Exodus 20, and we'll just read verse 15, and then we'll look at chapter 22, 1-15. Let us hear God's Word. Exodus 20, verse 15, Thou shalt not steal. And then chapter 22, verses 1-15, 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. If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. The sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him. For he should make full restitution. If he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox or ass or sheep, he shall restore double. The man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field. Of the beast of his own field and of the beast of his own vineyard shall he make restitution. If fire break out and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn or the standing corn or the field be consumed therewith, he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stock to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house, if the thief be found, let him pay double. If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges to see whether he hath put his hand unto his neighbor's goods. For all manner of trespass, whether it be for an ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing which another challenges to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges. And whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbor. The man deliver unto his neighbor an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast to keep, and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it, then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he that hath not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods, and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn. If a man borrow all to his neighbor, and it be hurt or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good. But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good. If it be an hired thing, it came for his hire." Thus ends the reading of God's holy and inspired word. Now, this Lord's Day morning, we return again to a series of messages on the Ten Commandments. Last year, we looked at the first table of the commandments, the first four commandments. We considered the object in the first commandment, the matter of worship in the second, the manner of worship in the third commandment, and then the time of worship in the fourth. And now we've been looking at the second table, or commands 5 through 10. We've considered thus far the sanctity of authority in the fifth commandment, the sanctity of life in the sixth, then the sanctity of marriage in the seventh, and now we come to look at the sanctity of property in the eighth commandment. Now, as we consider this commandment and its implications, I want you to imagine what our economy would look like if this commandment was kept. Now, violations of all the other commandments significantly impact our economy. Clearly, murder impacts our economy. Certainly, the divorce rate in our nation impacts the economy as well. But how much more does this commandment in a unique way impact the economy? Just for example, and in particular, just consider the cost of stolen goods that's passed on to the consumer in our nation. The extra money we have to pay because of all the things that are stolen in the stores that we purchase things in. Consider the cost of security that's passed on to us in all the stores that we shop or however we purchase consumer goods. And then consider also the consumer debt that's passed on to consumers. How many people don't steal the things they bring in right from the store? They just do it by putting it on credit card and never paying the credit card bill. And so, just imagine all the extra money that has to be tacked on to our goods for security, for consumer debt, and for theft. And there are many other implications of violations of this commandment. And yet, this lecture this morning, this message is not primarily to get you mad at how much is stolen from you each and every day. But the intent is for you to consider how you break the commandment. It's easy for us to get all angry as we consider, I'm going to list almost 40 ways in which this commandment is violated. And many of them are done against you. Now, I want you to recognize that, but at the same time, I want us to consider our sins in regard to this commandment. This morning, I want us to consider the sins forbidden in this commandment. I will be using the larger catechism, question 142, and its answer. at some length, but I sought to add some things as well that are not mentioned in that answer. Remember, things forbidden are sins of commission. There are things that we do that we're told not to do. And there also are sins of omission or our failure to do what God has told us. Now, next Lord's Day morning, Lord willing, we'll look at what we ought to do. But today I want us to consider what we ought not to do and too often As we consider this commandment, thou shalt not steal, I believe we can sum our sins in this commandment under three heads. One is robbing God, secondly is robbing others, and third is robbing ourselves. Now, we could consider robbing God under the third commandment, And yet, there are many that think it also fits under this commandment. So, I'll briefly mention four ways in which we rob God. The first is failure to give. Malachi 3.8, God calls His people to reformation and restoration and fellowship with Him. And then He's asking the question that they have upon their minds. Wherein have we robbed thee? And God says to His people, in tithes and offerings. So there's a direct way in which we rob God when we don't give Him His due. There's also a second way we do so, and that is what's called sacrilege. It's mentioned in Leviticus 5.15. It's called a sin in the holy things of the Lord. It's taking of things consecrated to God. We'll be robbing from the temple of old. but it might be robbing from the church and its funds in present. Sometimes you hear of treasurers of churches or denominations siphoning off funds. That's sacrilege. