Once upon a time, the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt. Their story is also our story. While they were slaves to Pharaoh, we were slaves to sin. God, by His supernatural power, delivered Israel from bondage, just as He delivers us through Jesus Christ. Salvation is not merely about being rescued from slavery; it is also about learning how to live as free people.

God did not simply bring Israel out of Egypt; He taught them how to live in the Promised Land. In the same way, after saving us from sin, God teaches us how to live according to His design. The Ten Commandments are not merely rules to earn salvation but instructions for those who have already been redeemed. They reveal how God's redeemed people should live.

The Eighth Commandment addresses an issue that reaches far deeper than taking another person's property. It exposes the condition of the human heart.

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for delivering us from the slavery of sin through Your Son, Jesus Christ. As You taught Israel how to live after redeeming them, teach us today through Your Word how to live as Your redeemed people.

Open our hearts to see where we need to change. Help us to trust You as our Provider, to live with integrity, contentment, and generosity, and to honor You in everything we do.

May Your Holy Spirit transform our hearts and make us more like Christ.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

EXODUS 20

15 “You shall not steal.”

This command is simple but comprehensive. God forbids taking anything that belongs to another person. Since God is the owner of everything, He has the authority to determine how we should treat the possessions, rights, and dignity of others. Stealing is not merely a crime against another person; it is ultimately a sin against God.

EXODUS 22:1 “If a man steals (ganab) an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

God required restitution because stealing causes real harm. Forgiveness does not eliminate responsibility. Genuine repentance seeks to restore what has been taken whenever possible. Restitution demonstrates that repentance is sincere.

The first sin committed by humanity involved taking what God had forbidden. Adam and Eve stole what did not belong to them. Their act was not simply eating fruit; it was rejecting God's authority and taking for themselves what God had withheld.

Later, when Israel entered the Promised Land, the first major sin recorded was also theft. Achan stole devoted items from Jericho, bringing judgment upon the entire nation. Likewise, in the early church, Ananias and Sapphira lied about their offering, combining theft with deception. Throughout Scripture, stealing and lying often appear together because stealing usually requires dishonesty to conceal it.

I. Stealing Takes Many Forms

Kidnapping

DEUTERONOMY 24:7 “If a man is caught kidnapping (ganab) any of his countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall purge the evil from among you.

The Hebrew word for "steal" (ganab) also describes kidnapping. Taking another person's freedom is one of the worst forms of theft because it robs someone of life, dignity, and liberty.

Robbery and Injustice

ISIAH 61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering…

God loves justice because His character is perfectly righteous. He hates every form of robbery because it destroys the well-being of others. God desires His people to enjoy what He has provided without fear of exploitation.

Financial Dishonesty

PSALM 37:21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.

Failing to repay legitimate debts is stealing. Integrity requires honoring financial obligations. Likewise, cheating on taxes, deceiving customers, exaggerating advertisements, or hiding defects in products all violate the spirit of God's command.

Withholding What Others Have Earned

LEVITICUS 19:13 ‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.

Employers steal when they delay or withhold fair wages. Employees also steal when they misuse company time, neglect their responsibilities, or receive pay for work they deliberately refuse to perform. God values honesty on both sides of the workplace.

The Golden Rule

MATTHEW 7:12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Jesus summarized God's moral law with the principle of love. When we genuinely love others, we will not deceive them, exploit them, or take advantage of them. Love naturally fulfills the command not to steal.

Stealing Hearts and Reputations

2 SAMUEL 15:2 Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?”… 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” 4 Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.”

6 In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.

Absalom manipulated people in order to gain their loyalty and undermine his father, King David. Today, people can steal affection, loyalty, influence, or reputation through manipulation, gossip, slander, and selfish ambition. Destroying another person's character to advance ourselves is also a form of theft.

Sexual Theft

1 THESSALONIANS 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.

Sex outside God's design defrauds another person. Premarital sex steals purity that belongs within marriage. Adultery steals another person's spouse, destroys trust, and wounds families. Sexual immorality is not merely private sin—it takes what God intended for someone else.

II. We Can Even Rob God

PSALM 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.

Everything belongs to God. We own nothing absolutely; we are merely stewards of what He has entrusted to us. Every financial decision is therefore a spiritual decision. Wise stewardship begins by recognizing God's ownership.

Caring for the Poor

LEVITICUS 19:9 …you shall not reap to the very corners of your field… 10 …nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God. 11 ‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely…

God commanded Israel to leave part of their harvest for the poor and foreigners. His law connected generosity with honesty. When God provides resources for us to bless others and we deliberately ignore His leading, we misuse what ultimately belongs to Him.

Robbing God

MALACHI 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’…

God confronts His people for withholding what belonged to Him. Whether through failing to honor Him with our resources or refusing faithful stewardship, it is possible to rob God by treating His possessions as though they were our own.

III. The Root Problem Behind Stealing

Doubting God's Goodness

GENESIS 3:1 …And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

God's Character

PSALM 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

God is our Provider and Protector. He gives grace that we do not deserve and glory that we cannot earn. Satan says, "Take it now." God says, "Trust Me." Every act of stealing declares that we believe our way is better than God's timing and provision.

When we steal, we also rob ourselves of the opportunity to experience God's faithful care.

Learning Contentment

HEBREWS 13:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

The antidote to stealing is contentment. Contentment is possible because God's presence is sufficient. Since He will never abandon His children, we do not need to grasp what He has not given.

The progression is clear:

• Unbelief causes us to doubt God's goodness.

• Doubting God produces ingratitude.

• Ingratitude creates discontentment.

• Discontentment leads to stealing.

Stealing is therefore the outward expression of a heart that no longer trusts God.

IV. God's Grace Changes Thieves into Generous People

EPHESIANS 4:28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

The gospel does more than stop sinful behavior—it transforms the heart.

Paul gives three commands:

1. Stop stealing. Repent from dishonesty.

2. Work honestly. Labor faithfully with your own hands.

3. Become generous. Earn not merely to accumulate wealth, but to bless those in need.

This verse reveals the complete transformation that only God's grace can produce. The thief becomes a worker. The worker becomes a giver. Grace changes selfish people into generous people.

Work itself is God's gift. It is not merely a way to earn money but an opportunity to glorify God and become a blessing to others.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for reminding us that everything we have belongs to You. Forgive us for the times we have doubted Your goodness and trusted in our own ways instead of Your faithful provision.

Teach us to be content with what You have given us, to work honestly, to live with integrity, and to be generous toward others. Help us to reflect Your character in all that we do, making restitution where needed and honoring You with our lives.

May Your grace continue to transform us from selfish takers into joyful givers who trust You completely. May everything we say and do bring glory to Your name.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

The content of this article is adapted from the source below:

Exodus - Do not Steal

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