Stealing is obviously wrong—why do people do it anyway?

Genesis 27:1-40“Take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.” “But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth. What if my father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse me instead of blessing me.” But his mother replied, “Then let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you.” . . . Esau prepared a delicious meal and brought it to his father. . . . But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.” Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?”

Jacob stole his father’s blessing from Esau out of a combination of envy and ambition.

Joshua 7:21“Among the plunder I 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. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest.”

In spite of being clearly warned, greed led Achan to steal valuables that had been set aside for God. He and his family suffered the severest of consequences.

Matthew 15:19“For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.”

Stealing is a symptom of the sinful condition of our hearts.

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.”

In God’s eyes, a lack of integrity and honesty in business practices is stealing. This is a guiding principle for all people for all time.

Leviticus 6:1-7Then the Lord said to Moses, “Suppose one of you sins against your associate and is unfaithful to the Lord. Suppose you cheat in a deal involving a security deposit, or you steal or commit fraud, or you find lost property and lie about it, or you lie while swearing to tell the truth, or you commit any other such sin. If you have sinned in any of these ways, you are guilty. You must give back whatever you stole, or the money you took by extortion, or the security deposit, or the lost property you found, or anything obtained by swearing falsely. You must make restitution by paying the full price plus an additional 20 percent to the person you have harmed. On the same day you must present a guilt offering. As a guilt offering to the Lord, you must bring to the priest your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value. Through this process, the priest will purify you before the Lord, making you right with him, and you will be forgiven for any of these sins you have committed.”

We forget that theft of any kind is not only an offense to other people; it is also an offense to God and harms our relationship with him. If we think we can get away with it, we display a low and disrespectful view of God.