
Definition:
The children’s Sunday school answer would be, “taking something that does not belong to you.” A more specific definition would be
“the act of taking property from another without permission and in secret.”—Mark Rooker
Pink, Arthur W.. The Ten Commandments (Arthur Pink Collection Book 53) (Kindle Locations 774-775). Prisbrary Publishing. Kindle Edition.
“the act of taking property from another without permission and in secret.”
Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 2844-2845). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Pink, Arthur W.. The Ten Commandments (Arthur Pink Collection Book 53) (Kindle Locations 774-775). Prisbrary Publishing. Kindle Edition.
In other words, It is to take someone’s property unlawfully.
In other ancient near eastern cultures, commentators tell us that the fine for stealing could be as 30 times the value of good stolen. This was not a debatable command as other cultures understood that stealing was wrong.
In other words, this was not a debatable command as other cultures understood that stealing was wrong.
Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 2844-2845). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Why is stealing wrong?
Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 2855-2856). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 2855-2856). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Stealing is wrong because God respects not only human dignity, but also the property of others. There were laws in the OT that protected human possessions. For example,
Taking of property.
“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. If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 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.
“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.
“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.
“If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.
The State of California holds people guilty to those who start wildfires and they are to pay back what they owe.
In the OT, the thief was to make restitution or return double (even more) for what he had stolen. God is not necessarily against possessions. God gives the possessions so that we can work and enjoy life.
What God is against is when the possessions possess us. So God made sure that man would be able to live a happy life when not only his human dignity was protected, and marriage (if married), but also his property so that he could work and glorify the Creator.
Stealing is wrong because it robs your neighbor of what God has given him. And secondly, stealing is wrong because it is a sin against God by not being content with the lot God has assigned you. It is unbelief because it refuses to trust God’s providence.
Biblical Theology of Theft
As we look at the storyline of Scripture, we can see that our first parents were guilty of stealing....
Eve stole the fruit in the garden.
Achan stole the plunder ()
Jezebel and Ahab stole Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21)
Judas stole money from the moneybag ()
He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
Israel stole from God in tithes and offerings ()
“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. If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 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.
“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.
“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.
“If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.
The prophets repeatedly denounced God’s people for stealing as well:
Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land;
there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known,
“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?
In college, I studied different theories of religion and economics. Marxism and communism don’t work because in a fallen world, people will still steal and take more even if things are shared and equally distributed.
In , Ananias and Sapphira are not rebuked for possessing a property, but about lying about the property they sold:
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
The words Peter uses are “did it not remain your own”. The early Christians had private property. Some sold property to help the church in need, but others also retained their property because some churches clearly met in some houses!
To sum up, the commandment teaches we are to respect private property that God has assigned to each individual, and not take what is assigned to another because of our greed and unbelief in the good providence of God.
Christian—You don’t have to feel guilty that you own a home. You don’t have to feel guilty that you own a car. You should obviously not idolize these blessings, but you should thank God for these blessings.
And if you don’t have something that God has assigned to another person, you should thank God and rejoice with your neighbor rather than coveting and envying and taking from your neighbor.
And those of us who have been blessed with possessions, are to use our possessions to bless other so that we would not be possessed by our possessions.
To take another’s possession is to belittle what God has assigned to another and ultimately rob God.
Transition: The commandment teaches we are to respect human property and possessions by not taking something that does not belong to us, but as we will see the commandment goes beyond that to include other forms of theft...
II. What Does the Commandment Forbid?
II. What Does the Commandment Forbid?
Keeping the Ten Commandments Chapter 13: Stop, Thief!
Next to your own persons and your wife, your worldly goods stand closest to you, and God means them to be secured to you, and therefore commands that no one shall take away or lessen any part of his neighbor’s possessions.… Now this is a very common vice.… For … stealing signifies not only emptying chests and pockets, but also taking advantage of others at market, warehouses, wine and beer shops, workshops, in short, wherever men transact business and give money for goods and labor.
I want to look at ten violations of this commandment....
Heidelberg Catechism 42. Sunday
QUESTION 110. What does God forbid in the eighth commandment?
