Ten Commandments, P8: Don’t Steal

“You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15, NASB)

“The thief [who has become a believer] must no longer steal, but instead he must work hard [making an honest living], producing that which is good with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with those in need.” (Ephesians 4:28, AMP)

I have a friend who is the mother of two. When Sam and I lived in New York, we went to visit her and her family often. One Sunday, after church, we popped in to hear her very sternly scolding her oldest son who was probably about 11 or 12 years old at the time. Quietly, we sat down so she could do her thing.

After sending him out to the yard and their townhome community with a roll of dog-poop bags, she turned to us shaking her head and explained that on their way home from church that day, she realized that he had stolen a candy bar while she was pumping gas. She said she didn’t care if it was a Snickers or a flat screen TV, her son wasn’t going to grow up to be a thief.

I asked what the doggie bags were for, seeing as he wasn’t in their yard anymore. She chuckled to herself and said, “I told him he could work off the candy and  clean up the dog poop in the yard, and when he was done with that, he could walk around the community picking up other dog poop and trash.”

It’s a memory we can all laugh at now, as that kid has grown up into a young man now, but the lesson in there was a big one, especially for him. Thou shall not steal. Whether it’s money, food, clothes, whatever; we are clearly commanded as Christians that we are to abstain from that.

That means that no matter how difficult the economy gets, no matter how much you think you deserve something and someone else doesn’t, stealing isn’t on the table. And for some, that’s an easy and obvious thought, but to others, it’s a struggle. 

But even if you don’t struggle with sticky fingers, are there areas in your life where you maybe steal without realizing it? Have you stolen from God your tithes, your time, or your devotion?

“You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,that there may be food in my house.” (Malachi 3:10, NIV)

This verse, of course, is dealing with the nation of Israel because they broke God’s covenant by not giving their rightful tithe to Him. But where this verse in Malachi speaks directly to Israel, it illustrates God’s anger against theft– and not just theft of material goods or monetary means, but theft of things that are due to God.

We can steal our time that should be reserved for the Lord in prayer and worship just the way we can rob Him of the tithes and offerings He has commanded us to give Him. But our tithes to God isn’t because He needs to pay the bills to keep the lights on in heaven or because he wants to stockpile earthly riches for power or clout. It’s not even solely necessary for the financial stability of the Church.

God is due a tithe because we were purchased at a high price to be in covenant with Him. No, we weren’t purchased with gold, silver, or precious jewels. We were purchased with the blood of Jesus, our Savior who laid down His life so that we could come back to the Father. And since the price of our sin, shame, and spiritual death was paid in full, we should have no excuse in holding back from God what He is worthy to receive from us.

So if we have the temptation or propensity for stealing– be it time, money, or physical items– God’s solution is simple. In Ephesians 4, Paul says that the thief who comes to believe in Christ should lay down his thievery and instead, make an honest living. He should work, earn, and produce with his own hand the things he needs, so that believer can, in turn, share what they’ve earned with those that need it. 

And that testimony will mean more to someone in need of the love of Christ than a thousand Robin Hood schemes, because that testimony has the ability to not just change a temporal situation, but has spiritual effects as well. 

For those of us who are stealing things that are a little less tangible from the Lord, our solution is to turn to Him and repent. If you have been mismanaging your money and holding back God’s tithe to the church, then commit to starting this Sunday. Set an alarm in your phone to take out the cash or write the check and put it in your wallet. Most churches nowadays have the ability to take your tithe via some online method right there in your seat on Sunday mornings, so even if you forget, the opportunity is there.

But most importantly, recommit your time, devotion, and worship. Don’t rob God of His time with you. Make the effort to pray in your car when you’re going to work or school. Take your Bible with you and read a little on your lunch break. Put worship back into your family routine and pray together. These small changes can have a great impact, and it adds Christ back into our day-to-day lives. It sets an example to your family that God comes first. It helps remind others to stop robbing God of what He is rightfully due.

Of course, we should not steal. The ramifications of that can be a great failure in our morality and character. But we should also not steal from God what He deserves. That is a spiritual failure we can’t afford to neglect.