You Shall Not Steal

Thursday, November 2nd, 2006

Below are some thoughts on the eighth commandment, You Shall Not Steal. Since the hebrew word and usage for “steal” has no object (just what is it that you should not steal?) some scholars believe it reads “you shall not steal persons, ” forbidding slavery. Others add: “Well, the OT concept of person extended to his property and so the commandment extends beyond slavery to possessions.” Rather than split hairs over such things I have tried to ask the broader question, how do we honor and celebrate the fruits of another’s labor and/or the gifts another has been given. In what way are we, by our actions, robbing another of those fruits/gifts by making them unavailable?

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Don’t Steal!

Ok!… ummm… anything else?

Yeah, don’t steal!
You said that already. I never steal anything. Really! (you should already know that, by the way)

I dignify people by giving them work to do, from which they can expect to receive the fruits of their labor.

Cool!

I give people gifts for them to enjoy. The creation and everything produced from it, for example.

OK! Yeah, I was just enjoying the drive up Chehalem Mountain today. Great creation, there, God. Thanks.

Stealing is the failure to honor and accept this creational intention of mine.

Say that again?

Stealing is the failure to accept and honor the fruits of another’s labor and/or the gifts I have given them.

Are you talking to me?

Do you ever buy food items that don’t cover the cost’s of another’s labor?
Do you ever buy products for which the laborers who made them are not paid a living wage?
Do you waste the earth’s natural resources?
Is your lifestyle sustainable so that future generations will have enough?

Is this really God, or is it Al Gore?

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I ran across a statement from an international Christian organization that included the following paragraph. I thought there were good food for thought.

What questions do these thoughts raise in your minds/hearts? How can we honor this commandment in our personal/community/national/global lives?

The seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one’s neighbor and wronging him in any way with respect to his goods. It commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men’s labor. For the sake of the common good, it requires respect for the universal destination of goods and respect for the right to private property. Christian life strives to order this world’s goods to God and to fraternal charity.

The development of economic activity and growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings. Economic life is not meant solely to multiply goods produced and increase profit or power; it is ordered first of all to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the entire human community. Economic activity, conducted according to its own proper methods, is to be exercised within the limits of the moral order, in keeping with social justice so as to correspond to God’s plan for man.

In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race. However, the earth is divided up among men to assure the security of their lives, endangered by poverty and threatened by violence. The appropriation of property is legitimate for guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of persons and for helping each of them to meet his basic needs and the needs of those in his charge. It should allow for a natural solidarity to develop between men.

A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice. In determining fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. “Remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good.” Agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally the amount to be received in wages.

Rich nations have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by themselves or have been prevented from doing so by tragic historical events. It is a duty in solidarity and charity; it is also an obligation in justice if the prosperity of the rich nations has come from resources that have not been paid for fairly.

Ten Commandment Series

One Response to “You Shall Not Steal”

  1. Bret Says:
    November 6th, 2006 at 3:42 pm

    I subscribe to Oxfam’s email list. They are a human rights organization that
    looks out for things like fair trade, dumping, and wage issues. One thing they
    do that I appreciate is that in their emails they have prewritten forms you can
    send to various different politicians and companies asking them to consider
    different issues. For instance, this morning I wrote a letter to George W.
    asking him to consider participating in the Skip A Meal Nov 16 event, as well as
    to Starbucks asking them to consider letting Ethiopian coffee farmers have their
    own brand on their coffee. You can edit the letters yourself if you want, or
    just send Oxfam’s form. It takes only as long as it takes you to read an email.
    The site is www.oxfamamerica.org
    As a side note, Oxfam was founded in the UK by Quakers - kinda cool.

    I know its not much, but it is one easy thing to do and it does help keep your
    general awareness of the world up a bit as well.

    I really appreciate this take on the 7th commandment. I hope that NVF can be a
    part of a growing social conscience among Americans.

    Bret

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