“Thou shalt not steal.” Those four words from Exodus 20:15, the 8th of the 10 Commandments, seem to be straightforward and to the point. But a careful (and prayerful) reflection on those words could reveal sin in our own lives that we did not heretofore realize.
Before you immediately jump in and say, “I don’t steal,” please consider the following ways you could be stealing and not even realize it. Most of us (if not all, including myself) may not have even thought about how these areas could be a way of breaking one (or more) of God’s Commandments.
PROPERTY
The most obvious way one thinks of stealing is to take someone else’s property without their consent. One of the definitions of “steal” in the online Merriam-Webster dictionary is “to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice.” This would include crimes such as robbery, shoplifting, and looting, whether done on a regular basis or not. Stealing includes other areas of taking something that does not belong to you. Consider the following:
- Taking items from work for personal use, even small items such as paperclips, rubber bands, pens, and postage stamps.
- Borrowing something and not returning it, such as a book from a friend, a magazine from a doctor’s office, or something from a neighbor needed for your house. And, if you ask to “borrow” an egg from a neighbor for a recipe, then you need to repay it, unless it was given to you as a gift.
- Purchasing something at a store and then returning it while keeping a portion of it. For example, returning an item of electronics but keeping the cord.
- Sampling produce, such as grapes, at a grocery store unless the sample was offered by the supermarket.
- Finding something and then not turning it into lost & found, or the police.
- Taking extra straws, napkins, plasticware, and condiments from restaurants that you don’t plan on using for that meal.
- Taking hotel amenities such as towels, washcloths, rolls of toilet paper, boxes of tissue, and shampoo/conditioner/soap beyond what is needed for your stay.
Ephesians 4:28 states:
“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”
MONEY
Stealing would also include borrowing money from someone and not repaying it. Often times people say something like “Can I borrow $20?” and actually have no intention of ever paying it back, even if they add “I’ll pay you right back.” And other times people may borrow money and then conveniently “forget.” I would like to propose, however, that if you ever find yourself in this situation, say a prayer and do whatever it takes to remember that you owe someone something and then seek to repay it as quickly as possible. This could be a positive witness to a non-Christian to repay back even the smallest of amounts owed, of which they may or may not have expected you to do.
If you have borrowed money such as on a credit card or with a mortgage, and are having difficulty paying it back and are on the brink of filing for bankruptcy or foreclosing on a house, please consider doing everything possible to pay back what you owe. My parents faced this situation when my father set up his dental practice fresh out of school. The practice struggled and they couldn’t make ends meet, including having a mortgage. A friend’s father, who was an attorney, advised them to file for bankruptcy. They did not do this and instead closed up the practice, found work from someone else, and worked steadily to pay off their debts. I am proud to say that my father eventually did have his own practice, and my parents were incredibly blessed by God in it, of which they faithfully used their means to help others.
Psalm 37:21 states “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy and giveth.” If you are in financial difficulty, let us remember 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” And let us also remember that God cares for the needs of even the birds of the air and lilies of the field (Matthew 6:26-34).
Being dishonest with your tax return is another form of stealing. There are many ways people may do this. Some examples include under reporting income (such as not reporting cash tips or not reporting sales of items where you make a profit, such as on ebay), mixing personal and business expenses, falsifying records, and working under the table. Romans 13:7 states “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
You can also steal from God by withholding tithes and offerings. Malachi 3:8 states,
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me, But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
Ellen White also states in the book Counsels on Stewardship “Hasten, my brethren and sisters, to bring to God a faithful tithe, and to bring Him also a willing thank offering. There are many who will not be blessed till they make restitution of the tithe which they have withheld… Let those who have kept back their tithe make an accurate reckoning, and bring to the Lord that of which they have robbed His work” (87.1, emphasis added).
BUSINESS/WORK
Some examples of stealing, whether as an employer or employee (besides what was mentioned prior), include but are not limited to
- fraud,
- overcharging for work done,
- putting in for more hours than you actually worked,
- being lazy or slow in your work,
- taking long lunches or breaks,
- falling asleep on the job,
- texting, using the internet for personal use (such as email, shopping, playing games), using social networking sites, or making personal phone calls during work hours, and
- chatting unnecessarily during work hours.
Leviticus 19:11 states: “Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another” (emphasis added).
And Proverbs 11:1 states: “A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.”
