Chapter 6 Steal, Lie or Gamble/ "WHY DON'T YOU"

Exodus 20:15-16

15 You must not steal. 16"You must not testify falsely against you'r neighbor.

           

To testify falsely means lying in court. God knows that Israel could not survive unless it's system of justice was incorruptible. We should be honest in our private dealings, as well as in our public statements. In either situation. We "Testify falsely" by leaving something out of a story, telling a half-truth, twisting the facts, or inventing a falsehood. God warns us against deception. Even though deception is a way of life for many people, God's people must not give in to it!

Leviticus 19:13 

13. "Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. "Do not make you're hired workers wait until the next day to receive their pay.

"Do not..." 

Some people think the Bible is nothing but a book of don'ts. But Jesus neatly summarized all these rules when he said to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. He called these the  greatest commandments (or rules) of all (Matthew 22:34- 40). By carrying out Jesus's simple commands, we find ourselves following all of God's other  laws as we'll.

Jeremiah 22:13

13. And the Lord says, "what sorrow awaits Jehoiakim,*  who builds his palace with forced labor.* He builds injustice  into its walls, for he makes his neighbors work for nothing. He does not pay them for their labor.

God passed judgment on King Jehoiakim.  His father Josiah, had been one of Judas great kings, but Jehoiakim was evil. Josiah had been faithful to his responsibility to be a model of right living, but Jehoiakim had been unfaithful to his responsibility to imitate his father. 

God's judgment was unfaithful Jehoiakim. He could not claim his father's blessings when he had not followed his father's God. 

We may inherit our parents' money, but we cannot inherit their faith. A godly heritage, a good education, or a beautiful home doesn't guarantee moral character. We must have our own relationship with God.

Ezekiel 22:12

12. There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere. They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign LORD.

The leaders, whom God chose, were responsible for the moral climates of the nation. The same is true today (see James 3:1). Unfortunately, many of the sins mentioned here have been committed in recent years by Christian leaders. We are living in a time of unprecedented attacks by Satan. We must uphold our leaders in prayer, and leaders must seek accountability in order to help them maintain their moral and spiritual integrity.

Zechariah 5:3

3. Then he said to me, "This scroll contains the curse that is going out over the entire land. One side of the scroll says that those who steal will be banished from the land; the other side says that those who swear falsely will be banished from the land.

The judgment of the flying scroll was leveled against those who violated God's law, specifically by stealing and lying (5:1-4). The woman in a basket personified wickedness and so this vision showed that wickedness would be not only severely punished (the vision of the flying scroll) but also banished (the vision of the woman in a basket, 5:6-9).

A woman in a Basket

Zechariah 5:6-11 

5. Then the Angel who was talking with me came forward and said, "Look up and see what's coming." 6. "What is it?" I asked. He replied, "It is a basket for measuring grain,* and it's filled with sins* of everyone throughout the land." 7. Then the heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it. 8. The Angel said, "The woman's name is Wickedness," and he pushed her back into the basket and closed the heavy lid again. 9. Then I looked up and saw two women flying toward us, gliding on the wind. They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky. 10. "Where are they taking the basket?" I asked the Angel. 11. He replied, "To the land of Babylonian,* where they will build a temple for the basket. And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its pedestal.

The woman in a basket was carried away "to the land of Babylonia," which had become a symbol for the center of world idolatry and wickedness. This woman was a picture to Zechariah that wickedness and sin would be taken away from Israel and one day sin would be removed from the entire earth. When Christ died, he removed sin's power and penalty. When we trust Christ to forgive us, he removes the penalty of sin and gives us the power to overcome sin in our life. When Christ returns, he will remove all sin from the earth, allowing people to live in eternal safety insecurity.

Jesus Speaks To The Rich Young Man

Matthew 19:16-18

16. Someone came to Jesus with this question: "Teacher,* what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" 17. "Why ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. But to answer your question-if you want to receive eternal life, keep* the Commandments." 18. "Which ones?" The man asked. And Jesus replied: "You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely.

To this man seeking assurance of eternal life, Jesus pointed out that salvation does not come from good deeds unaccompanied by love for God. The man needed a whole new starting pointed. Instead of adding another commandment to keep or good deed to perform, the young man needed to submit humbly to the lordship of Christ.

In response to the young man's question about what good deed he needed to do in order to be assured of eternal life, Jesus told him to keep God's Ten Commandments. Jesus then listed six of them, all referring to relationships with others, when the young man replied that he had kept the commandments, Jesus told him that he must do something more-sell everything and give the money to the poor. Jesus statement exposed the man's weakness. In reality, his wealth was his god, his idol, and he would not give it up. Thus, he violated the first and greatest commandment (Exodus 20:3 Matthew 22:36-40).

Love fulfills God's Requirements

Romans 13:9

9.   For the commandments say, "you must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.* These-and other such commandments- are summed up in this one commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself."*

Some how many of us have gotten the idea that self-love is wrong. But if this were the case, it would be pointless to love our neighbors as ourselves. But Paul explains what he means by self-love. Even if you have low self-esteem you probably don't willingly let yourself go hungry. You take care of your body and may even exercise. 

You clothe  yourself reasonably well. You make sure there's a roof over your head. You try not to let yourself be cheated or injured. This is the kind of love we need to have for our neighbors. Do we see that others are fed, clothed, and housed as well as they can be? Are we concerned about the issues of social justice? Loving others as ourselves means actively working to see that their needs are met. Interestingly people who focus on others rather are than on themselves rarely suffer from low self-esteem.

Ephesians 4:28

28. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.

We can bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit by the way we live. Paul warns us against unwholesome language, bitterness improper use of anger, harsh words, slander, and bad attitudes toward others. Instead of acting that way, we should be forgiving, just as God has forgiven us. Are you bringing sorrow or pleasing God with your attitudes and actions? Act in love to do brothers and sisters in Christ. Just as God I couldn't love us and you sent toward your brothers and sisters in Christ. Just as God acted in love by sending his son to die for your sins.