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, 1-11 were involved in that because of their lying. There's also another way we rob God and that's the sin called simony. And that comes from Simon Magus in Acts 8, 18 and 20 who sought to buy ecclesiastical or church office. There have been periods in church history when that was more prominent and prevalent than today. In our system, it's pretty rare that people would want to buy into the ministry because generally the ministry isn't profitable enough, but it still happens, still can happen, and so it's a sin of robbing God. There's also a fourth way in which God can be robbed and that is spiritual robbery. That is the leading away of precious souls into error. It's mentioned in Luke 17.1 about the one it's better that a millstone be hung upon his neck and him be cast into the sea than one lead astray God's little ones. I think this is what Jesus is referring to in John 10.7-10 when he speaks of himself as the good shepherd in contrast to others who he calls thieves. and robbers. Now, it's likely that when Jesus refers to these false teachers as thieves and robbers, He's probably considering the potential sin of simony. They may have bought their way into office. It's also likely that He would be referring to the sin of slothfulness in the ministry that itself would make a man a thief and a robber in the ministry. But I think he's referring to something more than just those. I think he's also referring to the potential that they're stealing souls. Obviously no one can steal a soul from God in terms of his decree. keeps all of His own in His hand. We understand that. And yet, in our experience, we see those that have made a profession or are sitting under the means of grace and yet are led astray by false teaching. And so there is spiritual robbery as well. Now, those four ways in which we rob God, let's talk about a number of ways in which we rob others. First, theft or robbery. Leviticus 19.11 Ye shall not steal." Leviticus 19.13, Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him. God speaks to children in Proverbs 28.24. Have any of you ever gone into mom's pocketbook and taken a quarter or taken a dollar or found dad's wallet laying there on his dresser? and think, well, he buys me things anyway. What's the big deal if I take a dollar or five or ten? He'd probably give it to me if I asked anyway. Yet, Solomon says in Proverbs 28, 24, "...whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression, the same is the companion of the destroyer." You see, it's easy to justify, well, that's no sin. It's no big deal. I could get the money anyway. I could ask for it. We as adults could fall into the temptation to do that to our own parents as they grow feeble in their old age. We could seek to take money away from them and their estate against their will. Theft or robbery. Man stealing. Exodus 21-16, "...and he that stealeth a man and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death." It's speaking of that which is called chattel slavery. And imagine if the death penalty would have been practiced for those that stole men or were accomplices in selling men that had been stolen. If the death penalty had been applied in those nations to those individuals, how small the slave trade would have been. It would have stopped pretty quickly. Seven, or the third way in which we rob others, receiving things that are stolen. It could be pretty easy to fall into this trap. Can it? You go to a big city and somebody opens their coat and has tons of watches that look like $2,000 Rolexes that you can buy and it'll work for a couple weeks or maybe even a year. But you have no clue as to where the man got those things or someone has boxes of things that he's selling on the side of the road that are clearly stolen goods. And it's very easy to think, well, I'm getting a deal. and to purchase stolen goods. Whoso is partner with a thief, hateth his own soul." You think you're getting a deal. You're not getting a deal. You're damaging your soul. Also, fraudulent dealing. Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor." It's not okay to use tricks in the trade to deceive so as to make a greater profit. It's also a sin to fail to report theft when we see it. Psalm 50.18, When thou saw'st a thief, then thou consented with him. To bring it to the authority's attention is sin. We also sin in this way by false weights and measures in the market. A false balance, we read in Proverbs 11.1, is abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight. Amos speaks of it in Amos 8.5 as making the ephah small and the shekel great and falsifying the balances by deceit. Saying you're selling a pound of meat and it's really only 15 ounces. Claiming you're selling a gallon of gasoline or milk and it really being something less than that. Saying you sold three hours of your labor in whatever field you're in when it was really only a little over two hours. Unjust weights and measures can also be done in real estate. It's a little bit harder nowadays and a number of these sins are harder to commit and get away with given the technology that we lived in, but we still can. remove landmarks. People can be deceptive in moving landmarks or the places where people's land is and thus take land from people by deception. Proverbs 23.10, remove not the old landmark and enter not into the fields of the fatherless. Here we learn something about there are those that are more gullible or they're fatherless. They're not able to be as careful in dealings. And so, those that are shrewd can overtake them or can take advantage of them in real estate deals or in the marketplace. And so, we as God's people need to be particularly sensitive to those that can be abused in these ways and taken advantage of. Also, unjust debt. In Psalm 37.21, we read, "...the wicked borroweth and payeth not again. It doesn't say that the wicked borroweth. The Bible allows for just debt. But it says the wicked borroweth and payeth not again. Either he didn't intend to pay or he's not willing to pay as the contract that he'd signed requires. I think that's what Paul's getting at in Romans 13, 8a, when he says, owe no man anything. It's don't owe him something that you haven't agreed that you owe him. Failing to pay him on the timescale that you've promised by your contract to do so. It's not forbidding business debt. It's not even forbidding personal debt. We can also sin in this way in matters of trust. Consider Luke 16, 10-12, the parable of the talents. If we're given a trust, if we're given some money or some funds in some form for someone else and we're told to seek to earn and use that money to earn for their good, then we should do so. We shouldn't squander it. We shouldn't just ignore it, but we should be diligent if we're given that trust. Some of you may sit someday on a board of trustees of some organization, some group that has capital, and you're responsible to make financial decisions that are for the welfare of that organization and the welfare of the capital that that organization is amassed. And to fail to do so is theft. Also, we can sit in this way by oppression. In Psalm 62.10, we read, "...trust not in oppression and become not vain in robbery." To oppress someone, to squeeze money out of them is robbery. We also can do it by extortion. You see, Zacchaeus was a tax collector. And in Luke 19.18, we learn that Zacchaeus recognized when he came to Christ and was converted that all that he had gotten by extortion was in fact theft and so he desired to make restitution for all that he had taken. Zacchaeus must have made more than he had taken apparently because he was able, he was at least able to think that he could restore and follow restitution and not be broke. He really expected to be able to give restitution to all those that deserved it. But he had stolen. And he was repentant. And so he did what he was called to do in repentance. Also, the sin of usury is theft. Psalm 15.5, He that putteth not out his money to usury is the description of a godly man, a man who will be in God's presence. He's one that doesn't put out his money to usury. Now usury in the Old Testament is not lending money at a percentage. It is lending money at an exorbitant percentage, something that's over the market, significantly over the market. So what it is, is it's really taking advantage of someone who can't necessarily get a loan at the current rate. and then taking advantage of that poor individual by offering them money at a much higher rate so as that you could profit rather than help the poor individual. And so that itself is a violation of the Eighth Commandment. Also, bribery is a violation of this commandment. Seeking to pay someone off so as to get the decision that you desire. Also, lawsuits that are vexatious are a violation of this commandment. Paul speaks of that in 1 Corinthians 6, 6 and 7 where he tells us that Christians ought to seek to resolve their disputes with one another in the courts of the church before ever entering into the courts of the heathen. He says, what can you expect from the heathen courts. Why would you not go to those that have been called to make these decisions and to make just decisions regarding any of these controversies? And so we waste money. We throw money away. And we're also seeking to take sometimes when we enter into a lawsuit, particularly when it's to try to recover that which really we don't have a right to recover. In other words, really stealing. at that point. This is not saying that all lawsuits are in fact theft, but it's saying that seeking a lawsuit to steal is. And I think it's not hard to recognize that there are many lawsuits that are currently awaiting adjudication that are just that. They're related to greed and individual seeking to