Don't Take What's Not Yours Series

A couple weeks ago, I was the third customer in the checkout line at Aldi. As the cashier finished ringing up a man’s groceries, he moved his cart over to the table so he could bag them. About halfway through, he discovered a package of garlic in his cart. He stopped what he was doing, pulled out his receipt and studied it. Then, he walked over to the cashier with his garlic and gave it back to her, saying he hadn’t paid for it. The cashier seemed surprised by his honesty.

After observing this interaction, the young couple in front of me asked the Aldi worker to let them pay for it. Then, the woman walked over to the man and handed it to him with a smile and said, “No one should be without garlic.”

This made me smile, so after I paid for my groceries, I went over to the couple and thanked them for what they did. I told them their spirit of generosity ended up rewarding a man for his integrity. I think I freaked them out a bit because they got a little uncomfortable (I have that effect on people).

In a world where stealing is common, this Aldi shopper was committed to keeping commandment #8, found in Exodus 20:15: “You shall not steal.” The Hebrew word for “steal” means, “to quickly carry something away by stealth.” It’s the idea of deceitfully appropriating someone else’s property without permission. When translated into Greek, it became the word “klepto,” from which we get kleptomaniac.

• This command is directed to every individual. The tense is second person singular, meaning each one of us individually need to take it to heart.

• The command is comprehensive. We’re not to steal anything from anyone at any time for any reason.

• It’s stated in the strong negative (like seven of the other commands). Stealing is an unconditional prohibition for everyone. We’re not to steal a person, a place, or a possession. To say it positively, God wants us to be just and generous.

One of our problems with this simple and straightforward command is we think it doesn’t apply to us. We’ll see about that.

Before going further, let’s review where we’ve been and where we’re headed. I appreciated how Pastor Andy reminded us last weekend how Jesus is with us in the storms of life.

Let’s review the summary statements we’ve been using to help us remember the 10 Commandments.

1. One God

2. No idols

3. Revere His Name

4. Remember to Rest

5. Honor Parents

6. No murder

7. No adultery

8. No stealing

9. No lying

10. No coveting

As we look ahead, the last sermon in our Written in Stone series will be called, “Christ and the Commandments.” On August 7-8, Pastor Kyle’s dad, who is a pastor, will be preaching. He’ll be here that weekend to lead an ordination council for Kyle, Jason Crosby, and Justin Rumley, which will culminate with a special ordination service on Sunday, August 8, at 3pm. Please come and support these guys. In mid-August I plan to finish my sabbatical, which was put on pause during Covid.

To understand the prohibition against stealing, it’s important to establish five biblical principles:

1. God owns everything. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.”

2. Everything I have is a gift from God. 1 Corinthians 4:7 asks the question: “What do you have that you did not receive?”

3. I am a steward of all He’s given to me. 1 Peter 4:10 says: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” I’m called to manage what He has entrusted to me. God holds me personally responsible not to misuse what ultimately does not belong to me.

4. I must respect the property of every person. This command presupposes the right for people to have private property. Listen to what God says in Isaiah 61:8: “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong…”

5. I must be a giver, not a taker. Instead of stealing, I’m to be involved with sharing. Ephesians 4:28: “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”

Here’s the main idea I want us to get today: When we steal, we take from the person who possesses it, and from God who owns it. When we trust God’s providential provision, we will treat people and their property with respect.

In a survey by the Barna Group, 86% of adults claimed they kept this command. Someone’s not telling the truth (that’s next week’s topic) because stealing is the most common crime in our country. Here’s a list of the top five crimes committed in the U.S.