The Eighth Commandment

 Exodus 20: 15

Thou shall not steal

As we all know and believe, stealing is taking anything that is not our own. Some examples would be taking a candy bar from the store without paying, taking a $20 bill from the counter at your neighbor’s house. But what if we take it a bit deeper. Stealing is also claiming an extra hour of work on your time sheet that you didn’t actually work. Or even not paying your worker for work that was completed.

Here is an example from Genesis of stealing and why we should not do it.

Genesis 31: 33-35

And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.

Rachel stole from her father and did not tell anyone about it. This causes Jacob to be accused in front of all the people by her father of stealing. She later had to lie to her father about why she could not stand up to greet him.

Ultimately, we see that stealing is very connected to coveting. It is just the next step. But this sin too leads to more sin. Once you steal, you then will almost always be forced to lie about it and lying is considered disgraceful to YHWH.

Proverbs 12:22

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

Next we have the people as a whole of Israel stealing something that was cursed. This lead to negative consequences.

Joshua 7:11-13

Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”

First off, Achan stole things. Second, some of those things were considered cursed by YHWH and would cause Israel to no longer be able to stand against their enemies because it was in their possession. Notice that all Israel was being held accountable because of this. Next, notice what Achan has to say about why he stole it in the following passage.

Joshua 7: 20-21

And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”

Achan took a Babylonian article of clothing, gold and silver. He says he “coveted” these things. Again we see, sin leads to sin. Stealing comes from the coveting of an object. We should never want something so bad as to feel the need to take it from someone else. Also, the taking from someone hurts that other person. It causes that person a pain that is hard to describe. It is a violation of one’s self security. I remember I had a radio stolen from my car. The feeling you get when you notice someone has violated the safety of your property, it makes you feel as if nothing you have is safe. It puts you in an uneasy state of unrest. This is not what YHWH wants for us and He definitely doesn’t want us to put others in this state. He loves us and He loves them.

Acts 20: 35

I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”