Audio – https://soundcloud.com/walking-as-christ/thou-shalt-not-steal-restitution-exodus-20-part-6
Video – https://youtu.be/TaN4wRQOZAo
Exodus 20:15
15Thou shalt not steal.
(8th Commandment)
Dictionary definition of Steal: to take and carry away (something that belongs to another person) without permission and with the intention of keeping.
Leviticus 6:1-7
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;
3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:
4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,
5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto(⅕ or 20% extra), and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.
6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:
7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.”
Who is our Trespass Offering Today? Jesus Christ!
Our sins may be forgiven by God through the Precious Blood of His Son Jesus Christ(the worthy lamb who was killed for the sins of all humanity).
Because Jesus died for our sins, does that make it okay for man to steal?
Absolutely NOT!
Many have stolen in their past time, but now that we are IN Christ, we are to walk in His ways. The Holy ways of God.
The stealing life was the former life, the sin life was the past life, but NOW we have been baptized into Jesus Christ!
Now we walk in NEWNESS of life.
Now we have forsaken those past ways and walk forward as the Temple of God, having His Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
The key point that the Lord is teaching us here in Leviticus 6: 1 – 7 is to have Remorse for the Wrong things that we have done AND to make them right with whom we have done wrong to.
If one has stolen things in the past, but now that person is in Christ/a Christian and has never confessed that they have stolen and has never attempted to pay back what they have taken, the Restitution is not yet complete.
The person who stole in the past but is now in Christ may have forgiveness of God for His/Her sins, but he/she has not yet made things right with his neigbor here on earth.
It is not a good testimony to be walking with Jesus now but still have wrongs that have never been attempted to be made right with a neighbor.
Let us see this point explained by God in the book of Numbers.
Numbers 5:5-7
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty;
7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.”
Imagine if every person in this world; went back to every single person they stole from in their entire life, confessed that they stole, paid back what they stole, and gave 20% extra on top of that which they stole.
This world would be a wonderful and Honest place if all people kept this command of God. Remember God’s ways are Perfect, God’s ways are Righteous! He has given the perfect plan for all humanity. When man keeps God’s ways all is well. When man goes his own ways, bad things happen.
Our forgiveness is come from God through the Blood of Jesus Christ.
If we have done wrong in the past, we can ask God for forgiveness in the name of Jesus making commitment to change our ways with His help and all will be well.
That is the bare minimum, that is the first step.
Consider anyone who has stolen from you.
Consider anyone who has borrowed from you but has NEVER paid it back.
Imagine if that person then becomes a Christian and starts living a Holy life, begins to prosper spiritually and in material possessions/finances, BUT they know in their heart that they owe you, and have still never confessed that they owed you nor have they made any effort to pay you back!
This is not Good brethren.
Remember Matthew 5:23-26???
“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.”
Our peace/reconciling with our fellow man should precede/come before our worship/offering to God.
Examine your conscience.
Restore each person whatever you owe him/her PLUS the firth part (extra 20%).
Have Good conscience with man AND with God!
To steal is to take away another man’s property by force or fraud, without the knowledge, and against the will of the owner.
Private theft – picking of pockets, shoplifting, burglary, or breaking into houses, and carrying off goods.
Domestic theft – a spouse takes away their partners money or goods, and conceal them, or dispose of them/uses them without their partners knowledge and will. Children robbing from their parents. Parents robbing from their children. Servants steal from their master.
Occupational fraud – taking money, products, information, etc. from ones place of employment dishonestly. The use of one’s occupation for personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse or misapplication of the organization’s resources or assets.
Personal theft – stealing of men and making slaves of them, selling them against their wills.
Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke on stealing in Matthew 15:19-20
“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”
Stealing defiles a man, makes him unclean. The desire to steal comes from evil in a person’s heart. Now that we have been Regenerated, made new, Born Again, we should never again break this 8th commandment of God; Thou shalt not steal.
Romans 13:7 – 10
“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
8 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.”
One has not yet fulfilled the law, nor learned to Love until one Loves his/her neighbor as themself. You would not want someone to steal from you, so you also should not steal from anyone.
You would want someone who has stolen from you to confess the Truth to you and pay you back, likewise should you confess to anyone you have stolen from and make your best efforts to pay them back plus 20% (the fifth part).
Let us all who are in Christ Jesus constantly live by this law to: love thy neighbour as thyself. Walk in this Love, Live in this Love by Faith in Jesus Christ and all will be well.
Brother/Sister; has your Spiritual life been stalling lately with little growth?
Consider if you owe Restitution to any person, pay it, and watch your life in Christ abound more fruitful AND you may receive the Liberation and Freeness that comes from having made things right with your fellow man AND with God!
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.”
If one has lived a life of stealing in the past, let that person go forward today making his wrong right with the person, making his wrong right with God, and then do good for others in need with the labor of his own hands.
This my Brothers and Sisters is a Transformed life in Jesus Christ!
#DoNotSteal.
#PayYourRestitution
8th Commandment – Thou shalt not steal.