God's Concern for Our Possessions

A Verse

Exodus 20:15

You shall not steal.

A Comment

Almost everyone has heard or encountered the 8th commandment, which prohibits “taking something that does not belong to us.” Or, to put it another way, stealing “deprives someone of something that they are owed or due.” There is, however, a positive way of stating this commandment. As John Dickson writes, “The fundamental rationale of the 8th commandment is not so much the utilitarian aim of stable society, valuable as that is, but the inherent value of the neighbor made in God’s image and loved by him. The more you value someone the less likely you are to take what is theirs against their will or without their knowledge.”

The apostle Paul makes this clear in Romans 13:9-10, where he wrote, “The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

So, refusing to steal from others is an example of how we show love for our neighbors. One of the implications, then, for this commandment is to work hard to earn and provide for others instead of stealing from others. Again, the apostle Paul mentions this in Ephesians 4:28, where he stated, “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.”

As Christians, we work unto the LORD and for the care and benefit of others. Instead of stealing, we ought to work with the gifts and skills that God has given us to bring Him glory and do good to others in our family and in our community.

A Prayer

Would you pray with me?

A Blessing

Grace and peace be yours in abundance, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.