take that which is not rightfully theirs. I think I can give you some examples of individuals that have sought to sue McDonald's or other fast foods companies regarding what they've chosen to eat all their lives and what that has brought upon them, just as one example of vexatious or frivolous lawsuits that are seeking monies that are not rightfully those individuals. Also, basically depopulating or seeking to buy up Everything and hoard of lands and properties is the same thing. In Isaiah 5.8 we read this, Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field till there be no place that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth. Land grabs. Sometimes by wealthy individuals, sometimes by the state taking lands that aren't rightfully theirs. It's theft. Also, engrossing commodities, hoarding commodities so as to enhance the price, monopolizing is as well a sin. Proverbs 11.26 says, He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him. But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. You don't hoard something that people need just to enrich your pocketbook. Also, unlawful callings or vocations that are sinful are a violation of this command. I'll just give you one example of a man named Demetrius in Ephesus who was a silversmith who made silver shrines to the goddess Diana. Just one example of a vocation that a Christian cannot be part of. There are so many more that could be listed. There are so many vocations that are inappropriate for any Christian to be involved with because to be involved with involves sin. It's not saying that you couldn't be a silversmith. There's just certain things you couldn't do as a silversmith. There's certain things that many of us can't do in our professions, certain things we can and certain things we cannot because they'd be violations of God's Word. So, we don't enter into a vocation just because it can make a lot of money. And we can provide for our family if, in fact, it itself is sin. Also, the larger catechism speaks about what's called unjust or sinful ways of taking or withholding from our neighbor that which belongs to him. I think what they're getting at there is withholding wages. Now, we live in a technological society where we don't get paid every single day at the end of the day. And every time we don't, I'm not contending that we're necessarily being taken by our employer. But there are cases where wages are garnished or held that is unbiblical and is an attempt for the company to make a few extra cents on the interest at the expense of their employees. And that is sin. And if any of you are involved In the financial dealings of companies or your entrepreneurs, you need to consider, why are you holding the money? Are you doing it to enrich yourself and to take from your employees? Leviticus 19.13 says, the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. Obviously, that's in an agricultural society where obviously it would be easy to pay on a daily basis. But we see in James 5.4, James speaking about those whose wages have been withheld and that their cries have gone up to the Lord of Saviath. So it warns employers that keep money to the hurt of their people. In addition to these, inordinate prizing or loving worldly goods is sin. Something akin to covetousness, which is a violation of the tenth commandment. We read in Psalm 62.10, if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. It's tempting to be engrossed with riches when you're poor. The psalmist says it's even more tempting when you're rich. When riches increase, it's all the easier to get attracted to them and hoard them. So, don't prize them because they are temporal. You can't take them with you. Also, distrustful, distracting cares about getting money, keeping money, using money. Think about Jesus' comments in Matthew 6 in the Sermon on the Mount. He says, don't worry about what you're going to wear. Don't worry about what you're going to eat. The Lord takes care of the flowers of the field. They look fine. He'll take care of you. He'll provide the food that you need. So don't be overly concerned about those things. It doesn't mean you can't think about what you're going to have for dinner or your wives don't need to think about, well, what am I going to prepare or what are we doing for dinner tonight? But we obviously are not to be engrossed in those kinds of thoughts. Some additional ways in which we rob others are communism. Communism. In Deuteronomy 23-25 we read, "...thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand, but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing corn." The Old Testament economy, if you are walking through somebody's field as Jesus and His disciples were on the Lord's Day, It was legal for them to get a little corn and rub it with their hands. They didn't use any machinery. They didn't take bushels and fill it up. They took enough to get by and eat as they're walking through the field. They needed a little nourishment. That was allowed. It was encouraged. It's a demonstration of we all should be willing to distribute to the poor at some level of our incomes as we can. And so in the farming culture, there was the practice of gleaning. But if all things are common, then there is no theft. This commandment is predicated