Commandment Series: The Eighth

"You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15

There are many ways to steal. One is obvious, that of actively taking someone else's possessions. Despite the glaring wrongness of this, many people in the world still have problems keeping their hands to their own stuff.

"Theft from retail stores costs the American public 33.21 billion dollars per year." (1)

In 2014, it was estimated by the US Chamber of Commerce that "75% of employees steal from their workplace and do it repeatedly." (2)

"Identity thieves... hit a record 15.4 million Americans" in 2016 (3)

There's a great poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox called "Two Kinds of People." I'll only post the portion that relates to our subject:

"No! The two kinds of people on earth I mean
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.

Wherever you go you will find the world's masses
Are ever divided into these two classes.
And, strangely enough, you will find, too, I wean,
There is only one lifter to twenty who lean.

This one question I ask. Are you easing the load
Of overtaxed lifters who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner who lets others bear
Your portion of worry and labor and care?"

Stealing is a heart problem, as is every sin. Stealing is about not respecting others and their possessions, not giving in love, it's about taking and selfishness, which is against everything God stands for.

There are other ways you might steal. If you write up incorrect information on your taxes (stealing money), take longer on a work break than you're allowed (stealing time and possibly money), sell products with misleading advertisements (stealing money), or taking advantage of the goodness of others out of laziness (time, money, etc). We can add kidnapping to the list. You could probably think of other things that are actually theft. If the spirit of your actions are selfish, you might be stealing.

Hosea 12:6-8 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always. The merchant uses dishonest scales and loves to defraud. Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin.”

"Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight." Leviticus 19:13

You could also be stealing from God. He is the Creator and owner of all things big and small, and that includes time, energy, material possessions, living beings, etc. If you have the ability and possessions available to you that, after you and your loved ones' needs are met, could help others, you have the obligation to do so. Nothing is really yours, after all. If you hoard things, you're stealing what is God's, and God wants everyone to be blessed. If you have an excess of anything, He wants you to share in the joy of blessing others.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

"If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. "Ephesians 4:28

Another way others have stolen is by being false prophets and teachers. This is also a way of stealing from God. They steal His people and lead them astray.

“This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. So Jesus said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.” John 10:6-8

Jesus was clear that stealing is undermining everything it means to be Christian. God wants to give generously out of love, and He wants us to emulate Him in this way.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10

When we take, whether that's material possessions, people, identities, time, energy, anything, we could have been giving. Use what He has given us to bless the world, and you'll be blessed in return.

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell. Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it. Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives. If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!” Proverbs 11:25-31

Sources other than the Bible:

1) crimedoctor.com/shoplifting-facts.htm

2) pinkerton.com/blog/who-took-that-preventing-employee-theft-in-retail

3) nbcnews.com