You Shall Not Steal
- WLC 141
- WLC 142
- There are many ways to take things that do not belong to us
Elements of the commandment
- Private Property
- The 8th commandment assumes God has given us ownership of property
- Part of taking dominion
- Gen 1:28-30
- Ps 8:6
- Ps 115:16
- Part of taking dominion
- Ultimately all property belongs to God
- Ex 19:5
- Ps 24:1
- Ps 50:10
- But God does give specific property to specific people
- Land of Canaan to Israel
- Divided by tribes and families as well
- Lev 25:10-55
- Restrictions on its use
- Lev 25:4
- Hos 9:3
- Land of Canaan to Israel
- Private property with the ultimate ownership belonging to God
- Work Ethic
- Work as part of cultural mandate
- Gen 1:28-30
- I Thess 4:11-12
- Warning against laziness
- Prov 6:6-11
- Prov 15:19
- 2 thess 3:6
- 2 Thess 3:10
- Work as the opposite of theft
- Eph 4:28
- The thief is not only told to work but to be generous with what he earns
- The 8th commandment mandates both justice and mercy
- Narrow – justice for several types of theft
- Property – double restitution
- Ex 22: 4-7
- Kidnapping – a capital crime
- Ex 21:16
- Deut 24:7
- I tim 1:10
- Swindling
- Jer 22:13-17
- Amon 8:4-6
- Stealing from widows and orphans
- Matt 23:14
- Defrauding employees
- James 5:4
- Land Theft
- Isa 5:8
- Unjust weights
- Lev 19: 35-36
- Deut 25:15
- Misleading someone for economic gain
- Prov 20:14
- Property – double restitution
- Broader application of theft
- Stealing affection
- 2 Sam 15:6
- False prophets stealing God’s words
- Jer 23:30
- False religions leaders
- John 10:1
- Merchandising in the temple
- Matt 21:13
- Robbing God of tithes and offerings
- Mal 3:8
- Josh 7:11
- Robbing God of his due
- Stealing affection
- Scripture does seem to tolerate stealing to feed one’s self
- Prov 6: 30-31
Tithing and the 8th Commandment
- Malachi 3:8
- Various tithes in the OT
- It was not a tither on income, or wealth but agricultural produce
- Not explicitly required in the NT
- 2 Cor 9:7-8
Taxation and the 8th Commandment
- In the Ot the tithe was the Lord’s tax
- Ex 23:16
- Deut 26:2
- Civil authorities
- In the Ot they made their living as everyone else did
- Tithes were used for infrastructure but not salaries or projects
- Taxation only came about with the monarchy
- Army to wage war
- Palaces
- I Samuel 8:11-18
- Warning from Samuel that kingship leads to oppression
- No prescription for taxation limits ins scripture
- Solomon’s oppressive reign
- I Kings 12:4
- Government called to lessen the burden on the people
- I Kings 12:12-24
- Difference between theft and taxation
- Taxation is a regular procedure set forth in law
- Stealing represents amounts over the standard tax
- Nt commands to pay taxes even to pagan governments
- Matt 22:17-22
- Rom 13:6-7
- The Roman emperors used their tax money to found their won cults
- Bible does not quantify amounts
- Priority of obligations to god and family over state
- I Tim 5:8
Financial Responsibility and the 8th Commandment
- Mandates a responsible use of resources
- We have spheres of responsibility
- Family – 1 tim 5:8
- Church – 2Cor 8-9
- State – Matt 22:17-22
- Ourselves – @ Thess 3:10
- Luke 14:28
- Matt 25:14-30
- Scripture does not condemn use of money for entertainment or luxury but calls for a balance
- Coveting riches is foolish
- Luke 12:13-21
Gambling and the 8th Commandment
- Often treated as a case of financial irresponsibility
- Can be linked to the worship of fate for chance
- Psychologically addictive
- I Cor 6:12
- Involves covetousness
- Waste of time, cause of poverty
- Thought of as a substitute for work
- Often controlled by c criminal element
- If used as recreation with none of those elements present then is not sinful
- God is sovereign
- Prov 16:33
The 8th Commandment: and wealth and poverty
- Wealth
- Scripture as a whole has a favorable attitude toward wealth
- Deut 8:18
- Josh 1:7-8
- Ps 1:3
- Psa 112:1-3
- Mark 10:29-30
- Both wealth and poverty come from God
- ! Sam 2:7
- Job 1:21
- God uses human effort to grant financial success
- Prov 10:4
- Saints who were wealthy
- Abraham – Gen 13:2
- Those who ministered to Jesus – Luke 8:3
- David
- Not sinful to be wealthy and enjoy material blessings
- Deut 12:17-19
- John 2:1-11
- I Tim 6:17
- Not to be preoccupied with wealth
- Matt 6:19-2
- Matt 6:24
- Luke 12:13-21
- Matt 19:24
- Be content with what you have
- Matt 6:6
- Matt 19:21
- Poverty in the Covenant Community
- Through scripture that we should care for the poor
- Deut 15:7-8
- Ps 41:1
- Prov 14:31
- Prov 19:17
- Isa 1:16-17
- Man of righteousness is judged by his treatment of the poor
- Job 5:15016
- Ps 9:18
- Ps 35:10
- Rich man in hades not because of wealth but because of lack of compassion for the needy Lazarus
- Matt 19:20-21
- Care for the poor required
- Gal 2:10
- 2 Cor 8-9
- James 5:4
- James 1:26-27
- Jesus says judgment is based on our treatment of the poor and needy
- Matt 25:31-46
- Condemnation of laziness
- 2 Thess 3:6-12
- Scripture explicitly requires help without a means test!