upon the assumption that what's yours is yours and what's mine is mine and what is His is His. If everything was just the communities, there could be no theft. It would make no sense to say, thou shalt not steal. You might ask, well, what about Acts chapter 2? There in verses 44 through 48, In verse 44b and following, we read this. We read that they had all things in common, and yet it says, "...and sold their possessions." They had all things in common. They had all things in common after individuals sold the possessions that they chose to sell and give the proceeds that they chose to give. Remember in the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 verse 4, Peter says to Ananias regarding his land, after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? In other words, Peter is saying, once you sold it, it was your call to decide how much of the proceeds went to the church. The sin that Ananias was involved in is that he was hypocritical in that he said he sold it for more than in fact he did. He claimed he gave it all when in fact he didn't. But he was under no obligation to give all the proceeds to the church. It was in his possession, it was in his power to do with as he pleased. So communism is a violation of this commandment. Inflation is a violation of this commandment. Do you know what inflation is, children? Most of us today are led to believe that inflation is just the increase of a commodity's price. that we can know inflation because the price of bread or the price of milk has gone up this year. And so we say the inflation rate is 3% or 5%. It costs us that much more money to acquire the goods this year as it did the goods we acquired last year. But in fact, inflation is not the rising of prices. It is the increasing of the money supply. And the increasing of the money supply is what leads to oftentimes partially the increase of prices on things. And so nations do rob when they increase the money supply in such a way as to create increase of price. Also unjust taxation is theft. A government that chooses to involve itself in areas where God has not directed it to be involved, and then seeks money from its citizens to be involved in those areas, they ought not to be as theft. And yet, so is tax evasion theft. Romans 13.7 says, Render therefore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom. And it's there pretty clear that Paul is talking about not only, he's talking about different kinds of taxes. We pay different sorts of taxes and we are to pay them if they are due. Also, taking advantage of the needy, as I mentioned before regarding usury is that. But also, you know, seeking to allow someone to pawn something to us when They're giving us something of great wealth, and we know they're desperate, so we know we can get it off them for something way under value. That itself, just as lending them money at some exorbitant rate, is theft. Also, damaging things that we've borrowed is theft. We've talked about robbery. Most of these things you say, I'm not guilty of. But how about simple theft or robbery? Do you rob time from the company you work for? Do you rob pens or calculators or other things? I hope none of you have taken a computer, but it's pretty easy to take other things, isn't it? And to think it's okay. And how easy it is to borrow things and not return them return them significantly damaged. That's stealing. That's stealing. It's easy to borrow something and have it in our garage or in our bookshelf so long that we forget it's someone else's, isn't it? So we need to do something to make sure we don't begin to think somebody else's property is ours. And if we or our children have damaged somebody's property that we borrowed, then we need If we've rented it, as we looked at in Exodus 22, if we've rented it, that's part of the rental price. You rent something to work on your yard and you don't in any way use it outside of its normal operating procedures, then you're not responsible for the damage, unless you've signed to be responsible. But if you're borrowing something, you are. Also, concealing found goods. You see that in Deuteronomy 22, 1-3, Leviticus 6, 4. Finders, keepers, losers, weepers is not a biblical principle. That doesn't mean there may not be times when we find something somewhere and there's no real way to figure out who in the world's property it is. And then we do have to make decisions about what we do. It's not always that easy. But when we can, seek to restore that, to place it in the lost and found, wherever that might be, at the park, or at the recreation center, or at the church, or at the school, or what have you. That is our duty. Also, poor treatment of impotent debtors. That means somebody may owe us something. Something's come upon them. and they cannot pay it immediately. We need to treat them with respect. Proverbs 22.7, the rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender. We need to recognize that principle, so we need to be careful about being in debt we don't need to be in. But if we've chosen to allow someone to owe us and now they can't pay, we need to seek to then establish some way that they can in a way that's reasonable for them so that they can provide for themselves and their families. Also, failing to give when we should is robbing of others. We looked at Deuteronomy 23, 25 already. It's okay. We should allow people to get some corn in our fields. And that principle can be worked out in other ways in the New Testament. 