The Law, P5
This blog post is Part 30 of a series entitled "From Fear To Freedom" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN.
Message Date: October 6, 2024
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Well, it is hard to believe we have arrived at that time of year people... the busy Christmas shopping season! It’s here, y’all! Do you know what is one of the top selling gifts people purchase each year to give to family members for Christmas? Calendars. How many of you still purchase a printed calendar? (Amy!) Calendars are still big business in America. Last year, the printed calendar industry made $342 million dollars, most of which were sold in the 3 months leading up to Christmas day. Any idea which company sells more calendars in the months of October, November, and December? Target. Target sells more calendars in the three months leading up to Christmas than any other store chain! This is why Target here in Donelson was so devastated last weekend. Did y’all see the story of what happened there Friday night? Someone broke into the Target here in Donelson Friday night and stole more than $45,000 in 2025 calendars. Crazy, right?! Well, for all your calendar buyers... not to worry! They caught the guy! And you know what he received? He got 12 months! HA!
The National Retail Federation estimates that American businesses lose $100 billion every year in products stolen. Listen to this – more than 30% of these crimes of stealing happen among employees of said business. The #1 item stolen from American businesses in 2023: Baby formula. And a recent Business Leadership report concluded that the #1 way in which employees steal today is what is known as: Time Theft. Employees, in particular, who are salaried or who work for a boss who gives them a lot of freedom in their role, come in a few minutes late to work repeatedly; consistently leave a few minutes early; or take longer at lunch than they should. This report concluded that the average employee spends less than three hours out of each eight-hour work period actually doing real and beneficial work for their employer. So, this means that, on average, many employees steal from their employer every single day by not doing the job said employee committed to doing at their hire date.
Of course, the ways in which humans steal are potentially endless: Products are often stolen in self-checkout lines; tax return fraud; online data breaches and on and on. If this hits home, you may be a thief... no, you are a thief.
Commandment #8: You shall not steal.
Exodus 20:15
A basis for understanding why you are not to steal originates from Scripture. And specifically, as lovers of God and followers of the Christ, the story of God’s holy plan for our lives begins, once again, in the Genesis. With the very first words, and even unto the very last words recorded in the first chapter of the Genesis story, we can clearly conclude that, as a human:
You have no right to steal anything because... Everything God made is God’s. Everything God made is good.
Read with me the first and last words of God recorded in chapter one of the book of Genesis. The first words:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
The last words of God recorded in chapter one of the book of Genesis:
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31
Good / Hebrew/ tob = of the finest quality; morally uncompromising
You and I have no right to steal, again, because the world and all that is in it is God’s. Of all the truths and wisdom and revelations and realities that God gives to us as His people in Scripture. Scripture begins with the very veracity that God made everything. It’s all His! And everything God has made, He made of the highest quality and as morally sound. This is the evidence of His creation. Because it is all His, you have no right to steal anything. This is why God tells Moses to tell His people in Exodus 20:15: You shall not steal.
I have asked myself this week: Why steal? Why does anyone steal? I never try minimizing a difficult topic by offering a somewhat simple antidote. But at the heart of the one who steals, I would conclude that in some way and on some level, what is most present in one’s life: deception. A deception influencing one’s decisions; one’s motivations; one’s struggles.
Steal / Hebrew / v. / ganab = to deceive
Stealing = deceiving
What is important for you to note about Commandment #8 is that it bears what I would say is a double infraction; the act of stealing is deceptive upon both involved parties. When one steals, they deceive another by taking from another and thus deceiving said person. Too, when one steals... though said person may not fully see the cause of such actions, they do so because they too have been deceived. Scripture will reveal this to us today. So in Exodus 20, when God gives Moses the eighth Commandment:
When God says do not steal... God is actually commanding:
1. Do not deceive.
2. Do not be deceived.
This is what stealing is... it is deceiving another. But too, it is allowing oneself to be deceived.
We often focus our attention as it relates to the act of stealing on the injustice received by the party from whom something has been stolen. And we should. But I first want to begin my thoughts on Commandment #8 considering the one who steals. For you see... At the core of the actions by the thief, one will undoubtedly discover the evidence of a heart deceived. Church, it is almost always, if not always, true: When you steal, you do so because you have been deceived... deceived into believing that something you do not possess is something deserving of your possession.
Of course, stealing takes on so very many forms and faces... for example: You steal when you are deceived into believing that it is okay to pay your employees less so that you may possess more. You steal when you are deceived into believing that it is okay to do “good enough” or “just enough” work for your employer. You steal when you speak unjustly about another in a way that defames a person. You steal from one in robbing such a person of their reputation; their standing in the community; the character and integrity attached to their name. Stealing, in its clearest form, comes ultimately from the heart; from a heart deceived.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts - murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Matthew 15:19
Notice Jesus states that it is in the heart where murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander originate. Now... we could naturally spend time discussing why stealing from one another is so very wrong. And when Moses commands the people of Israel not to steal, in so many ways he is speaking to these very acts. Instead this morning, I want to discuss with you a manifestation of this Commandment that you potentially rarely consider: The atrocity of stealing from God. Did you know the first sin committed by humans was the sin of stealing? And, it happened... because Earth’s first couple was deceived. And the result... was their attempt to steal from the Lord!