Not only such theft and robbery as are punished by the magistrate; but God views as theft also all wicked tricks and devices, whereby we seek to draw to ourselves our neighbor’s goods, whether by force or with show of right, such as unjust weights, ells, measures, wares, coins, usury, or any means forbidden of God; so moreover all covetousness, and all useless waste of His gifts.
This command forbids us to rob ourselves of what we have by sinful spending, or of the use and comfort of it by sinful sparing, and to rob others by removing the ancient landmarks, invading our neighbour’s rights, taking his goods from his person, or house, or field, forcibly or clandestinely, over-reaching in bargains, nor restoring what is borrowed or found, withholding just debts, rents, or wages, and (which is worst of all) to rob the public in the coin or revenue, or that which is dedicated to the service of religion.
Theft
Theft (Naboth vineyard)
The commandment forbids stealing by which most of us think of. Breaking and entering a house and stealing. Stealing amazon packages left on front doors. Breaking and stealing cars. Shoplifting in department stores. Pocketing some candy at the local 7-Eleven. One writer gives a comprehensive definition doing a word study:
Ganaf — stealing — covers all conventional types of theft: burglary (breaking into a home or building to commit theft); robbery (taking property directly from another using violence or intimidation); larceny (taking something without permission and not returning it); hijacking (using force to take goods in transit or seizing control of a bus, truck, plane, etc.); shoplifting (taking items from a store during business hours without paying for them); and pickpocketing and purse-snatching. The term ganaf also covers a wide range of exotic and complex thefts . . . [such as] embezzlement (the fraudulent taking of money or other goods entrusted to one’s care). There is extortion (getting money from someone by means of threats or misuses of authority), and racketeering (obtaining money by any illegal means).2 Phil Ryken
If we define stealing this way, then we can say there is corruption from the below to even above to high officials. I don’t have to give you an illustration, just like at the weekly news to prove my point.
2. Slavery
Commentators have debated whether the eight commandment deals specifically with stealing people, not possessions. For example,
understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,
The commandment you shall not steal is rephrased to those who enslave men and women.
And although I don’t believe the commandment specifically refers to this because I think it is a general prohibition, enslaving men and women is also included in the eight commandment.
So we can say the transatlantic slave movement of the 17th and 19th century is wicked and destestable in God’s eyes. And sadly, Christians have used Scripture to justify this wicked act.
The modern sex-trafficking movement where children and young women are enslaved is abominable in God’s eyes. In fact, those who stole people could receive the death penalty:
“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
I don’t watch porn because I do not want to fuel an industry that enslaves women and children.
Do you want to help end modern slavery? Stop clicking and watching porn. Because it takes viewers and buyers to fuel such a wicked industry.
3. Bodies
Related to this, is stealing of bodies. It is an interesting word that is used in 1 Thessalonians when it comes to the topic of sexual sin. The word Paul uses is wrong or defraud. In other words, you are not to take possession of someone’s body for your own sexual advantage.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
You want to honor the commandment to not steal, then you must honor other people’s bodies with all purity.
4. Intellectual Property
4. Intellectual Property
We can also be guilty of stealing intellectual property. This is why we have trademark laws. You can’t steal someone’s goods or services and label them your own.
Songs have been stolen.
Any of you remember Napster? It was one of the first file sharing internet services before Spotify or Pandora.
The band Metallica filed a lawsuit against Napster because one of their songs were unlawfully released. The rapper Dr. Dre also filed a similar lawsuit because his songs were being pirated.
The court ruled in favor of these artists and Napster was shut down in 2001 for violating copyright laws.
Any of you watch a movie before it was released on the Big Screens? You can find stuff online where you can watch movies online without paying for a ticket. Think about the Philippines. You can buy pirated DVDs and its so normalized that people do not think its stealing.
Songs can be stolen.
Intellectual property has been stolen.
Products have been replicated and stolen.
Students, you can’t steal from your fellow students by taking credit from work you didn’t do. You can’t just copy your fellow student’s homework. (I hated doing group projects in school by the way).
Or if you are writing a paper, you can’t just steal someone else’s ideas without citing. Plagerism is a huge problem on college campuses and even in seminaries! Can you imagine seminary students guilty of plagerism!
