Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [211] You shall not steal.

 

Today's blog was written by Martin Davids, a member of Manor Park Church 

You shall not steal

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.”

Last December, before any of us had any idea of Covid-19 and lockdowns, my family and I flew to Ireland to spend Christmas with my wife’s family.  As we walked through Dublin airport I spotted something on the ground.  I picked it up and found it was a new Fitbit (fitness tracker worth about £100).  It had obviously fallen off someone’s wrist.

Now I have to confess my first thought was ‘Finder’s keepers’ and as my daughter had said she would love a Fitbit (and we couldn’t afford to buy a Fitbit for her for Christmas) I thought it was a real ‘Christmas bonus’.  However, when I showed it to my wife she immediately said “We had better hand that in.”

I did of course – not because my wife told me too but because I was guided by this the 8^th Commandment. I made sure to take my daughter with me to the ‘lost and found’ explaining all the way this was the right thing to do because it is what God would expect me to do.     

Stealing

Now some of you may not feel that keeping an item you found would constitute stealing and I understand that but let me explain as I did to my daughter.  If we define stealing as taking something that does not belong to me or I did not buy and as that Fitbit did not belong to me if I took it that would be stealing. 

Furthermore, as there is a reasonable chance that the owner may come looking for it – I have a duty to reunite the lost item with its owner.  If not, that would be stealing. 

What about if I find a small amount of money in the street?  As I have no way of reuniting that money with its owner (and I doubt they would be looking for it), if I kept it I do not think that would be stealing.  However, if I saw a person dropping it – that would be a different issue. 

Why am I labouring this point?  When it comes to this Commandment I’m sure you don’t need me to explain it to you.  What I am trying to do is not point to the letter of the law but (as with so many of the Commandments) it’s the heart issue.

Guilty.

Did I start with this little story to pat myself on the back – to suggest that I am somehow ‘holier than thou’? No not at all.  The truth is that I have broken this commandment more times than I care to imagine (no I am not a kleptomaniac).  I have done it by commission – simply taking things that did not belong to me and by omission – when I have failed to give of myself as I should do. This could be ‘slacking off while I’m on the clock’ to withholding money I could give to church or charity.

I am sure that if I gave you enough time you could probably come up with lots of times you too are guilty of stealing.

   

Why is this Commandment important?

The 8th commandment, serves to teach us how you and I as Christians can live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God, and that is by seeking to honour, respect and preserve not only our own possessions, but the possessions of others.

You see, whether we’ve ever thought about it this way or not, the Bible teaches that God in fact HATES all forms of stealing, cheating and theft. In fact, the Lord actually pronounces a “Woe” to those who are engaged in robbery and thievery! In Isaiah 33:1 God tells us, “Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!”. And in Proverbs 11:1 we discover that not only does God hate all forms of theft, robbery and swindling, but that those acts are in fact an abomination to Him! “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.”.

Summing it up

Brothers and sisters, God despises all forms of stealing and theft and the reason that He hates them so fervently, is because when you and I engage in stealing, it is ultimately because we have failed to be CONTENT with the things that God in His providence has chosen to give us. You see, God promises in 1 Peter 5:3 that, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.”.

In Hebrews 13:5 we read these words, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And Jesus Himself spoke to us these precious promises in Matthew 6:31-33 where He declares, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”.

The reason God hates stealing, is because when we steal we are experiencing discontent with the providence of God. When we steal we are telling God, “You haven’t done enough for me! You haven’t provided me with what I need!”. You see, in essence, when we steal, it is in fact an act of unbelief and a failure to trust in promises of God. Stealing in fact, reveals a LACK of faith.

 

Prayer for the day.

Father in heaven,

We thank you that you have, in the past and continue to provide so much for us that meets our daily needs.  We ask that we will always be mindful and content with your provision.

We ask for your forgiveness when we have stolen from others or from you, either on purpose or through neglect.  Protect us when we are tempted to do so in the future – please let us open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit that we may not sin against you.

We ask this through the precious name of Jesus.  

Amen  

Photo by Nikita Kostrykin on Unsplash