- Luke 10:25-37
- Poverty is often the result of oppression by the rich or government in scripture – not sin
- God is not against the rich because they are rich
- God is against the rich who have no compassion on the poor
- No favoritism against the poor
- Ex 23:2
- Family is first defense against poverty
- Jubilee year restored family holdings to keep poverty from being systematic
- Sabbath year debt release
- Deut 15:1-3
- Kinsman redeemer
- Lev 25:25
- Relief of poverty in the community
- Tithes
- Interest free loans
- Deut 15:7-8
- Gleaning
- Lev 19:10
- Lev 23:22
- Provides food for those willing to work
- Limits against maximizing profit without caring for the poor
- Work
- 2 Thess 3:10
- Does not speak of single mothers, widows etc.
- Massive sharing
- Mark 12:42-44
- 2 Cor 9:7
- I John 3:17
- Acts 2:44-45
- Acts 4:34-37
- Hospitality
- Rom 12:13
- I Tim 3:2
- Titus 1:8
- I Peter 4:9
- World Poverty
- Are we responsible
- Gal 6:10
- Household of faith has priority
- Luke 10:25-37 again
- Ethical and religious failure has contributed a great deal to world poverty
- Consumption by rich nations
- No proof this is the case
- Larger level of wealth worldwide
- Bad government decisions do play into this
- The state is the government of the family of Adam just as the church is the government of the family of Christ
- Families take care of their own
- Should not oppose government assistance to the poor in every case
- Economic Systems
- The bible does not explicitly address the question of how a society should organize his economy
- Divine sovereignty reject totalitarianism by the state
- We can have strong feelings and support hem politically
- Israel’s economy is nothing like what we see in the free market today
- Homelessness
- Christians should be concerned when people do not have essentials of food, clothing, housing and health care
- Some re homeless because they refuse help – either for drugs, or other things – these we cannot help
- Homelessness because of poverty
- Need not only offer housing but offer a means and training for them to reenter the work force
- Shouting “get a job” is unchristian
- Claiming we know their plight when we don’t is ridiculous
- Cooperative efforts among Christians are needed
- Homelessness because of illness
- Dumped by church and community for mental illness
- They need the compassion of churches more than almost anyone!
- Only a small percentage of people are homeless because they choose to be
- Seattle – 1 bed in a shelter for every 10 homeless persons
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
My son and his wife have learned well what Jesus says about love. A man they knew, I wouldn’t call him a friend, approached one day and said he lost everything, even his apartment, his car, and all his clothes. My 6’4″ son invited him in and dressed him in his own clothes, which didn’t fit the the 5’8″ man. They came over our house for some errand several days later, we saw them, and my wife gathered some money to buy him clothes at Goodwill. A week later the homeless man’s girlfriend drove over. Seems she lost her apartment too, but still had the car. Ed invited her in, and now the four of them live together. My son says, “This is what Jesus would do, right?” I told him he was right, but not many Christians would. He asked why. I said that they were afraid that a needy person would be inconvenient. He said it was a good thing he wasn’t a Christian. I couldn’t help thinking, “Someday you will be a good one, and example to all the lazy people who take the name and sit on their blessed assurances the rest of the time.” If that thought is wrong, I beg your pardon.