Eighth Commandment:
Thou Shall not Steal-Ex 20:15
Introduction: take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it. Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear.
1. Stealing from Neighbors, Lev 19:13.
Neighbors means the servants, labors, needy, citizens, and all.
Dishonest with Poor. Pr 22:22-23 do not cheat the poor God will fight for them. Leviticus 19:11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. Stealing the energy, strength, creativeness of the weaker section.
Dishonest in Business. Proverbs 11:1 Some businesses use dishonest weights or measures.
Dishonest with Masters.
Judas stole from the bag he kept with him (Jn. 12:6). Servants should not pilfer or purloin from masters (Tit 2:9-10). Writing false accounts, no faithfulness in business dealing in the absence of the owner and the Master.
Romans 13:9 For …Thou shall not steal, …Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.
Ephesians 4:28 steal no more: but labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needed.
Dishonest in Govt. work
Lk 19:8 - Zacchaeus the Tax Collector had robbed people and said “I will return it as four times”. He is the embodiment of the misuse of the power. Rm. 13:7 the stealing in the way of not paying taxes, not obtaining bills, not paying through cheques.
Lev 6:1-5 when we read we understand that the things which are earned falsely had to be restored to the person five times with the capital. Exodus 22:1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
2. Stealing from Parents Pr. 28:24
Gen. 31:30, 34. Rachael stole from her father. Jud 17:2 Micah stole from his mother.
Taking away the properties of the parents when they become very old, taking away the money, land, jewels and leave them orphan in Old age homes is also one kind of robbery. If parents are not able to earn anything, getting the pension amounts and putting them in trouble is robbery.
3. Stealing from God ( Mal 3:8)
God hates the offering of robbers (Is 61:8). Church became a den of thieves (Mt 21:13, Mk 11:17). City full of Robbery(Nah 3:1) Love of money is the root of all evils. I Tim 6:10.
Conclusion
Jesus was crucified for all our sins , especially the sin of cheating, robbing etc., (Mk 15:27 thieves crucified one at right hand and the other at the left hand). Eph 4:28 – don’t rob but work hard.
