“You shall not steal. ” (Exodus 20:15).
The first biblical rule we have against theft is in Genesis 3:19, Which says,” It is with the sweat of your face that you will eat bread until you return to the land of where you were fired because you are dust and you will return to the dust. ”
Here the apostle Paul says this way: ” Let him who steals do not steal, but rather that he works, making his hands what is good, to have something to give to him who is in the need.” Ephesians 4:28.
We must earn what we earn, to acquire it by exchanging value for value. In considering the passage from the book of Ephesians 4:28, we find that the first element of the biblical prescription of dishonesty is self-reliance. The second is generosity. This explains the fact that we must work to earn honest money and then share with those in need of what we have earned.
You shall not steal – The Eighth Commandment of God
That is why the Eighth Commandment of God forbids us to steal. The command ” You shall not steal ” is a warning against fraud, corruption, dishonesty, and malice.
This defense applies to both private and public sins. The eighth commandment of God – You shall not steal prohibits the hunt for a man, the slave trade, the wars of conquest. He condemns theft and burglary. It demands strict probity in the smallest details of life. He defends commercial surfing and demands the payment of fair debts and wages. He teaches that any act of taking advantage of the ignorance, weakness, or misfortune of others is recorded in heavenly books as of equal to fraud.
Let’s try to list several types of flights with author Loron Wade, from his book The Ten Commandments (page 98 – 100, chapter 8):
1 – Theft (Steal): This is the first type that comes to mind when we talk about flying. That is the traditional type of theft: the taking of something without the consent of the owner; to borrow something and not return it; duty and not to pay. It’s pure theft.
2. Illegal reproduction: Make a reproduction that deprives the author, the artist, and the publisher of their copyright, be it printed matter or digital media, or any other format.
3. Plagiarism: the act of representing the work or the responses of another person such as one’s own to obtain a mark or other benefits for oneself.
4. The manipulation of information: the realization of benefits or personal gains through lying, exaggeration, or by telling only part of the truth. This includes fraud, scam, scam, or any other form of trickery that causes physical harm, or loss to another person, also the exploitation of private information to profit someone.
5. Slander, defamation: The attainment of a person’s reputation or self-esteem, self-esteem, and dignity. This could deprive him of his job or anything else by false accusations and misinterpretations of their motives and conduct.
6. Lack of professional conscience, ‘ lazy ‘: unfairly dedicating hours of work to not doing one’s job properly and arriving late for work and returning early.
7. Waste: Spoil or misuse materials or time that belong to another person.
8. Negligence: negligence or other irresponsible behavior that results in a loss to another person.
9. Overvaluation: seeking profit, raising the normal price of something when the buyer has no other option.
10. Underpayment: the fact of paying below the real value when the seller is in difficulty. Or it may concern the salaries of employees when they are in desperate need of work.
11. Child Abuse and Neglect: Parents who do not take proper care of their children stealing something to which they are entitled. This can be done under the influence of alcoholism or parents who are constantly absent or parents who commit mental, physical, or sexual abuse.
12. Spousal infidelity: a spouse who commits abuses or has another affair. It deprives the partner of his rights guaranteed to him by the wishes of the marriage including sexual satisfaction, financial support, participation in the education of the children, etc. Adultery is the worst form of theft. It is taking something that we are not entitled to and that belongs exclusively to someone else.
13. Kidnapping, slavery, imprisonment by mistake (Deuteronomy 24: 7). It is written, ” If one finds a man who stole one of his brothers, one of the children of Israel, who made him his slave, or sold him, that thief shall be punished with death. So you will take away evil from the midst of you. ”
14. Tithing retention: This attitude will prevent someone from hearing the word, finding peace, hope, and a better life. Returning the tithe could reach others with the good news of God’s love (Malachi 3: 8). [This list may not be exhaustive …]
Conclusion About the Eighth Commandment – You Shall Not Steal
Steal is not the only expression of selfishness, but it is one of those most eloquent and direct forms. But as the flight takes off, love gives.
Theft (Steal), which is a manifestation and attachment to dishonesty – destroys our sense of personal satisfaction and self-respect. […] It’s something that destroys our relationships with others. Dishonesty rises one individual against another … Theft has devastating and depraving effects on the character of the one who practices it. […]
The eighth commandment of God “You shall not steal” in a word, condemns all that is a fraud, abuse, cunning, corruption, dishonesty, manipulation, irregularity, theft (steal), deception, ease, usurpation, cheating … with a view to taking what belongs to someone by illicit, illegal means …
Any gain that does not come from a noble, legal work, respecting the divine principles is condemned and sanctioned by the Bible. The ‘ bold ‘ people who take the easy way to do a bad job. They replace their personal integrity and worth as well as their self-esteem.
The Eighth Commandment of God punishes cheating, laziness, and ease. The Lord wants us to practice honesty and earn a living worthily injustice. It is to this morality that God wants us to aspire. Hence the reason for the eighth commandment of God declaring: “You shall not steal”.