Genesis 2:15-17
God gave Adam and Eve the world... except for one tree – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This tree, nor the fruit upon its branches, was not theirs to take. It was God’s tree. But this is exactly what earth’s first couple did – steal from God.
Genesis 3:1-7
Remember... stealing is deceiving. Adam and Eve were deceived. And they then tried to deceive God by stealing from God what was already His. This is why, when questioned, Adam tried to spin the story to justify his actions. In effect, Adam tried to deceive God:
Genesis 3:11-12
And Eve continued the act of deception:
Genesis 3:13
Did you notice verse 13? Listen to it again.
Genesis 3:13
Even Eve admits she has been deceived. This is the first time in all of Scripture we read this verb to be “deceived.” And interestingly, this act is connected to the act of stealing. Again, let me remind you. The act of stealing is a double infraction. The one stealing is deceived in one’s heart. And the one as the recipient of the act of stealing, in this case God, is too deceived. Except in this case... God can never be deceived... no matter how crafty one is in their attempts to get away with such deception! How silly of them both to think they could deceive God. Remember...
When you steal, you do so because you have been deceived... deceived into believing that something you do not possess is something deserving of your possession.
This is exactly what Earth’s first couple unsuccessfully attempted. What a costly and empty endeavor on their part. Too, consider Satan attempts, unsuccessfully of course, to deceive Jesus:
Matthew 4:1-10
Notice what Satan strives to do – to deceive Jesus into believing that what Satan is offering is better than what Jesus already possesses. How so very silly of Satan. Yet here we find the great deceiver doing what he does best... deceiving in an attempt to ultimately steal from a Holy God. Additionally, even the nation of Israel stole from God. “What did they steal?” It’s simple: Gold. The nation of Israel had quite the “Fort Knox” of gold in their possession. How did this happen?
Exodus 11:1-3
Exodus 12:31-36
This process of plundering the Egyptians was a prophetic fulfillment on the part of the Lord dating back to the book of Genesis. You may recall that we began the From Fear to Freedom series with the covenant that God made with Abram in Genesis 15.
Genesis 15:12-14
Remember this? All of this is proof that the gold and silver and riches that the Hebrews took with them when they fled Egypt was not theirs. It was God’s! “So how did the nation of Israel steal from God these riches?” Well, Moses, if you recall, is still on the mountain of Horeb meeting with God. Somewhere between day 1 and day 40, read what happens:
Exodus 32:1-6
Once again, we see just how very thick is the emotion of fear in this study, From Fear to Freedom. Fear is rampant among the nation of Israel, and once again, it rears its ugly head! Now, how do we see that fear slithers its way into this moment? Well, it is truly quite simple: The nation of Israel allowed their internal fears to manifest within their camp the act of stealing. Out of fear that their leader, Moses, is gone, they then allow this inner fear to deceive them into believing that the only correct next move is to steal from God and erect their next “god” to worship – the golden calf.
If you recall in our study from several months ago, the bull is considered to be a great god of the Egyptians. The Hebrew definition of the word calf is actually translated “bull.” You may too recall that the bull was considered to be a very powerful God. So here we see that fear motivates God's people to revert back to the simple ways of which they had been accustomed during their time in Egypt. Y'all this is just another reminder to us as to why we have meticulously walked through this study - taking our time, connecting these dots to what is truly happening with the nation of Israel. Out of fear, they allow their hearts to be deceived. These Hebrew thieves were deceived into believing that Moses was gone, the gold was theirs, and they could now do as they pleased. And we will see that, just as was the case with Adam and Eve, the sin of stealing does not go unpunished by God. Once Moses returns from the mountain and sees that the Hebrews have been worshiping another God, listen to the verdict God hands down to His people through Moses:
Exodus 32:33-34
We will read of this ultimate punishment… those living here in this moment on the base of Mount Horeb will never step foot into the land flowing with milk and honey. Church let’s pause for a moment and take all of this in… these people have been battered, bruised, and blooded for 400 years. They finally have been freed and are on their way journeying to the land promised to Abram hundreds of years ago. But here we see just how very serious God takes sin. He has saved them from slavery out of the land of Egypt. But because they have allowed such deception in their hearts by stealing from Him, they will never step into Canaan. Remember... God takes sin, your sin; my sin; extremely seriously. Now before we each allow our own hearts to be deceived into believing we are somehow better than the Hebrews of the wilderness, let me remind us each: In some way... you have stolen from God. You may be thinking, “Not me. I have never done so.” Well, before incriminating yourself, consider this... Collectively, we know this about churches in America...
