“The Eighth Commandment: You Shall Not Steal” (Exodus 20:15)

What this episode covers

The Eighth Commandment: You Shall Not Steal Someone broke into our garage this week and stole our limbo stick. I mean, seriously, how low can you go? Maybe you think this sermon is going to be fairly easy to take after hearing enough conviction the past several weeks considering the previous commandments. Maybe you assume stealing has never really been an issue for you. A survey from Barna discovered that 86% of adults claim to have met the requirement of the eighth commandment. Hopefully, you understand by now how bad of an answer that would be pertaining to any of the Ten Commandments. We have routinely seen that each commandment on the surface carries numerous positive and negative implications. We break these commandments not only when we take some physical action, but even when we speak and think in ways that reveal ungodly desires. Last week we looked at the positive implications that this commandment commends work and the preservation of private property. Calvin This law is ordained for our hearts as much as for our hands, in order that men may study both to protect the property and to promote the interests of others. We also must deal with the negative implications in order to see the full picture. We can become so invested in protecting and promoting our own financial interests that we find ourselves trusting in them. Once we settle for a greedy heart—even justifying greed as some champions of Capitalism do—it will not be long before we are willing to extort or rob in order to increase our riches (Psalm 62:10). The best guard against theft is to lay up treasures in heaven rather than earth (Matthew 6:19). I love the way missionary Jim Elliott stated it in his journal: He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose. Read Exodus 20:15 Direct Theft The Heidelberg Catechism Q.110 calls it “outright theft and robbery”. Taking or receiving what does not rightfully belong to you. Simple enough. Do you realize this would include slavery in its most commonly practiced forms. That’s important to understand since so many have the twisted view that Scripture condones chattel slavery, the most heinous form of slavery which involved kidnapping. One prominent biblical example of this was when Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave (Genesis 37). Remember the prologue to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2)! God was not interested in bringing the Israelites out of their cruel slavery in Egypt in order to allow them to enslave others. That would have made mockery of the freedom that God had provided for them. Yes, a person could enter into debt bondage, but even that arrangement was to last no more than six years. The most basic understanding of the eighth commandment forbids man stealing and selling. It even carried the death penalty (Exodus 21:16; Deuteronomy 24:7). This was elaborated later by Israelite legislation and made clear in the New Testament as well (1 Timothy 1:10). Slavery in Scripture was much different than what we typically associate with the term. Outside of chattel slavery, breaking this commandment never results in capital punishment. Any other possession did not have such severe consequences. Stealing farm animals could devastate a family business, but the penalty was to “restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep” (Exodus 22:1). Additional punishments that were to be enforced for various forms of theft are recorded in Exodus 22:1-16. Restitution is taken from the transgressor and given to the victim with an additional amount added on as an appropriate penalty. The general rule was to add a fifth to the value of anything that is restored (Leviticus 6:2-5). This emphasizes the value of life over property. The goal among fellow Israelites was to not only bring financial restoration, but relational reconciliation. Damage was done beyond the item that was taken. This principle of restitution was applied within the same generation in which the cri

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