The Ten(der) Commandments: “Let God Meet Your Needs”

Exodus 20:15

I have to admit it: when I was growing up one of my favorite characters in fiction was Robin Hood. I read stories about him and watched movies about him. I loved the action, the swashbuckling fights, and the legendary archery skill that was displayed. Let’s face it - Robin Hood is a fun character. When you think of someone who is handsome, dashing, romantic, courageous, compassionate, kind and loyal, Robin Hood fits the bill.

There is one thing, however, that we have to forget about him or else it kind of ruins both the character and the story. It is this: the bottom line is that Robin Hood was a thief. Even though he robbed from the rich to give to the poor, the end never justified the means. The reason why everyone knows the name Robin Hood is because he lived his entire life breaking the eighth commandment which says, “You shall not steal.”

The eighth commandment,“You shall not steal.” basically speaks against taking anything or keeping anything that doesn’t belong to us, even when we have the best of motives. While we might not steal outright or openly, there are still many ways to break this command.

Some steal knowingly. They take by force or deception what is not theirs. We know that’s wrong. Others steal in more subtle ways. People who cry out for law and order think nothing about taking office supplies home from work, using company stamps for personal mail, or making personal calls on a company cell phone without permission. They would never call themselves thieves, yet the sin is the same - the sin of taking what doesn’t belong to us.

We can steal by taking from another what is not due us, and we can also steal by not giving to others what is due them when it is due. Perhaps someone has lent you money and you have neglected to repay him or her, or you legitimate debts that you are not repaying. Maybe you are behind on an agreed upon obligation while you use money to buy gifts, eat out, and entertain yourself. These are all forms of stealing.

Still another way of stealing is through deception, an art practiced by many in our culture. When we shade the truth, or misrepresent our product in business, when we deal in half-truths or tricks or slick sales pitches designed to get the business whatever the cost to the customer or client, then we are guilty of stealing. Wheeling and dealing may be acceptable to your associates, but if it involves lying then you’re probably stealing. Merchants adjusting their scales just a little to give them an advantage over the customer is stealing. Proverbs 20:23 says, “The Lord despises double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales.”

Perhaps we need to remember again the words of Jesus in Luke 6:10-11, “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?”

People can steal through deception and also through deceit. It happens all the time. A repairman will tell you something needs fixing that doesn’t. A salesman skips over the fine print. Someone sells you a car and doesn’t tell you that it is leaking oil. You take your child to a movie and pay a child’s rate when you know they turned 13 two weeks earlier. Ouch! We could spend all day rationalizing our actions, but at the end of the day it is still stealing and it is still wrong.

On top of all that, even if we manage not to steal from others, we may still be guilty of stealing from God Himself! In Malachi 3 the Lord used some very strong language to address the behavior of his people. Listen to what God Himself says: “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ You rob me in tithes and offerings. You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

Well, there really are a lot of ways to break this commandment, aren’t there? Why, however, do we do it? Why is stealing so prevalent? The answer, I believe, is simple. While some may steal for the thrill and some may steal out of some perceived necessity, most of us who are guilty of stealing in these small ways do so because deep inside we don’t trust God to provide for our needs. Philippians 4:19 says clearly, “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” but we don’t believe it. If we did, we would never be tempted to steal again.

The sad truth is that every time we steal something - whether large or small - we are saying, “I don’t trust God. I have to provide for myself. I’ll take what I want; I’ll take what I need, for I’m the only one I can trust. However, through the eighth commandment God was saying to the people of Israel, and to us as well: “I want you to be a people who trust me. Believe that I am the One who will supply all of your needs. Don’t steal, because I am your Provider.”

By the way, many centuries later Jesus said exactly the same thing in Matthew 6:31-33, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Friends, when we forget who God is and what God has promised to do for us, we end up being very possessive and greedy. Rather than trusting God to meet our needs, we begin to horde and protect and guard our stuff, and we begin to take other people’s stuff. However, when you know that God is your Provider, everything changes. Your heart changes. The way you live changes. The way you view your and other’s possessions changes.

The best way I know of to keep this commandment is to make a decision to be satisfied with what God gives you. The book of Hebrews says this very pointedly in Heb.13:5, “Let your character be free from the love of money. Be content with what you have, for God himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.’”

What are a few cheap trinkets and toys of this earth compared to the splendor and beauty of the riches stored up for us in God’s own house? Someday when we’re living in our heavenly life we will laugh - or cry - as we realize how absorbed and preoccupied we were with trivial material things during our brief stay on earth.

How much better to remember now that God will provide for you. He will do what he said he would do. There is no need to steal, ever. God will take care of you.