This post is Day 11 in a series of studies about “Commandments”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Commandments – Day 11

You shall not steal. The 6th commandment. Most of us do not go out to steal anything from anyone. But there are occasions when many of us are tempted to try not to pay full price for things, or to get away with not being totally honest about paying taxes!

Exodus 20:15

You shall not steal.

The Thought

This 6th commandment is short and clear. There are no conditions and no exceptions.

Most of us don’t go out to steal anything from anyone. But there are occasions when many of us are tempted to try not to pay full price for things, or to get away with not being totally honest about paying taxes!

The Lord puts a bit more clarification on this commandment a few verses later. He says Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep (Exodus 22:1).

That sounds to me like a good deterrent! A couple of verses later there is a bit more detail about God’s thoughts on this. He said: Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution, but if they have nothing, they must be sold to pay for their theft (Exodus 22:3). A drastic punishment which thankfully doesn’t happen in our “civilised” parts of the world today!

The prophet Jeremiah, many centuries after Moses who received the commandments from God, had an interesting word from that same Lord. I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes, declares the Lord, I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares’ (Jeremiah 23:31).

There are many prophets today saying different things about our world situation. We need discernment to know who to listen to.

Action

Pray today that God will direct you to listen to the right advice, the right teachers, and those prophets who really are speaking out God’s truth directly from Him, and not stealing the words of others.

Read Ephesians 4. Paul is telling those new christians to change their ways and steal no longer!

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