It is easy to plagerize someone’s sermons with the internet. It is easy to copy and paste, listen to a podcast or your favorite preacher, or just look for other sermons online which is a danger for us preachers.
5. Time
We can even steal time from God.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
When we waste our time, we are not using our time to its full potential.
We just watched Wreck it Ralph or Ralph Breaks the Internet with my kids, (no spoilers here)
And there is a scene in the movie where a office employee is just slumped in his chair, bored out of his mind, clicking aimlessly and mindlessly, until he comes across a video with wreck it ralph’s face is on an animal doing something stupid. And the video goes viral in the office because the other employees are just wasting their time in the office watching useless youtube or buzztube videos.
It was a funny scene because most people understand that is actually what takes place in the office. That is why the office is a successful comedy because sadly many people in office jobs can relate to what goes in the office because that’s what they do!
Idleness/Sloth
When you waste time at work, scrolling on the internet, 2 mins here, 5 mins there, 10 minutes there, we end up robbing our employer of their time when we should be working.
Don’t you think it affects your witness for Christ when you are not working and being idle at work doing things you shouldn’t be doing?
6. Taxes
We may steal from God by not paying our taxes. God has assigned the government to enforce law and order. And we are to trust God and be responsible citizens.
A new Robin hood movie is coming out. So the question is: is Robin Hood violating the eight commandment by stealing from the rich to help serve the poor?
Keep in mind, Paul is writing to Christians who are subject to the Roman Government: A Government that was persecuting Christians. So the ends do not justify the means. Or good does not justify sinful actions that accomplish that good.
For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
7. Excessive Interest
But on the flip side, governments can steal from its citizens by charging excessive taxes and interest.
John Calvin said, “It follows, therefore, that not only are those thieves who secretly steal the property of others, but those also who seek gain from the loss of others, accumulate wealth by unlawful practices and are more devoted to their private advantage than to equity.”
Greed
Debt/ Evasion of Taxes
Those in political power can exploit the poor. Jesus was furious with the religious leaders for doing this when he overthrew the tables of the money changers:
He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Matthew 21:
Bodies (, )
Credit card companies do this. Some credit cards charge 20% interest! And some of you never pay down your debt because you are paying the interest! So before you sign up for that next credit card that will give you a free coffee mug, or hotel stay, make sure you look at the fine print!
6. Interest
8. Not Paying Fair Wages
Employers can rob people by not paying them at a timely or appropriate manner.
Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
Glory
So to put it in a modern context, it would be like going to Home Depot. Hiring some workers to work your garden or on your house. And at the end of the day, you don’t give them their pay. You threaten to report them to authorities because they do not have papers. Or if you pay them, you pay them very little for their hard labor.
For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.
Luke
1 Timothy
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
9. Unjust Transactions
In the ancient world, you could deceive a buyer by measuring wrong scales.
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but a just weight is his delight.
Proverbs 20:
Unequal weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
To apply this today, this means overcharging for a product. Or falsely advertising a product.
I hate getting oil changes. I get a coupon, and it tells me an oil change is 59.95. And every time I go get an oil change, I always end up paying more than I expected.
They will tell me you need new air filter for your car. Or some transmission fluid. Or fuel injection. Or tires. Or brakes.
I just bought this car two years ago! Why does it have problems like its 10 years old!
I question whether the seller is selling me stuff I don’t need so they can just make profit or meet their sales quota for the day.
If you are a business, make sure you are charging a fair amount. Make sure you are telling the truth about your product rather than seeking to make personal profit by disadvantaging someone else.
10. Glory
Martin Luther said, “If we look at mankind in all its conditions, it is nothing but a vast, wide stable full of great thieves.”10
Everyone is guilty of this commandment. Because we rob God of the praise that He deserves.
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Is there any hope for us? How does Jesus help us not steal from others, but help us bless and give to others?
The Prophets dencouced stealing
Transition: The commandment means that we must respect human property and forbids that we steal by theft, enslaving people, exploiting bodies for our own sexual pleasure, intellectual property, time, taxes, excessive interest, not paying fair wages, unjust transactions, and robbing God of his glory...
