Exodus 20:15 and Deut. 5:19: “Thou shalt not steal.”
It may seem like a simple command from God, “Thou shalt not steal”. However there is more to this commandment than at first meets the eye. Stealing is simply taking something that does not belong to you. We will now explore the deeper side of this commandment as it pertains to both attitude and deception.
The Hebrew word for “steal” is “ganab” meaning, steal, be a thief, kidnap, to deceive (Strong’s #1589). Taking what does not belong to you requires a thought process of deception and an attitude of selfishness. The Greek word for “steal” is “klope” with a similar meaning of “theft, stealing and thefts” (Strong’s #2829).
Attitude: Being a thief requires an attitude of selfishness. What is mine is mine and what is yours is mine…or soon will be. Jesus gave a fantastic example of how sin and vanity proceed from the heart. In Matt. 15 Jesus rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees because they put their traditions over the law of God. He then says, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:8-9). Their attitude came from their heart and their heart was wicked and deceitful. He continues to explain how far from God they truly were when Jesus says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; (Matt. 15: 19 and see also Mark 7:21-23). Jesus expoounds the second half of the Ten Commandments and explains obedience and disobedience both come from the heart. We must choose correctly (Deut. 30:15-20). These listed sins come from premeditation. One must think out how to rob the bank or train. How to steal from an employer or from an employee. God wants our attitude to be like the attitude of Jesus, we should be of one mind with Christ (Phil. 2:5).
Deception: We read of deception many places in the Bible. Deceit is used for many reasons including for stealing/theft. Lucifer, before he became Satan tried to steal God’s throne (A very bad attitude by Lucifer), (See Isa. 14:12-15 and Ezek. 28: 13-17). When discussing “deception” it is Satan’s example and his attitude that we always go to as he deceives the entire world (Rev. 12:9). Satan is the god of this world and has deceived humanity as to the light of the true gospel (II Cor. 4:4 See also Eph. 2:2). To deceive is one of the meanings used in the Hebrew for “steal”. We are not to have Satan’s mind in us but Christ’s mind.
Acts 5: 1-11 we see the deception and attitude of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. The new church members including the future apostle Barnabas (Acts 4: 36-37) were selling their property off, donating ALL the proceeds to the new church. Ananias and Sapphira told Peter they had sold their property and given all to the Church. They were attempting to steal from the church by holding back proceeds of the sale and they were using deceit to accomplish the theft. They both immediately died at the feet of the Apostle Peter. Stealing has consequences.
Satan deceives us, encourages our lusts and tries to steer our attitudes away from God and His Holy Ten Commandments. “Thou shalt not steal” is as much an attitude as it is an act. We must have the same mind as Jesus does (Phil. 2:5). Keeping our thoughts pure, our attitude correct and praying to God to keep Satan from deceiving us is how we do not steal.
