The EIGHTH Commandment
You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15
As the holiness of God sets him against immorality, in the command "You shall not commit adultery;" so the justice of God sets him against thievery and robbery, in the command, "You shall not steal." The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define stealth or theft to be "the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;" the invading another's right.
I. The CAUSES of theft.
[1] The internal causes are:
(1) Unbelief. A man has a high distrust of God's providence. "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" Psalm 78:19. "Can God spread a table for me?" says the unbeliever. "No, he cannot." Therefore he is resolved he will spread a table for himself—but it shall be at other men's cost, and both first and second course shall be served in with stolen goods.
(2) Covetousness. The Greek word for covetousness signifies "an immoderate desire of getting;" which is the root of theft. A man covets more than his own, and this itch of covetousness makes him scratch what he can from another. Achan's covetous heart made him steal the wedge of gold—a wedge which cleaved asunder his soul from God! Joshua 7:21.
[2] The external cause of theft is Satan's solicitation. Judas was a thief. John 12:6. How did he come to be a thief? "Satan entered into him". John 13:27. The devil is the great master-thief, he robbed us of our coat of innocence, and he persuades men to take up his trade; he tells men how bravely they shall live by thieving, and how they may catch an estate. As Eve listened to the serpent's voice, so do they. As birds of prey, they live upon spoil and plunder.
II. The KINDS of theft.
[1] There is stealing from God. They are thieves who rob God of any part of his day. "Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day." Not a part of the day only—but the whole day must be dedicated to God. And, lest any should forget this, the Lord has prefixed a memento, "remember." Therefore, after morning sacrifice, to spend the other part of the Sabbath in vanity and pleasure, is spiritual theft. It robs God of his due, and the very heathen will rise up in judgment against such Christians; for the heathen, as Macrobius notes, dedicated a whole day to their false gods.
[2] There is stealing from others.
There is a stealing away souls, as heretics, by robbing men of the truth, rob them of their souls.
There is a stealing of money and goods.
(1) The highway thief, who takes a purse, contrary to the letter of the commandment. "You shall not rob your neighbour." Lev 19:13. "Do not steal." Mark 10:19.
(2) The house-thief, who purloins and filches out of his master's cash, or steals his wares. The apostle says, "Some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb 13:2)—but many masters have entertained thieves in their houses unawares. The house-thief is a hypocrite as well as a thief; for he has demure looks, and pretends to be helping his master, when he only helps himself.
(3) The legal-thief who shrouds himself under law—as the unjust attorney or lawyer, who prevaricates and deals falsely. By deceit and evasion, the lawyer robs another of his land, and may be the means of ruining his family, and is no better than a thief in God's account.
(4) The church-thief. He gets the golden fleece—but lets the flock starve. "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: Destruction is certain for you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn't shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals—but you let your flocks starve! Ezekiel 34:2-3. They "fed themselves, and fed not my flock;" ver. 8. These ministers will be indicted for thieves at God's bar.
(5) The shop-thief, who steals in selling. He who uses false weights and measures, steals from others what is their due. "Making the ephah small." Amos 8:5. The ephah was a measure the Jews used in selling. Some made the ephah small, and gave scant measure, which was plainly stealing. "The balances of deceit are in his hand." Hos 12:7. By making their weights lighter, men make their accounts heavier. He steals in selling, who puts excessive prices on his commodities. He takes thrice as much for an article as it cost him, or as it is worth. To overreach others in selling, is to steal money from them. "You shall not defraud your neighbour, neither rob him." Lev 19:13. To defraud him is to rob him; to overreach others in selling, is a cunning way of stealing, and is against both law and gospel. It is against the law of God. "If you sell anything to your neighbor, you shall not take advantage of him." Lev 25:14. It is against the gospel. "That no man go beyond, and defraud his brother." 1 Thess 4:6.
(6) The usurer, who takes by extortion from others. He seems to help another by letting him have money in his necessity—but gets him into bonds, and sucks out his very blood and marrow. We read of a woman whom Satan had bound (Luke 13:16), and truly he is almost in as bad a condition whom the usurer has bound. The usurer is a robber. A usurer once asked a prodigal when he would leave off spending? The prodigal replied, "I will leave off spending what is my own, when you leave off stealing from others." Zacchaeus was an extortioner who, after his conversion, made restitution. Luke 19:8. He thought all he got by extortion, was theft.
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