III. What Does the Commandment Require?
III. What Does the Commandment Require?
I want to give some practical strategies to help us obey this commandment by God’s grace.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 45. General Interpretation
To sum up: we are forbidden to pant after the possessions of others, and consequently are commanded to strive faithfully to help every man to keep his own possessions.
there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Numbers
Institutes of the Christian Religion 45. General Interpretation
For he who does not carry out what he owes to others according to the responsibility of his own calling both withholds and appropriates what is another’s.
Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known,
Heidelberg Catechism 42. Sunday
QUESTION 111. But what does God require of thee in this commandment?
That I further my neighbor’s good, where I can and may; deal with him as I would have others deal with me; and labor faithfully, that I may be able to help the poor in their need.
Applications
Jesus transforms this commandment because instead of taking from others, he gave to others. And that is why Jesus says it is more blessed to give than to receive. Or to put it another way, it is more blessed to to give than to steal!
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
The KJV has it robbery. In other words, Jesus did not exploit his position or authority. He did not grasp or used his divine glory for his own advantage. Instead, he left his position and glory to serve others.
Instead, he humbled himself so that he could give his life for others. That is why Paul tells us to have the same mindset.
Repentance & Restitution
One of the marks of true conversion is true repentance. True repentance is not just saying sorry. Repentance is not just confession. Repentance is a sorrow of sin for offending God, but it is also turning from the sin and forsaking the sin resting in the mercy of Christ. We see this with Zacchaeus..
The heart must be reformed. And if the heart is reformed, then outward behavior and action follows.
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.”
You remember what Jesus said to him?
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
So if you have taken something that does not belong to you, and you have the power to make things right or restitution, do it!
Return my books!
Confession
So if you have stolen some of my books, put some of my books back in my bookshelf. And if I have stolen your books, forgive me and if I have it I will give it back to you or buy you a new book.
2. Hard Work
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 45. General Interpretation
For he who does not carry out what he owes to others according to the responsibility of his own calling both withholds and appropriates what is another’s.
We are not to be idle. The letters to the Thessalonians tell us we are not to support those who are idle, and those who do not work should not eat.
and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
1 Thessalonians 5:
Christian—You have a testimony to guard in your workplace. Does your work commend the gospel? No matter what you do for work, God gives us work so that we can provide for ourselves, our families, and those who are in need.
3. Contentment
Contentment (, , Prov. 30:8-9)
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1 Timothy 6:
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
This is an helpful prayer:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
I thank God that I have enough. Contentment is gratitude to God and trusting God for our lot in life.
A discontent heart will lead to an envious heart. And an envious heart will lead to a covetous heart. And a covetous heart will lead to an idolatrous heart. And an idolatrous heart will lead to a heart that steals from our neighbor.
Christian—Are you content with the lot that God has assigned you in life? Are you grateful for his providence in your life? Do you trust the heavenly Father to provide for you?
4. Stewardship
What I’m trying to say that everything we have actually belongs to God. We have a borrowed life from God living on borrowed time from God. Therefore we are to make the most of it.
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
A steward was a household manager of someone else’s possessions. You can break the power of greed over your life when you understand that God owns everything you have.
And he has given these things so that we can properly manage it to enjoy life and bless others.
Generosity
5. Generosity
2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.
Jerry Bridges, in Disciplines of Grace, has observed that there are three basic attitudes we can take toward possessions. The first says, “What’s yours is mine; I’ll take it.” This is the attitude of the thief. The second says, “What’s mine is mine; I’ll keep it.” Since we are selfish by nature, this is the attitude that most people have most of the time. The third attitude — the godly attitude — says, “What’s mine is God’s; I’ll share it.”
“Every time I give, I declare that money does not control me. Perpetual generosity is a perpetual de-deification of money.”
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Instead of taking, do you give? Do you give to provide for your family? Do you give to the local church? Do you give to missions? Do you give to the needy? Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
6. Satisfaction in Jesus
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
I think the best way to keep this commandment is to find our satisfaction in Jesus. As already mentioned, we are all guilty. The whole world is a “wide stable full of great thieves”.
Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 2969-2971). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Ex. Robin Hood
Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 2969-2971). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
John Calvin said, “It follows, therefore, that not only are those thieves who secretly steal the property of others, but those also who seek gain from the loss of others, accumulate wealth by unlawful practices and are more devoted to their private advantage than to equity.”
