Deuteronomy 5:19 – Honoring God the owner of our lives

The seventh commandment embraces the call to respect one’s marriage by being faithful. In this eighth commandment, "You shall not steal' is the message of respecting the property of others, especially what's rightly God’s. The seventh commandment demands that marriage not be violated, the eighth orders that the property of others not be violated. It forbids stealing, which is to take away something that belongs to another person against that owner’s will.

Note that stealing always denies the right of the owner of that something that has been taken away from him or her against the person’s will. It essentially entertains the attitude that the other person doesn’t matter. A thief will be ostracised and alienated by others. That would create disharmony and ill-feeling towards one another and interfere with the peace of the community. Besides, in stealing, a thief will undermine his or her own self-respect by dishonoring honest work. Know it or not, it encourages the habit of laziness.  

Stealing can take on many permutations. It ranges from taking away someone’s goods blatantly, to pilfering small items, to swindling and cheating another person of what’s rightly his or hers. It can also happen when one does not return something which one has borrowed from the lender. An employee who does not put the fair share of time expected of his or her work in the employment agreement is stealing from his or her employer. One common way any citizen of a nation can steal is by submitting a falsified income statement and not paying the right amount of income tax. Stealing can also be seen in taking away the freedom that belongs to another. We can also steal the reputation of another person by lying about that person. Remember, not living a consecrated life is stealing what is due to God. So are also not engaging in worship or giving of our tithes. And by not serving in the fellowship God has called us to be a part of, we are guilty of stealing from what’s due to our brothers and sisters in that fellowship.

Thinking about the stuff brought up, we have more than enough to chew and muse on. We owe it to God not to steal, for the love and mercy that He has so freely showered upon us. We will be stealing from Him if we do not order our lives aright. Underpinning this command is that as His children, we all belong to God. Hence, we must responsibly live our lives accountable to Him. Not to do so will be stealing what is rightly His. So let’s order our lives aright and live a life that’s befitting our calling as His children. Don’t steal what’s rightly His!