Your Daily Slice

 

ELUL 14

Theft

 

“Let him who stole steal no more …” (Eph 4:28)

 

We all recognize the prohibition against theft as one of the Ten Words (Ten Commandments), and we have no problem adhering to that.  I doubt that there would be many of us from the Torah observant community that would rob a bank, or steal a car, for not only is that in violation of Torah, but against the laws of our land as well.  However, there are many subtle ways of ‘stealing’, many that most of us would never recognize unless it was first pointed out to us.

 

For example, how many of you ladies will break off and taste one of the grapes before you commit yourselves to buying the entire bunch?  Have you honestly paid for that one grape that you popped in your mouth?  I used to do the same thing until it was pointed out to me that UNTIL that bunch of grapes passed through the check-out stand, every one of those grapes belonged to the grocery store that I was buying them from.  I was stealing.

 

What about when you are driving down the highway – in the middle of nowhere – and spy an object lying in the middle of the road?  Now, this is something that did happen to me, more than 35 years ago.  My first husband and I were returning from a visit to a town about 100 miles from our home, late in the evening, when we came upon a down filled sleeping bag laying on the pavement.  No one was around – there weren’t even any other cars on the highway – so we loaded it up and took it home.  I was convicted of how wrong this action was not too long after it happened; however, my husband did not feel any remorse, and was not inclined to try to find the original owner.  I repented of my part in this situation, which in reality was theft, for we wrongfully obtained something that we had not rightfully purchased.

 

Another example I have for you involves ‘stealing’ time from your employer.  How often do you find someplace to hide, and then do so, waiting on the time clock to run itself past your allotted time to work?  If we are not engaged in the activity that we were hired and are being paid to do, but instead we are finding places and excuses to NOT work, we are ‘stealing’ our employer’s time.   It makes no difference if our employer is a good one, or a bad one.  We are expected to work our job as unto our Elohim.

 

As my last example, I would like to touch on copyright laws; as a published author, this is something I deal with.  These laws not only pertain to written work, which I am involved in, but also other areas as well, including many of the photos we find scattered across the web.  I have, in years past, had other people copy my work, claiming to be the author of it.  While I chose not to prosecute, legally I could have, for the penalties for this type of action are very severe.

 

Brethren, as we continue onward through this ‘season of teshuvah’, let us all be diligent in dealing with those areas of our lives that may not be pleasing to our Elohim.  If this area of subtle ‘sticky fingers’ applies to you in any way, please, folks, take it to our Father.  Restitution is a strong principle throughout the pages of Torah, and if it is something that our Creator is requiring you to do, He will also help you as you walk through it.

 

“Say to the Israelites, When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person is guilty, then he shall confess the sin which he has committed, and he shall make restitution for his wrong in full, and add a fifth to it, and give it to him whom he has wronged.” (Num 5:6-7 AMPC)

 

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