The budgets of the local Church are considerably disproportionate to the amount of people in attendance within the local Church. I dare say, most spend more time thinking about what they are going to buy a loved one for Christmas rather than thinking about the ministry of the local Church, her needs, and her impact in the community that is only made possible through the obedient giving of her members. Whether it is paying for a kids college tuition or saving for that special trip you have always wanted to take, these things in and of themselves are not wrong nor even unholy. What is important to note is this:
You steal from God by placing Him and His holy Church anywhere on your list other than first as it relates to your finances.
Additionally, the Church’s position on culture’s political main stage is weak at best. In consideration of the political season of unrest ever before us, I have these thoughts: The Church has allowed the message “separation of Church and State,” to mostly silence men of God who stand in the pulpit and fear retribution if they make a statement contrary to a church member’s political position. We allow the mantra “the Church should merely avoid the conversation” to so pollute the way many in the Church think that we, rather than offering biblical wisdom, and Godly character, and Scriptural guidance when it comes to the policies of our nation, we simply say nothing.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. Ephesians 5:11
Speak up and judge fairly. Proverbs 31:9a
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5
Do you know that the early 1900’s political debates were almost always held in, of all places, the sanctuaries of churches. And at the end of a debate, a Reverend, or Pastor, or Minister, would offer a rebuttal based upon God's word. Imagine that today. The Church has lost her way in this arena. I realize there are laws that prohibit nonprofits from supporting a political party. I do not refer to this. I instead speak to the Church being the guiding light to our nation offering Biblical wisdom fearlessly as it relates to any issue or platform important to our nation, including, but not limited to public policy formation, guiding the presentation of laws to align with Scripture, and holding our leaders who govern the people responsible when they step outside the bounds of God’s true and Holy Words.
Church... When I hear others say that politics should never enter the pulpit, I become quite confused. Should we really have political views, or any views, as followers of the Christ that have nothing to do with Christ? Is there any place whatsoever in Scripture that commands us to forfeit our biblical convictions or set one’s Christianity aside as we consider a particular topic or movement or process in which this nation should be founded, organized, managed, and led? Absolutely not.
You know, if I were Satan, one thing I'd really try to sell the world, specifically sell the church, and absolutely work to convince Christians of: Keep God out of politics. From almost the beginning of the biblical story through the very end, we see a story steeped in politics – a story of policy, laws, judges, leaders, kings, governments, and nations - who, eventually, disobey God, go their own way, and work to manipulate and maneuver and murder to get what they want... or to cover up what they’ve done! Is this not exactly what happened with our Savior? He was born right into a time and place when a murderous king, in fear of losing his political position, ordered the blood of innocent children to be shed in his attempt to remain on the throne and protect said position. Thirty years later, at the onset of the ministry of Jesus, the Roman Empire’s brutal dysfunction and murderous hand worked at every turn to create law, control the people, and then murder anyone, notably the Christ, who stood in their way.
Through the fullness of the Scriptures, the Canaanites, Perizzites; Jebusites, and Hivites and Philistines; King Nebuchadnezzar; Kings the bible called “good;” Kings the Bible labeled as bad; Judges and Priests; the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Egyptians; Serians; Persians; Romans, Assyrians; Babylonians; the Greeks... From empire to empire, government to government, king to king, and on generation to generation...The entirety of the biblical story is one of men who grapple with power and pride and politics.
Now... I couple this with the reality that it is not the Church’s responsibility to be political activist. This is not our biblically mandated role. It is our responsibility to preach and teach and mirror the Holy Word of God that can change lives. Church, I do not see in Scripture anywhere where the Lord tells us to do exactly this except for in the arena of how one’s nation is governed. In actuality, the 10 Commandments we are studying are precisely this - Laws given by God to lead a nation of people in how they are to honor God. And as we continue in this study, we are going to see that politics is extremely prevalent in the formation of daily responsibilities that the leaders of the nation of Israel had to govern and lead their people and nation.
Yes... times have changed. But God’s Word has not! And, as His Holy Church, neither can we!
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4
So with such confusion and misinformation and false teaching coupled with a political landscape that continues to move the markers on what is right and good and of noble character, the Church can be; the Church should be; the Church must be the voice of reason and integrity and holiness that, as Paul reminds us in Hebrews, passionately embraces the Word of God to lead the conversation that is sharper than any double-edged sword; that penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; and that judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. For us to do otherwise is to steal from God. I will lastly say y’all...
You steal from God when you offer to Him any choice, any action, any gift, any act, anything other than your very best.
Look at what Paul reminds us of in Romans 12:1:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1
Not only do so very many within the Church not fully and wholly and completely offer their bodies as a living sacrifice to the Christ... many are not even concerned with such an action of holy indiscretion. If so, we would love without judging; we would give with generous hearts and give again; we would cease all gossip; all malice; all bitterness; we would love our neighbors as ourselves in ways that usher inconvenience on our lives in order to better the lives of those around us. Stealing from God truly has so very many faces. Will you just simply ask God to reveal to you the ways of your heart and if there be any area of your heart that needs addressing. As we have read today, Jesus revealed to us in Matthew 15 that it is in the heart where the act of stealing originates.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24
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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.