Straightforward

The eighth commandment is direct and to the point. God simply states, “Thou shall not steal” (Ex. 20:15). To steal is to take the property of another or others without permission or right, especially secretly or by force. According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, more than $13 billion worth of goods are stolen from retailers each year. That’s more than $35 million per day. One of every eleven Americans is a shoplifter. More than 10 million people have been caught in the last five years. The numbers are staggering, and the cost to retailers, which is eventually passed on to the consumer, climbs year after year.

A Christian might say, “That’s one commandment I don’t have to worry about. I don’t steal!” The eighth commandment, however, encompasses more than just not taking other people’s belongings. It involves other principles and wider, spiritual applications we could possibly overlook. In Matthew 5 we find Jesus Christ expounding the commandments and making them even more binding. He explains that not only should we not murder, but we also should not hate people. He elevated hate to the same status as murder. All of God’s commandments can be magnified in this way, including the eighth commandment.

Lucifer, now named Satan, was the originator of stealing, and still influences the attitude behind taking something that does not rightfully belong to us. His intention was to ascend into heaven and take God’s throne, which did not belong to him (Isa.14:12–14). Prior to that, there had been no stealing. Jesus said “the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). We must understand that if Christ is the one giving life, then Satan is the one stealing, killing, and destroying. That is the mindset of a thief. There will be no thieves in God’s Kingdom.

Stealing time

Have we ever been guilty of stealing time? We can all probably identify the great workplace time bandits at our job. But what about us? We must strive to deliver a full work day to those that employ us, even if those around us do not. Are we the leaders in widening this application by arriving early to work and staying late if necessary? Are we the givers or the takers?

Our workplace example is important, but what is our approach to the time God has set aside? Could we be stealing God’s time? God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it (Gen. 2:3). He also said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God…” (Ex. 20:8–10). It is God’s time that He made holy. It’s not time that God set aside for the Jews only. There were no Jews when He sanctified the seventh day—only Adam. We must take extra precaution with, give more thought to, and examine more closely our approach to the Sabbath.

God has given a day prior to the Sabbath to prepare for this special time. That’s how important this day really is. Prior to Mt. Sinai God gave special instructions for the sixth day—the preparation day. The Israelites were to gather extra manna they would need for the Sabbath because God would not provide any on the Sabbath. God has set aside this special time on the seventh day so we can rest, be refreshed, and draw closer to Him. We should focus on the meaning of the day that points to God not only as the creator, but points to a future millennial rest of a thousand years. If we are doing our own pleasure, going to the ballpark or the shopping mall, or observing another day that God has not sanctified, we are guilty of stealing time from the Creator. We are breaking the test commandment. Will we put God first? Will we walk in His ways?

God tells us through the prophet Isaiah that “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth…” (Isa. 58:13–14). If we will stop stealing this precious time that He has set aside for us, God promises that we will be happier, and He will bless us in what we do.

Stealing money

No one experiences an overwhelming sense of excitement when paying taxes. There are many shenanigans employed to evade paying them. Many will hire experts to hide or disguise income, and to find every possible loophole to help them avoid this law. What is the clear example that Christ set for true Christians today regarding this obligation? The Pharisees tried to trap Christ by questioning their responsibility to pay taxes. He quickly squelched their attack by identifying the image and inscription on a coin, responding, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:17–21). With one sentence Christ showed that we must pay the taxes that our various governments levy on us, as well as His due. What are these things that are God’s?

A number of places in the Bible show God’s instructions concerning tithes and offerings. Genesis 14 tells the story of Lot being taken captive during a raid by rival kings in the region. Abram organized 318 of his trained servants and made quick work of the enemies. He brought back Lot, other individuals, and the goods. Abram gave a tithe, one-tenth, of these goods to Melchizedek, King of Salem (vv 18–20). Tithing was not a new concept to Abram; it was his practice. He was blessed for it, and God will bless all others who tithe as well.

The tithe of the land is the Lord’s and it is holy to Him (Lev. 27:30). God asks a very direct question in Malachi 3:8: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me…in tithes and offerings.” What is the consequence of robbing God? Verses 9 and 10 tell us: “You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me….Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” God says, “Don’t steal from Me, and see if I won’t bless you more than you can imagine.”

Ultimately, everything is God’s. God’s way of life is based on give. Satan’s way is all about taking what is not his. God requires that we tithe. There is a direct correlation between stealing and curses, and giving and blessings. When we steal from God, not only are we breaking one of His commandments, we are denying ourselves the blessings that God wants to pour out in abundance on us.

What the taker overlooks

Many times the taker overlooks God’s abundant mercy. Because the effect does not always immediately follow the cause, one can falsely assume his action has no consequence, or can fail to make the connection between cause and effect. We have the historical examples of God’s instructions and the results that follow when we administer the give way as opposed to the take way. God lays out the results in Leviticus 26—blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. We have the examples and we have the warnings. We must not get caught in the mindset of the taker which will result in unhappiness, but get caught up in the give way which results in overwhelming blessings.

The prevalent attitude in society coincides with Satan’s because he has deceived the nations (Rev. 12:9). Rarely will a thief make the connection between his actions and the automatic curses that are guaranteed to follow. Christians must never lose sight of the life of give that God has called us into. The way of give is overflowing with blessings beyond measure. Let’s do as God asks and take Him at His Word concerning tithing, giving and receiving abundant blessings from Him.