Text: Psalm33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
Do not steal.
Commandment # 8
To steal is to take something that belongs to another person.
New testament
Ephesians 4: 28 Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing, which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
This commandment encompasses most of the other commandments. How does it do this?
Worshiping another God is giving God's glory to another god.
Murder is stealing another's life.
Adultery is stealing another's spouse.
Coveting is the desire to steal what which belongs to someone else.
Giving false testament is stealing justice.
This commandment is the only opened ended commandment. Stealing doesn't relate to just things such as material property.
We cannot take ANYTHING that belongs to another person. This means there are at least three more things to consider.
1. Kidnapping; Stealing a person. Slavery is a form of stealing another person. This is strictly forbidden by God.
The bible cannot be used to justify taking another person and selling him or her. Some may argue that the bible taches this is o.k. What the bible teaches is called indentured servitude. What this means is "the selling of oneself for a specific period of time' to work off a debt. This has nothing to do with kidnapping someone, such as was done in Africa for the purpose of free labor.
2. Personal property: The second thing is the sanctity of personal property. We are forbidden to steal what other people own.
It is essential to have the ownership of personal property, real estate etc. Without this we cannot have a free and decent society.
Every totalitarian regime takes away private property rights.
In the medieval times the rich people owned all the land and the peasants worked for them, making the rich richer from their labors.
Socialists argue for taking away property and giving it to the people is a better way of life for the majority. Anywhere this is practiced the result is taking away freedom from the people. This is a massive theft of life.
3. Non-material things: The third type of stealing is non-material things.
a. Reputation; stealing a person's good name; liable, slander or gossip. When a person's good name is stolen it normally can never be fully restored.
b. Dignity; humiliation. Humiliating a person especially in public will do permanent damage. Dignity is probably the most valuable asset we own.
c. Trust: stealing a person's trust is known as deceiving someone. This can be known as, stealing knowledge. One example is selling someone something without telling about flaws in the property. Another deception is insincere proclamations in order to obtain material or sexual favors.
d. Intellectual property. Copying software. Downloading music and movies without paying for them or stealing someone's words known as plagiarism
Commandment #9
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
New testament
Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
This commandment means two things: 1. Do not give false testimony in court. Do not lie about anything.
There are laws that are necessary for a society to survive. These laws are found in the ten commandments. There are other laws in our society that make things a better place to live, such as pedestrian laws etc...
1. Do not give false testimony in court. If people give false testimony in a court room means, there will be no justice. Without justice there will be no civilization.
Someone giving false testimony in court will receive the same punishment as the accused if found guilty. The perjurer cold be put to death if that was the punishment for the accused if found guilty.
2. Do not lie about anything. This commandment is to be applied for telling the truth outside the court room as well as in the court room.
It is believed by most people that truth is more important in our society then compassion and goodness. Society in general needs truth to combat evils such as slavery, Nazism and communism.
All these are based on lies. One lie is that blacks are inferior to whites.
Millions believed that Jews were inferior to aryons.
The teaching of communism is based completely on lies.
These lies are believed by good people because they are convinced that good is bad and dad is good.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil
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The end justifying the means is not always the truth.
Miscounting homeless people is a good example of lying to get more money to support their cause. Why is this not good? It's because it takes money away from other good causes.
A great society cannot be formed or maintained without truth.
Commandment # 10
Thou shalt not covet
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