Thursday

Day 133: The Eighth Commandment, part 3


Westminster Larger Catechism
Q.140. Which is the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal [i].

Westminster Shorter Catechism
Q. 75. What is forbidden in the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth or may unjustly hinder our own or our neighbour’s wealth or outward estate [l].

[l] Proverbs 21:17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man; he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
Proverbs 23:20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: Ver.21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Proverbs 28:19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Westminster Larger Catechism
Q.142. What are the sins forbidden in the eighth commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the eighth commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required [y], are, theft [z], robbery [a], man-stealing [b], and receiving any thing that is stolen [c]; fraudulent dealing [d], false weights and measures [e], removing landmarks [f], injustice and unfaithfulness in contracts between man and man [g], or in matters of trust [h]; oppression [i], extortion [k], usury [l], bribery [m], vexatious lawsuits [n], unjust inclosures and depopulations [o]; ingrossing commodities to enhance the price [p]; unlawful callings [q], and all other unjust or sinful ways of taking or withholding from our neighbour what belongs to him, or of enriching ourselves [r]; covetousness [s]; inordinate prizing and affecting worldly goods [t]; distrustful and distracting cares and studies in getting, keeping, and using them [v]; envying at the prosperity of others [w]; as likewise idleness [x], prodigality, wasteful gaming; and all other ways whereby we do unduly prejudice our own outward estate [y], and defrauding ourselves of the due use and comfort of that estate which God hath given us [z].

The sins forbidden in the eighth commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required [y],

[y] James 2:15-16 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, Ver.16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

are, theft [z],

[z] Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather, etc.

robbery [a],

[a] Psalm 62:10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery:

man-stealing [b],

[b] 1 Timothy 1:10 [The law was made] for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

For Further Study:

and receiving any thing that is stolen [c];

[c] Proverbs 29:24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.
Psalm 50:18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, etc.

fraudulent dealing [d],

[d] 1 Thessalonians 4:6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the LORD is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

false weights and measures [e],

[e] Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.
Proverbs 20:10 Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.

For Further Study:

removing landmarks [f],

[f] Deuteronomy 19:14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Proverbs 23:10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

For Further Study:

injustice and unfaithfulness in contracts between man and man [g],

[g] Amos 8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
Psalm 37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: etc.

For Further Study:

Senator William Proxmire: "...there are 37 million people, is that right, that get Social Security benefits?"
Social Security Commissioner James Cardwell: "Today between 32 and 34 million."
Proxmire: "I am a little high; 32 to 34 million people. Almost all of them, or many of them, are voters. In my state, I figure there are 600,000 voters that receive Social Security. Can you imagine a senator or congressman under those circumstances saying, 'We are going to repudiate that high a proportion of the electorate?' No.
"Furthermore, we have the capacity under the Constitution, the Congress does, to coin money, as well as to regulate the value thereof. And therefore we have the power to provide that money. And we are going to do it. It may not be worth anything when the recipient gets it, but he is going to get his benefits paid."
Cardwell: "I tend to agree."
(The Social Security System, Hearings Before the Joint Economic Committee, Congress of the United States, 94th Cong., 2nd Session, May 26 and 27, 1976, pp. 27-28. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1977.)

injustice and unfaithfulness in matters of trust [h];

[h] Luke 16:10-12 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Ver.11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? Ver.12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

oppression [i],

[i] Ezekiel 22:29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
Leviticus 25:17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.

For Further Study:

extortion [k],

[k] Matthew 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Ezekiel 22:12 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.

For Further Study:

usury [l],

[l] Psalm 15:5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent, etc.

For Further Study:

  • Usury: A Debate
  • If you are late paying your taxes, you must pay interest (usury) and penalties. If the IRS is late refunding over-payment, do you think they will pay you interest for the use of your money?

bribery [m],

[m] Job 15:34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

For Further Study:

  • Despite the protestations of leftists, socialism creates a Bribery Culture. It is not against Biblical Law to bribe someone in order to obtain a just result. It is only prohibited to accept a bribe from an unjust source (seeking an unjust result). Power Corrupts. Bribing corrupt governments is a way of life in many nations today. "Indeed, the tax codes of eight European countries, as well as New Zealand and Australia, make foreign bribes a deductible business expense." (Lew Rockwell) The State is institutionalized corruption.

vexatious lawsuits [n],

[n] 1 Corinthians 6:6-8 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Ver.7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Ver.8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
• Behind every judge is an armed marshal. Lawsuits begin where persuasion ends. The Bible says that if persuasion fails you, it is better to be cheated than ask the marshal to point his gun at your brother.
Proverbs 3:29-30 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. Ver.30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
• (something that happens in hundreds of courts a day in post-Christian America).

End of Lesson, Day 133


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