THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

In the early part of our Bible, the crime of stealing does not appear to be so prevalent as some other sins. Laban did defraud Jacob in the book of Genesis, and the children of Israel were exploited in the book of Exodus, but incidents of blatant theft are few and far between. However, in light of the acquisitive nature of man, this eighth commandment forbids the dishonest seizure of someone else’s property.

It would never be anticipated that a believer in the Lord Jesus would be an armed robber, or a burglar, or a fraudster, for thieves are among those who ‘shall not inherit the kingdom of God’, 1 Cor. 6. 9-10. However, the danger of dishonesty is ever present, and even amidst the rich ministry of the epistle to the Ephesians, Paul says, ‘Let him that stole steal no more’, 4. 28. According to this verse, the Christian work ethic should replace the inclina­tion to make an easy profit by dishonourable means. We should substitute the urge to acquire things for our personal pleasure with the desire to work hard to have resources to meet the needs of others. Salvation changed the lying, cheating Zacchaeus into a philanthropist, Luke 19. 8!

An area where dishonesty is prevalent is in the field of employment. Paul tells Titus to instruct servants that they must not be pilferers, Titus 2.10. In a factory, shop, or warehouse, the employer’s saleable goods or raw materials are at risk. In an office, his stationery, telephone or office equipment are misused. There is a mindset that regards certain things as legitimate perks. A believer’s attitude should be different and the employer’s property should never be used without permission, or by some­how recompensing. In every trade and industry, there is also the tendency to steal the company’s time!

Another victim of dishonesty is the taxman! Every govern­ment is acting as an agent for God in maintaining law and order, so believers have a duty to give financial support by paying taxes, Rom. 13. 1-7. Tax avoidance is legal, tax evasion is not, so, while no one pays their taxes with a smile, to deliberately massage the figures is to defraud the authorities – and thereby God: ‘thou shalt not steal’.