1 John 3.17, "...whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his vows of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him." How can you say you love God when you have it and someone needs it and you know they need it and you're unwilling to help? How do you think you have the love of God in you? So that's a violation of this commandment as well. Now, how do we rob ourselves quickly? We rob ourselves by slothfulness. Any of you guilty of that? Idleness or slothfulness? 2 Thessalonians 3.11, For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. People will be busy about something. And if they're not doing what they're called to do, they'll be interested in talking about others. instead of being busy about what they're called to. Proverbs 18.9, He that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Paul could say in 1 Timothy 5.8 that the believer, the professor of true religions doesn't provide for his family is worse than an infidel. He says even infidels know that it's their duty to provide for their family. And somehow Christians sometimes get so super spiritual that they don't provide for their family. They're too busy reading theology or chatting with their buddies about theology and not working diligently to provide for themselves and their family. It was Melanchthon that came up with the proverb, idleness is the devil's workshop. Most of us have heard that. And Melanchthon apparently penned it, obviously in Latin. Also, we sin against ourselves or we steal from ourselves when we're wasteful or we squander. That's what the prodigal son did. He was prodigal. He was wasteful. He was a squanderer. Proverbs 21, 17, He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man. He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. Solomon's not saying you can't have a little wine. He's not saying you can't have a little oil to anoint yourself. You can't have a little cologne or buy something from Bath and Body Works. But he's saying if that's what you love, you're going to be spending excessive amounts on those kind of things. You're going to find yourself poor. You're certainly going to find yourself poor spiritually if that's where you set your heart. Those kind of things is what you set your heart upon. Also, wasteful gaming or gambling. Proverbs 13.11, wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished. Wouldn't that be a good headline on some of those magazines where you hear about this individual that won this lottery or that lottery? Just have Solomon's words, God's words. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished. It also says something about hopping into get-rich-quick schemes, doesn't it? Also, we can steal from ourselves and our families when we enter into what's called surety-ship, or we make a commitment to cover someone else's debts. Proverbs 22.26, Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. We also do this by miserliness. We rob ourselves when we're miserly. This is kind of the other side of the coin. We're to be thrifty. We're to be careful. And yet, we read in Ecclesiastes 6, Solomon speaks of a man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, honor, so that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof. In other words, he can't even enjoy what he has. He's so miserly, seeking so to be thrifty and frugal in his own mind or her own mind, that they cannot even enjoy the things that God has given them to enjoy. That's theft. You're stealing from yourself if you're miserly to that degree. Thomas Watson said this, he robs himself of what God allows him. This is to be punished with riches. To have an estate and lack a heart to take the comfort in it. Not enjoy and appreciate what God's given. Whatever that level of enjoyment might be, that's what God's given you. And to be miserly or niggardly is a sin in violating this commandment. Now, in closing, I hope you've seen the truth of what we read in Psalm 119. The commandments are exceeding broad. Thirty-eight ways, and this isn't exhaustive, in which this eighth commandment is broken. Zechariah 5, 1-4 We learn of a scroll, a scroll of God's curse that comes upon the man and upon his house who swears to God falsely or who is a thief. God says His curse is upon the homes of thieves. You see, the picture is those that have been willing to Take false vows. Those that are willing to steal, they've acquired things that aren't theirs. They have more than they should. And God says, I'm going to bring it all to naught. There's going to be rottenness in the timbers. Your whole home is going to collapse. My curse will be upon you. Praise be to God that He's placed the curse, that curse, upon His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He became a curse for us. He who knew no sin. He who lived thirty-three and a half years and never stole a penny, a paper clip from anybody. The Father was pleased to pour out His wrath and His curse upon Him for His people. Those that come to Him through faith. Praise be to our God. Praise be to Jesus who kept the whole law. for R6.