The eighth commandment says, “You shall not steal.” The morality of this command appears self-evident, but we live in a day when robbery is commonplace. Many live by the dictum: “get something for nothing.” “Doing business” means “ripping someone off.” But business suffers as everyone from the janitor to the president pilfers. So we mistrust everybody. We are skeptical of mechanics, doctors, clergy, politicians, parents, teachers, – everyone. We say we’re tired of being taken advantage of, of being victimized, of being robbed, yet we try to get away with as much as we can, whenever we can. We perpetuate our own demise by our avarice.
The morality of the eighth commandment is rooted in creation: God created man to have possession of personal property. Man, accountable to God, was given ownership of all the plants, animals, and the earth (Gen. 1:27-30). Man was also placed on earth to labor (Gen. 2:15). Honest labor and personal property go hand in hand. The fourth commandment states: “Six days your shall labor and do all your work.” “In all labor there is profit” (Prov 14:23a). It is morally just for us to labor and obtain personal property.
But the thief violates both the fourth and the eighth commandments. He steals the profit of another’s labor. “The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, for his hands refuse to work; all day long he is craving” (Prov 21:25,26a). Selfish pride and greed motivate a thief. Laziness and dishonesty mark his character. Why work for things when you can steal them?
Thievery must be overcome by repentance and faith in Christ. “Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need” (Eph 4:28). True repentance will be accompanied with fruit: restitution made to the victim, diligence in a legitimate vocation, and deeds of generosity. In Christ, the converted thief can then learn contentment. “Let your way of life be free from the love of money, being content with what you have” (Heb 13:5).
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