Ganaf — stealing — covers all conventional types of theft: burglary (breaking into a home or building to commit theft); robbery (taking property directly from another using violence or intimidation); larceny (taking something without permission and not returning it); hijacking (using force to take goods in transit or seizing control of a bus, truck, plane, etc.); shoplifting (taking items from a store during business hours without paying for them); and pickpocketing and purse-snatching. The term ganaf also covers a wide range of exotic and complex thefts . . . [such as] embezzlement (the fraudulent taking of money or other goods entrusted to one’s care). There is extortion (getting money from someone by means of threats or misuses of authority), and racketeering (obtaining money by any illegal means).2 Phil Ryken
All of us have robbed God of his glory and gone our own way. All of us have taken something that did not belong to us by taking glory from God rather than giving glory to God.
John Calvin said, “It follows, therefore, that not only are those thieves who secretly steal the property of others, but those also who seek gain from the loss of others, accumulate wealth by unlawful practices and are more devoted to their private advantage than to equity.”
I hate getting Oil Changes. I got a coupon for an oil change 59.95. I end up leaving the dealer paying 331. I wonder if I truly needed all that.
“Every time I give, I declare that money does not control me. Perpetual generosity is a perpetual de-deification of money.”
And this is why the suffering servant would come. He would come not to take life or possessions, but give his life and an eternal inheritance.
“Every time I give, I declare that money does not control me. Perpetual generosity is a perpetual de-deification of money.”
When Jesus was crucified, remember he was crucified between two thieves.
“Every time I give, I declare that money does not control me. Perpetual generosity is a perpetual de-deification of money.”
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
One thief went to Hell. One thief went to Heaven.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 45. General Interpretation
To sum up: we are forbidden to pant after the possessions of others, and consequently are commanded to strive faithfully to help every man to keep his own possessions.
The thief who went to Heaven was the thief to whom Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.”
Institutes of the Christian Religion 45. General Interpretation
For he who does not carry out what he owes to others according to the responsibility of his own calling both withholds and appropriates what is another’s.
Why did one thief go to heaven?
Books not returned!
Because he recognized that the man suffering next to him was no thief, but innocent.
2013 Security Breach
This command forbids us to rob ourselves of what we have by sinful spending, or of the use and comfort of it by sinful sparing, and to rob others by removing the ancient landmarks, invading our neighbour’s rights, taking his goods from his person, or house, or field, forcibly or clandestinely, over-reaching in bargains, nor restoring what is borrowed or found, withholding just debts, rents, or wages, and (which is worst of all) to rob the public in the coin or revenue, or that which is dedicated to the service of religion.
The man suffering next to him was not guilty of any crime. The man suffering next to Him did not come to steal, but to give.
2013 Security Breach
The man suffering next to Him was there willingly because He laid aside his divine glory in becoming a man, to perfectly fulfill the law which includes the eight commandment, so that He could eventually hang on a cross next to the thief to grant him mercy and not judgment.
The thief recognized who Jesus was. The man repented because he acknowledge who Jesus was. He felt remorse that a just man was unjustly being executed even though he the thief himself was guilty.
And that thief was shown grace and mercy for robbing God, because God the Son did not count equality with God, even though he was in the form of God, but make himself nothing, taking the place of a servant, to die on a cross, for thieves who repent and trust in Him.
This is the grace that transforms thieves into saints.
The other thief went to Hell because he did not repent.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
But the thief who saw Jesus went to Heaven because he saw the beauty of Jesus.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
The thief was washed in Christ’s blood, set apart, and declared righteous in His name and by the Spirit of our God.
And that same promise can come to us who believe in the sinless death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This gospel is what turns thieves into saints. And God’s saints are those who do not take from people, but those who give to people. Here is what true repentance looks like.
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. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
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.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Non-Christian
Repent of stealing glory from God. Because God sent His Son to die on the cross for your sin, forgive you, and he rose again to declare glory thieves righteous so that you can give God glory for what His Son has done.
Christian
Let us not take from others from all the various ways I have mentioned. But instead, let us be known as people who laid down our lives for other, for by our generosity and sacrifice, will show us that we are true disciples of Jesus Christ.