REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

What is the opposite of stealing? Is it simply … not stealing?

The Eighth Commandment says:

“You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)

Let’s start by thinking about what stealing is before we consider its opposite. When I think of stealing, my mind usually goes to someone wearing a balaclava and breaking into a house, or a shoplifter. But as we’ve already seen, biblical commands often apply to deep heart issues, not just “big sins”.

In the Bible, examples of stealing using deceptive methods to overcharge people, like merchants who used weights that were slightly too heavy or too light when weighing out goods. Deuteronomy 25:13-15 condemns using “differing weights” and “differing measures”, and then says:

For the LORD your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly. (Deuteronomy 25:16)

Stealing involves dealing dishonestly. One author I read defined stealing in the Bible as “the act of taking property from another without permission and in secret.” Stealing stems from greed, and it usually involves taking deceptively.

Other biblical examples include shifting the boundary with your neighbour’s house to sneak some extra real estate (Deuteronomy 19:14), exploiting the poor and vulnerable by charging high interest (Exodus 22:25-27), and not paying your taxes (Mark 12:17). Can you think of other examples? Underpaying a tradesperson; not returning an item that you forgot to pay for at the supermarket; not doing the hours you’re being paid for at work.

So, what is the opposite to stealing? Last week I introduced “the bottle principle”: the best way to get all the air out of a bottle is not to try to suck the air out, it’s to fill it with water. Similarly, the best way to get rid of sin is not to try to stop loving it; it’s to replace the sin with something much better: being captivated by God. That often means meditating on the beauty of the gospel and seeing, in Christ, the attribute of God that is the antidote to the sin.

When it comes to stealing, the God-shaped opposite isgenerosity. Listen to how Paul describes the outstanding generosity of the Christians in the churches of Macedonia (Philippi and Thessalonica):

1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. (2 Corinthians 8:1-3a)

This is an extraordinary testimony! How could they give generously from a situation of “very severe trial” and “extreme poverty”? The secret ingredient was: “their overflowing joy” (v2) – a joy which came from knowing just how generous Jesus was in becoming a man and dying a slave’s death, so that we could be spiritually, eternally wealthy:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Knowing and experiencing the generosity of Jesus, in his death for us, is what will captivate us with God, especially with the beauty of his generosity.

Is joyful generosity something you long to grow in – generosity to the needy, and generosity to ministry and to mission? Has it been a long time since you last sat down and worked out how much you are able to give, and who you will give to? If so, plan when you are will do it. And when you do, here are some Bible passages you could read to help “fill the battle” with living water:

• 2 Corinthians 8–9

• Luke 19:1-10

• Acts 4:32-37

• 1 Timothy 6:6-19

To finish: I recently listened to an episode of a podcast called “You’re Not Crazy”. Sam Allberry – one of the presenters – told a story from a book called Heaven and Hell about a Japanese thief who came to faith in Jesus. All his life, all he had known how to do was steal. But when he trusted in Christ, he and started going to a church which had the 10 Commandments on the back wall. When he read, “You shall not steal,” at first he thought: “How can I ever stop stealing? It’s all I’ve ever known.” But then he read those words again – “You shall notsteal” – and he read them as a promise. It was Jesus’ promise: “You are going to stop stealing.”

I think that is a brilliant way to read the Ten Commandments – and it’s true! When Jesus has finished with you, you will be wonderfully, warmly, joyfully generous. Resting in that assurance is what will motivate us to strive to be wonderfully, warmly, joyfully generous now.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.