Decalogue, part 8 (Deuteronomy 23:15-24:7)

Scripture: Deuteronomy 23:15-24:7 (especially 23:21-25)


We are moving through Moses' delivery of the Law to Israel just before they finally enter the promised land. Each section generally corresponds to one of the Ten Commandments, in order, and today we've come to the section related to #8:

You shall not steal.


Stealing is one of those sins that we all seem to recognize as a vice. One way of describing someone as a good person is to say that he "doesn't lie, cheat, or steal." Regardless of cultural or religious background, the vast majority of people from all places and all times have labelled stealing as bad, wrong behavior.

Sometimes these ethical norms are so deeply ingrained that we take them for granted. We may never stop to wonder, "Why, exactly, is stealing wrong?"

Walton and Hill (in Old Testament Today) suggest that at the core of this commandment is a truth about God's image. God made us in His image, and a key part of that image is freedom. We are free to use our time, energy, and resources as we choose. Some of these uses are good and others are bad, but the fact that we get to decide is part of what it means to bear God's image.

When another person comes along and robs you of those resources, they are depriving you of your God-given ability to choose what to do with them. They are thus depriving you of part of your dignity, part of your reflection of God's image.

And that's why stealing is wrong.

One final thought-- it seems like there's always some naysayer waiting in the wings, ready to ask, "What about the person who has to steal to feed his starving family?" It's an argument meant to show that God's commands aren't universally applicable. I won't address that line of thinking in detail, but I want to point out God's wise rule-giving.

In the verses linked above, God says that as you walk through another person's vineyard or farmland, go ahead and help yourself to a serving of the goods. (In other words, your neighbor is forced to be generous.) However, you absolutely may not collect and take any amount greater than that. (In other words, stealing is forbidden.) What wisdom! In a culture in which everyone is generous (and, as in Israel, hard work is expected), the dilemma of the starving family will never arise.