8th Commandment: Do Not Steal

We're going to talk about the eighth commandment. Don't steal. Commands 6, 7, and 8 are the three commands that are just two words in Hebrew. Loth tir tsach, loth tir af, loth tir nov. So, you will not kill, you will not commit adultery, you will not steal. They're like a little triad. It's a little package. Yeah. These three are all about things that belong to your neighbor that are not yours. Their life, their marriage, their stuff. And you need to honor that. So, don't steal. Yeah. Now, the sole purpose for stealing is you want to benefit from something that you are not currently benefiting from. So, I want that. I'm going to take it. Yeah. But, everything that my neighbor has is God's gift to them. And, one way of thinking about stealing then, it actually stems from this probably unconscious belief that I think that God should have given that gift to me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That should be mine. Maybe God made a mistake. Yeah. Yeah. But, it's fundamental to the story of Israel that everything that they have in the land is given to them as a gift of God. Deuteronomy 8 verse 7. For Yahweh your Elohim is bringing you into a good land. A land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates. Yeah. A land of olive oil and honey. A land where you'll eat food without scarcity in which you'll lack nothing. And when you've eaten and are satisfied, you will bless Yahweh your Elohim for the good land that he has given you. All of that is first and foremost described as a gift of God. Yeah.

Okay. There's a simplicity and a beauty of just saying God has a purpose for what he's given to each of us. It's all a gift and I can be content with that. Yeah. Let's pull our next myth which has typically been to try and invert or reverse the law from a negative into a positive. Okay. Is there something deeper about a responsibility I have towards my neighbor and their stuff? Deuteronomy 22. You will not watch the ox of your neighbor or his sheep going astray. You will certainly return it to your neighbor. Don't ignore it. Yeah. Now let's say your brother, that is your neighbor, doesn't live near you. Or let's say you don't know who he is. You should bring it into your house and keep it with you until your brother comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. This is also what you should do with his donkey. And this is also what you should do with his garment. And this is also what you should do with any of the lost property of your brother that you find. You are not allowed to withhold your help. So you're saying flip it over. Instead of asking myself, can I be content with what God has given me? I can actually ask myself, can I help be a steward of other people's stuff with them? Help them steward their stuff. That's like the extra generous mindset. Totally. Yes, you really have to believe that God has given me what I need and more. And that God has given my neighbor what they need and more. And I'm going to help them be good stewards of what God has given to them. Amen.