The Ten Commandments - Eighth Commandment

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Eighth Commandment Have you ever stolen anything? If you are honest, I think we all steal something at some point in our lives. It might not be something noteworthy, but you know what it was. Unfortunately stealing is a major crime, not just according to man’s law, but God’s law as well. Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal. This might be the Eighth Commandment, but it is no less important than all the others are. God likens stealing to fraud. What happens when someone defrauds you? Aren’t they taking something from you? Leviticus 19:11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. (KJV) Holding something from someone is also stealing as you are holding what belongs to them. We are told not to hold onto anything that doesn’t belong to us. Every day we hear about accounts hacked into, whether they are bank accounts, credit cards, medical accounts or any kind of information we consider private – for our eyes only. People go to great lengths to keep their belongings safe. Products on the market try to build confidence that your belongings will be safe from prying eyes. If you work in customer service, you know how many calls a day you get from people who claim they didn’t make the purchase they are charged for. Stealing is a big problem everywhere. One of Satan’s goals is also to steal from us. It might not be money or information, but his goal is to steal our family members from us and drag them to Hell with him. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV) Notice Satan’s first purpose is to steal. What has Satan stolen from you? People don’t just steal physical things for which someone can get in trouble with the law for, but there are other things people steal and sometimes without realizing it. Time is a big one. People take extra minutes for lunch or break at work. Broken promises can also fall into this category because you are stealing something from the person you promised – trust. Lies also fall into this category as people believe what you tell them and feel like you stole something from them when they find out the truth. One thing in our favor is that we can make a change in our lives right now by confessing our sins before God and make it right with him, and he will forgive us. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV) 1 Thessalonians 4:6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. (KJV) God is on the side of the person stolen and defrauded from. He will take vengeance on everyone who steals from us. Take a moment, examine yourself to see how you might have stolen anything from anyone, and confess it before God. Image courtesy of Pixabay