You shall not steal: We already went through the trickiest commandments. The ‘shall not steal’ one is rather simple.
In 2018 I was on a trip to Oslo and I saw this homeless old man. It was April, so it was still a bit cold, but the man asked me for ice cream. I said, ‘ok, what flavor would you like?’ And he said: ‘Chocolate, please’ (yes, homeless guys in Norway speak English). I bought him a small cup of Ben & Jerry's and when he looked at it he told me ‘Oh no, I am lactose intolerant’. Ok, I know he was mad, but I will make my point, hang in there.
Some of us are like the homeless guy and it's safe to say we all have showed ingratitude at one point or another. Our struggles in the world, whether material or not, exist for a reason. To be grateful and satisfied with what we have is the least we can do in a world where there is always someone in a much worse situation.
The truth is that we have no right to have anything just because we exist. If the Father gives us a healthy body it’s already a tremendous blessing, but we may sometimes think that’s not good enough.
Everything we have, whether little or a lot, was handed over by the Father. He either put you in a rich family, or gave you the brains and stamina to build up your wealth. One may think that by being rich all problems are solved – that’s hardly the case. But let’s avoid the cliché that ‘money does not bring happiness’. Wealth is great! We should do our best to build it with our skills and effort provided by Yahuah - however when it's not given to us, stealing from someone else is an offense to our neighbor and to the Father.
The sin of stealing is not only connected to ingratitude, but also to the 10th commandment ‘You shall not covet’. Coveting is being envy of other people’s things. We first see something we don’t have, then we start wishing we could have it, next we think we deserve it and then it’s very easy to think that the other one does not deserve to have it as much as we do, he/she does not even take good care of it anyway or is not able to defend it, so if I don’t steal it, someone else will - it all starts with one little thought that goes unchecked.
But it's not so simple, right? what if we are hungry? what if our children are starving to death? Is stealing justifiable in this case?
We should keep in mind that unfortunately the Bible is not followed, for if it were, we would not have the same horrible world we have today. The Creator’s instructions are that we look after one another. If someone in our community is hungry or lacking warm clothes and we have enough to spare, helping is not an option. The Torah also had strict rules for the Israelite to look after widows and orphans with resources collected from the wealthy and kept in the Temple. By following the Bible, even the poor ones would not perish and their existence was important to make sure the wealthy ones could show generosity.
‘Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need’. (Ephesians 4:28)
As for the Norwegian homeless guy, for those who are curious, I took the refused ice cream with me and enjoyed it at the movie theater and ice cream in the winter is not such a bad idea after all. ;)
Why is this Commandment more important now than ever: Have you ever starved? I hope not, but famine and absolute need should not be an impossible thought, especially nowadays. People have done the biggest atrocities during famine. Average nice people you see today will be capable to kill for a piece of bread and will eat their own children out of despair.
If you think this is an exaggeration, just read about Holomodor. The Bible also has several descriptions of the horrors of famine. In a bad situation, a believer should be ready to endure difficult times and also to be the one whose mission will be to help desperate brothers and sisters.
May we all get prepared and strengthened in Yahuah, so that if we are ever tested with tribulation we may preserve our humanity.
Comments