My hubby used
to work for a furnace manufacturer where at least one employee was caught
stealing furnaces! I’ve heard about
people walking out of stores with tv’s under their skirts, products in baby
diapers, and items hidden under large purchases. Most of the stealing I’ve seen is at
work. (I’ll clarify that statement
later.) To constitute stealing or theft,
the taking must with an intent to
take what belongs to another, and without
his consent. In other words if you
accidentally walk out of a store without paying for that carton of cream under
your child’s coat, it’s not stealing if you go back to pay for it.- You shall not steal. Ex. 20:15
You shall not steal, nor lie,
nor be deceitful to one another. Lv. 19:11
This
commandment seems fairly straightforward, even obvious. We are good Christians so most of us don’t
steal, right? Not so much actually. Since it should
be such an easy concept I’ll just list some things many people don’t consider
as stealing…
In the workplace:
Taking longer
breaks- stealing the company’s time and or money.
Taking sick days
when you’re not sick- same as above.
Texting or
talking on the phone at work (or doing other things) when you should be
working.
Taking home
supplies from work- pens, paper, tools, fasteners, etc.
Stealing credit
for another person’s accomplishment.
Eating grapes or food in the store which you haven’t paid
for (and leave without paying).
Picking fruit from someone else’s yard without their
permission.
Illegally downloading copyright music, video you didn’t
legitimately pay for.
Using someone else’s parking stub when it says on the back
no transferring.
Using someone else’s Netflix number or satellite deal
without paying for your own.
Watching cable tv series online when you don’t pay for
cable.
Keeping excess cash a cashier gives you by accident.
Not claiming purchased items at the border when asked-
this is stealing from the government.
Taking money from your child to pay bills because you
can’t control your spending.
Buy clothes/ shoes to return after wearing them.
Using hydro or gas we don’t pay for.
Less tangible:
Steal hearts away
2Sm. 15:6- trying to steal David’s kingdom.
Stealing
someone’s dream- can be done in a variety of ways.
Investors or
management cutting wages just for more profit- stealing fair wages.
Stealing the
rights of the poor. (Is. 10:2)
Stealing words or
effort from someone else and not giving them credit.
Steal someone’s
innocence (I’ll let you figure that out).
Working instead
of spending family time like you’re supposed to.
Most of us should know these are wrong:
Lying to a buyer
to make more money- actually steals their money.
Making false
insurance claims (for more than what we had)
Falsifying
documents.
Plagiarism-
copying another’s work and making it your own.
Using something
(like photos) of someone’s without consent
This isn’t an
exhaustive list yet I’m sure most of us could find some things on here that we
steal. Yes, us good Christians that
follow the Ten Commandments, right? If
you feel some of these aren’t really stealing then you’d better check your
heart for Jesus said even looking at a woman with lust is adultery (Mt. 5:28)
so He is obviously expecting us to be ‘a cut above’. Would Jesus justify doing any of these
actions? I think not.
So, how are we doing on following this commandment?
Commandment # 8 -broken often