RESPECT FOR PROPERTY

EXODUS 20:15 – “ You shall not steal.”

QUESTION: What does the eighth commandment teach?

ANSWER: The Eighth commandment teach us to have a proper respect for other people’s
property, and forbids all forms of theft. By implication, it teaches the right of private property,
and the honourableness of lawfully acquired wealth.

*** Personal note : According to Article number 308. Of the revised penal code of the Philippines:
Theft is committed by any person who, with intent to gain but without violence against, or intimidation of persons nor
force upon things, shall take personal property of another without the latter's consent. It is therefore different from robbery
because according to Article number 293: A person who is guilty of robbery is any person who, with intent to gain, shall
take any personal property belonging to another, by means of violence against or intimidation of any person, or using
force upon anything, shall be guilty of robbery.

I. The Right of private property.

A. The earth is the Lord’s (Psalms 24:1; 50:10-12), So that although man has been granted use
of the property and wealth of the world His right remains a derived (A right obtained from God)
and is a temporary right. (Genesis 1:28-30).
***Personal note: All of the things in this earth are of God’s creation and He alone owns it. This verses just simply states
that God entrusted His creations to us being His care takers and clearly observed that God did not create man until he had
provided for him neither will he ever put one work of his providence or of his grace out of its proper place, but that which
goes before shall be preparatory to that which follows after. There is no reason for us to Glorify ourselves over God’s
creation and to abuse it because it is God’s property alone.

B. God constituted man that he desires and needs this right of exclusive possession, and the
foundation of the right of property, therefore, is the will of God. (Exodus 20:15)

*** Personal note: A constituted right by the will of God and for the protection of man’s private, exclusive and
individual possession as a base point of his right of property.

C. In the Old testament, every man held his piece of land as an inheritance from the Lord, and the
removal of the landmark indicating that inheritance was an offence against the Lord Himself
(Deuteronomy 19:14).

*** Personal note: This pertains to man’s right of his own land. This is one of the reasons why men, friends,
neighbors, relatives and even close family members quarrel and fight.
***Personal note: As a simple trivia about our landmarks here in the Philippines… There are 4 different marks
set on a landmark or we call it “Muhon”.

1. P.S. – PRIVATE SURVEY (Means the one who initiated the land survey and also who set the
landmark is a private surveyor.)

2. B.L. – BUREAU OF LANDS (Means the bureau of lands is the one who surveyed the land)

3. P.L.S. – PUBLIC LAND SUBDIVISION (A subdivision landmark with more than 1500 hectares;
authorized and set by the P.L.S. Authorities only.)

4. A.R. – AGRARIAN REFORM

D. The prophets looked forward to the coming days of universal peace which included private
property as one of the great blessings yet to be. (Micah 4:3,4)
*** Personal Note: A prophecy in the book of Micah the prophet where it states the last days where men learn
no more war (Wars that begins with conquering of lands, possessions and etc.), no more stealing, peace reigns and the
LORD Shall be Exalted above all.

E. Personal Property is to be respected (Deuteronomy 23:25) and throughout the scriptures the
Individual’s right to his property is maintained (I kings 21:1-16).
*** Personal Note: I kings 21 is the record that shows a crime of murder. (A murder to pursue the desire of a
land.)
 F. Even the community of goods which the early Church choose to practice for a period did not
involve the denial of the rights of property. (Acts 5:1-11)
*** Personal note: This act of the book of acts tells us the Principle of proper and honest giving. We must be
reminded that we are commanded to give (faithfully); as the Bible teaches in the book of Malachi 3:8-10; that
we are robbing God; what is robbery? An act where we use force of obtaining something we want to have,
therefore, we are robbing God from our tithes and offerings. O ye of little faith, God is so faithful and merciful!
Let us not be as Ananias and Sapphira. Let us not be as hippocrites as they are, we are mocking God by getting
what’s meant for Him. We can deceive men and make them believe, but God knows everything He knows what
we are doing.

G. The Eighth commandment, therefore, forbids all violations of the rights of property. (Exodus
20:15)

2. Examples of many different forms of theft.

A. Borrowing and then failing to return what has been borrowed. (Psalms 37:21)

B. Failure to clear oneself of debt when able to do so. (II Kings 4:7)

C. False weights and measures. (Amos 8:5; Micah 6:10,11)

*”Ephah” (An Ancient Hebrew dry measurement that is equivalent to 33 liters in English or 39 American
Quarts)
D. General dishonesty in buying and selling. (Leviticus 25:14) *Salestalk? Or Lietalks?

E. Misuse of one’s employer’s property or time. (Titus 2:10)*An honest, True and peaceful employer to
employee relationship.

F. Wasting someone else’s possession. (Luke 16:1)

*Let us be wise into heavenly things and good things and not into things that can give us temporal goodness but
a destruction and unjust situation to others.
G. Failure to seek the owner of something we have found. (Leviticus 6:4)

H. Taking unfair advantage of either the ignorance or the needs of our fellow men. (Proverbs
11:26)
I. Paying bad wages, or withholding or delaying the payment of wages. (Leviticus 19:13; Malachi
3:5; James 5:4)
J. Indifference of children in their use of their parent’s property. (Proverbs 28:14)

K. Failing as adult sons or daughters to make some return to our parents when they need help.
(Provers 28:24; Mark 7:11; I timothy 5:4-8)
*We as sons and daughters of our dear parents; Let us be reminded that we are responsible for our parents as
the Bible teaches, we are ought to give them the things we are able to give back to them. Not doing so as the
Bible says, we are as a theft to them; we are denying the FAITH and worse, We are as an Infidel.

3. The Importance of Honesty and Trustworthiness in regard to other people’s

possessions.
A. We are to seek the good of our neighbor rather than just seeking our own good. (I Cor. 10:24)

B. As employees, we are to show complete faithfulness to our employer’s Interests. (Titus 2:10)
C. Honesty is to characterize the work we do (Ephesians 4:28)

D. We are to strive after honesty in little things for that sets the pattern for larger things. (Luke
16:10)
E. We are to give any encouragement to others in defrauding those who have committed some
trust to them. (Psalms 50:18; Proverbs 29:24)

F. In regards to other people’s property and possesions, justice and only justice is what we are to
follow. (Deuteronomy 16:20)

G. Theft offends the commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself “ (Romans 13:9)
H. At the root of all forms of stealing is selfishness (Ephesians 4:8)

I. Theft is an abomination to God (Jeremiah 7:9-11), and brings God’s Judgement upon the thief
(Zechariah 5:3-4)

4. Wealth is not in and of itself wrong, but it must be obtained lawfully and honourably.

A. The Eighth commandment requires that whatever wealth we possess should be lawfully
obtained. (Exodus 20:15)

B. Property is not evil in itself but like all material possessions, it can present dangers to our
spiritual well-being. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12; Luke 12:15)

C. The more easily we obtain our wealth, the sooner we shall probably lose it (Proverbs 13:11);
whereas the harder it is to earn, the more we shall possess most likely in the long-term
(Prov.13:11)

D. The most lawful and honourable means of obtaining wealth is to work for it. (Ephesians 4:28)

E. In fulfilling our daily work, we are to think not only for ourselves but also for those who are in
any kind of material need whom we can help (Isaiah 58:10; Ephesians 4:28; I John 3:17) – The
implication being that possessions are a trust from God.

F. The clear implicationof the 8th commandment, therefore, is that we are to restore anything that
we have unjustly obtained or taken from others. (Lev.6:4; Luke 19:8; Ephesians 4:28)