Command 8

“You shall not steal” Exodus 20:15.

Theft is the ultimate assertion of the greedy, lustful way of life, one that emphasizes acquiring material and intangible things with no regard for the rights and feelings of others.

It scorns conventions and boundaries established by society and Yahuah. It is the highest quality of selfishness. The spiritual intent of the Commandment against stealing tells us where the battle against selfishness begins. It originates when we learn to appreciate the rights and needs of others.

The 8th Commandment safeguards everyone's right to own property.

Yahuah wants that right honored and protected. To Him it is important that generosity rather than greed motivate the choices we make. Because they are qualities of His own character, He asks that from the heart we put giving and serving ahead of having possessions on ourselves.

“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” Ephesians 4:28.

Directly taking another's possessions is not the only way to steal. Con artists use a great deal of worldly scams to swindle their victims. Deceptive advertisements do the same. Manufacturers who misleadingly advertise their products of substandard quality cheat their customers. Labourers who bill for more hours than they work or charge more than their services are worth are stealing from those who hire them. Then there are those who “borrow” but never return. Aren't they stealing? There are so many ways to take what is not ours that we must stay on our guard.

Employees who do not work although paid to do so are stealing from their employers. People who delight in consuming what others produce while refusing to carry their share of the labour and responsibility for their part in the production of goods and services engage in still another form of stealing.

Yahuah wants us to have confidence in the future. His Word is full of promises concerning our future in His Kingdom. If we believe those promises, we will invest our time and energy in acquiring a wealth of spiritual treasures that will last forever and treasures that no thief can take from us.

That is the advice of Yahusha Messiah (Jesus) “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” - Matthew 6:19-20.

We need to understand and apply true values to life. We need to concentrate on building character traits that will endure beyond physical life. At the heart of it all is love.

Heavenly Father’s love defeats the desire to steal.