TIME
It is possible to steal someone’s time. Below are some examples:
- being late for an appointment or meeting without good cause,
- making someone wait for you,
- taking a person’s spot in line if you cut ahead of them (yes, you are stealing their time),
- unnecessary complaining to others, whether done orally or in writing (yes, that steals their time as well), such as complaining you are tired, hungry, have a headache, don’t like the weather, complaining on Fulcrum 7 or other sites, and,
- breaking the Sabbath - you are stealing time meant for God and doing good on the Sabbath.
BIBLICAL EXAMPLES
Not only does the Bible have plenty to say about stealing, but it also gives us examples, both good and bad, of those who were guilty of this sin.
After Israel’s defeat at Ai, Joshua cried to the Lord who then revealed that there was a secret sin in their midst which must be put away. Achan was eventually signaled out to be that man for Achan “…took of the accursed thing” (Joshua 7:1). He was put to death by the people of Israel. Ellen White states that “the deadly sin that led to Achan’s ruin had its root in covetousness, of all sins one of the most common and the most lightly regarded” (Patriarchs and Prophets, 496.2). We can see that breaking the 10th Commandment, not to covet, can lead to the breaking of the 8th Commandment, not to steal.
Ananias and his wife Sapphira had pledged to give the proceeds from the sale of property to the Lord; however, after regretting their promise, they “kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 5:2), all the while pretending to give all of it. Ellen White states “God hates hypocrisy and falsehood. Ananias and Sapphira practiced fraud in their dealing with God; they lied to the Holy Spirit, and their sin was visited with swift and terrible judgment” (Acts of the Apostles, 72.2). She goes on to state that this punishment “…was designed as a warning to the church, to lead them to avoid pretense and hypocrisy, and to beware of robbing God” (73.4, emphasis added).
Even one of the disciples of Jesus was a thief. In the heart warming story mentioned in all four gospels (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 7, and John 12) of Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with costly ointment, Judas Iscariot asked why the ointment was not sold and the money given to the poor. John 12:6 records that “This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”
The Bible, however, also gives us remarkable examples of repentant thieves. Luke 19:1-10 gives us the wonderful, yet little told story, of Zacchaeus. As we know, Zacchaeus was short of stature and climbed a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus. As Jesus called to him and told him he would abide at his house, that must have thrilled his soul! Zacchaeus “made haste” and “received him joyfully” (vs. 6). Right then and there, Zacchaeus pledged to Jesus that he would not only give half of his possessions to the poor, but also pay back fourfold anyone he had wronged (vs. 8). How much more his heart must have thrilled to hear Jesus say to him “This day is salvation come to this house” (vs. 9).
The Bible states that the two men crucified with Jesus, one on either side of Him, were thieves (Matthew 27:38, 44); however, one thief repented and the other did not. Jesus assured this repentant thief of his place in paradise (Luke 23:43). Ellen White states in The Desire of Ages that “But upon one of them presses the conviction that there is a God to fear, a future to cause him to tremble. And now, all sin-polluted as it is, his life history is about to close” (749.3). “The Holy Spirit illuminates his mind, and little by little the chain of evidence is joined together. In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and hanging upon the cross, he sees the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world” (750.1).
REMEDY
Matthew 15:19,20 states “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man…” (emphasis added). If we find ourselves breaking any of God’s commandments, we need to fall on our knees and invite the Holy Spirit fully into our hearts to work in us a changing of our heart. We need to repent and be converted (Acts 3:19). Do not issue excuses. This will not work in the day of judgment. What will work is an open, humble, contrite, and repentant heart. Remember 1 John 1:9:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The next thing we need to do is, if possible, go to the person(s) we have wronged, confess our sin to them, sincerely apologize, make restitution, and, with God’s help, not commit the sin again. Matthew 5:23,24 states:
“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
And Ezekiel 33:15 states:
“If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statues of life, without committing iniquity; he shall sure live, he shall not die.”
If you are the person who has been wronged, you should forgive the person who has sinned against you. Luke 17:3 states:
“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”
And we all know what Matthew 18:15 (and beyond) says.
CONCLUSION
I have mentioned many (although certainly not all) ways one can break the 8th Commandment. Stealing not only violates civil laws, but it is also a violation of God’s law (Exodus 20:15; Romans 13:9, Mark 10:19). As painful as it may be, won’t you let God cleanse you now? It is a matter of eternal life or eternal death. The Bible is clear:
“Nor thieves, nor covetous… shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:10).
Stacey Johlman is a Speech-Language Pathologist who resides in Georgia with her husband. While prayerfully writing this article, she was convicted of sin in her own life.
Stacey is a Speech-Language Pathologist and a committed member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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