In what ways do I steal from others?

Leviticus 25:14, 17“When you make an agreement with your neighbor to buy or sell property, you must not take advantage of each other. . . . Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other. I am the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 25:13-15“You must use accurate scales when you weigh out merchandise, and you must use full and honest measures. Yes, always use honest weights and measures, so that you may enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Joshua 7:21“Among the plunder I [Achan] saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them.”

Romans 13:9-10The commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

The cartoon version of a thief is usually a sinister figure in a black mask that robs banks, snatches purses, and breaks into homes after dark. Although theft and violent crime are a real part of our world, most of us will be tempted by more subtle and “civilized” forms of stealing, such as padding an expense account, adding false deductions to an income-tax statement, or taking advantage of someone’s gullibility or goodness. Whether we rob a widow at knifepoint or skim so smoothly that our victims never know it, stealing is detestable in the eyes of a holy God. As God’s people, we are required to be completely honest in all we do and say.

Leviticus 19:16“Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.”

When we gossip about others, we are stealing something from them—their honorable reputation. We are also using information that belongs to them in a destructive way.

Romans 12:11Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

When we waste time on the job, we are stealing from our employers.

Hebrews 13:4Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

Having sex before or outside of marriage is stealing the purity of another. It may also involve taking something we have promised to our spouse and giving it away to someone it doesn’t belong to.

Exodus 20:1-17Then God gave the people all these instructions: “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

Whether it’s stealing honor from God, stealing from ourselves in the manner of rest, stealing respect from parents, or robbing our neighbor in some way, every one of the Ten Commandments in some way confronts the insidious ways we can steal from others.