Don't Steal

You shall not steal. (Exod. 20:15; Duet. 5:19)
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​The eighth commandment prohibiting theft is a universally accepted and enforced commandment.  Throughout world history there have always been laws in every society against stealing.  This is for two reasons.  First, we all inherently recognize that no society can exist, build, and advance where theft is allowed to exist unchecked.  Secondly, no one likes to be stolen from.  Thus, stealing violates our inherent understanding of the Second Great Commandment—to love your neighbor as yourself, to treat others as you would want to be treated.  Hence, most people understand that stealing is wrong, and most would never engage in open and blatant theft.  However, many, including many Christians, continue to engage in subtle forms of theft.  Much like the “little white lies” that many wrongly believe God does not care about.  Often Christians will justify taking home from the office a notepad or a few pens.  “What’s few pens or a notepad to a major corporation?  They’ll never miss it.  Besides, I’m sure God won’t care.”  Or, will He?  Notice that the eighth commandment is not merely a prohibition against grand theft—amounts over a thousand dollars.  The commandment is “you shall not steal”--period.  You shall not take for yourself that which does not belong to you, that which is not rightly yours, which you have not paid for or earned in some way or has not been given to you.  At this point, some might be tempted to think I am being legalistic, overly technical.  But remember the words of Samuel to Saul, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22).  What God demands of his people is obedience--complete obedience.  However, another more common area in which many violate the eighth commandment is regarding the most precious commodity we own--time.  Time is precious for once it is lost it can never be regained.  Thus, when we are late to a meeting, when we keep someone held up, or outright forget our appointment with that person, we have stolen their time and have thus violated the eighth commandment and have sinned both against God and against that person.  But the most grievous violation of the eighth commandment is when we rob God of his due glory by taking it for ourselves.  When we pat ourselves on the back for our salvation or for the blessings we have in our lives, believing that we have accomplished these things, or when we engage in good deeds to be seen or praised by others, we violate the eighth commandment in the most grievous way by stealing glory from God.  And that, my friends, God will not tolerate.