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All right, you can turn to Deuteronomy chapter five as we continue to work through the Ten Commandments. The book of Deuteronomy is a series of exhortations given by Moses to the second generation, preparing them to enter into the promised land. And that entrance is recorded in the book of Joshua. After the death of Moses, the children of Israel go into the land of Canaan, and they are supposed to dispossess the land of the Canaanites and take what God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

But here it's preparatory, it's a reminder, and specifically the exhortation in Deuteronomy 5 to 28 is the longest of the several, and central to that is the Decalogue of the Ten Words of the Ten Commandments. So I'll read the section and then our focus is on the Eighth Commandment tonight in Deuteronomy 519. 

But beginning in verse 1, and Moses called all Israel and said to them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the Lord and you at that time to declare to you the word of the Lord, for you were afraid because of the fire and you did not go up the mountain.

He said, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above. "'or that is in the earth beneath, "'or that is in the water under the earth. "'You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. "'For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, "'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children "'to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, "'but showing mercy to thousands, "'to those who love me and keep my commandments. "'You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, "'for the Lord will not hold him guiltless "'who takes his name in vain. "'Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy "'as the Lord your God commanded you. "'Six days you shall labor and do all your work, "'but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. "'In it you shall do no work, you nor your son, "'nor your daughter, nor your male servant, "'nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, "'nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger "'who is within your gates, that your male servant "'and your female servant may rest as well as you.

And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.

These words, the Lord spoke to all your assembly and in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud and the thick darkness with a loud voice. And he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. Amen.

Well, as we consider the 10 commandments, remember the first four deal with our duty toward God. And then the latter six deal with our duty toward man. And so tonight, as I said, we're in the eighth commandment, Deuteronomy 519, you shall not steal. It's pretty clear. It doesn't take a lot of exegetical prowess to figure out the prohibition, but we are going to look at several things that are contained within this particular prohibition, as we did with sexual sin when we looked at the seventh commandment. 

So tonight we'll look at the prohibition of the command Secondly, the reason for the command, and then thirdly, the positive aspect of the command. 

Now, with reference to the prohibition of the command, it's obviously the unlawful taking of another's property, either by force or by fraud. And as I said, there are a whole host of sins contained in this prohibition. And the first that I want to mention is the act of burglary. 

You can turn back to the book of Exodus in Exodus chapter 22, a passage we looked at previously in our studies in the Decalogue, specifically with reference to self-defense. But if you look at Exodus chapter 22, 2 and 3, you will see burglary. And basically, burglary is entering a dwelling with the intent to commit a crime, especially theft. And that's what's in view in Exodus 22, verse 2. 

If the thief is found breaking in and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft." 

So again, it is illegal, it is unlawful, it is unrighteous to break into another dwelling in order to commit a crime. In this particular situation, he's a thief. He's identified as such. And in this particular exchange, because it's the hours of darkness, if the homeowner defends his property and in the midst of that kills the offender, then there's no guilt on the homeowner. 

Now, verse 3 stipulates, if the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed, the homeowner who killed the thief. because in the hours of daylight you can better assess the purposes or the intention of the man breaking in and as well there would be neighbors alert and awake to render assistance. 

But the prohibition against burglary, it's universal, it's wrong to go into another dwelling, to go into a private property or a public property with the intention to commit a crime. You shall not steal. And this happens all the time, such that it really doesn't get punished anymore. If any of you have been burglarized, you'll know that the cops come and they take a statement, and then you never hear anything ever again. If you have vandalism, how many times have we had vandalism in the building? I don't even report it anymore because nothing ever happens except when they set fires because I figure our insurance company is going to say, well, did you make a report to the police if these morons actually burned the building down? So I do typically report when there's fire involved. But for the most part, burglary is so rampant and is so often unpunished that it kind of makes people think that it's okay. In California, you can go in and shoplift up to, I think, $950 without any repercussions whatsoever. So that encourages people to wander into stores and to take $950 worth of stuff out of the stores back to their own homes. So you shall not steal is an abiding proposition or commandment from God Most High and it should govern all creatures everywhere. 

The second is the act of robbery. Now this is taking something from someone by the use of violence or intimidation. So burglary typically doesn't involve violence. Burglars like to sneak in in the hours of darkness, take whatever it is they want, and then leave without any exchange with reference to the homeowner. Robbery is different. This is still theft. It's still stealing from somebody, but it's using violence or intimidation to do that. 

You can turn to the book of Proverbs in Proverbs chapter 1. As Solomon cautions his sons not to consent when sinners entice them, he gives a specific illustration, and it's robbers. It's those who inflict violence upon others to increase their own gain. So notice in Proverbs 1.10, 

my son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, come with us, let us lie and wait to shed blood. Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them alive like Sheol and whole like those who go down to the pit. We shall find all kinds of precious possessions. We shall fill our houses with spoil. Cast in your lot among us. Let us all have one purse. My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path, for their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird, but they lie in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners. 

Again, theft by way of committing violence or intimidating others is condemned by the eighth commandment. And of course, in Jesus' famous parable of the Good Samaritan, he illustrates by talking about a thief who comes upon a man, a robber who through violence perpetuates the act of theft. 

So burglary is wrong, robbery is wrong, and then thirdly, kidnapping. This is obviously to seize a human being and detain him unlawfully. And typically we think of kidnapping for ransom. It's not the case that a child is abducted today. And well, it is the case, unfortunately, sex trafficked or sold into slavery. But usually we get the idea that somebody is kidnapped and then they call the rich father and they say, you know, make a deposit of bags of money and we'll give you your son back. That's obviously in play with reference to the Eighth Commandment, but so is the idea of slavery, stealing men from their places and taking them elsewhere and then enslaving them. More often than not, that's the prohibition specifically as it's indicated in the Old Testament. 

But a New Testament passage that obviously condemns this is in 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy 1, when Paul is underscoring the lawful use of the law, he speaks concerning what we'd call the civil or political use of the law in verses 9 and 10. And there he summarizes the Ten Commandments. You know, for those who say the Ten Commandments are not for us in the New Covenant Church, well, they were for Paul as an apostle to the New Covenant Church because he invokes their abiding authority in 1 Timothy 1, verses 9 and 10. Now, the Ten Commandments are not a means of our justification. It's not the case that we obey that and then we get to go to heaven. But in terms of our gospel blessings in Jesus Christ, we are justified freely by His grace through faith in the Savior. When we believe on Him, He then gives us the Holy Spirit and He points us to that Decalogue of those Ten Commandments as a pattern for our sanctification.

In other words, what pleases God? What pleases God is having no other gods before Him. What pleases God is not making an idol that is a rival to God. What pleases God, don't blaspheme, don't break His Sabbath, don't be insubordinate, don't be a murderer, don't be an adulterer, don't be a thief, don't be a liar, and don't be a covetous man. That's what's pleasing to God.

So notice in 1 Timothy 1.8, we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. So by that statement, Paul implies that you can use the law unlawfully. If I were to tell you, you need to obey the 10 commandments on your own and you'll go to heaven. That's true, but I also held back the idea that there's no way you can because you're dead in Adam. and you have to engage in exact, entire, and perpetual obedience. So that's an unlawful use of the law.

Preaching the law as a means of justification is an unlawful use. Preaching the law as a restraint for all men everywhere, like Paul does here in 9 and 10, is a legitimate lawful use of the law, and so is the normative use. So believers, Why do we, or how do we know what God desires for us as blood-bought, spirit-filled children? Well, it's the Ten Commandments. It's the revelation of His nature through that divine law.

So he goes on in verse 9 to say, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust."

So again, kidnapping is a wrong thing. It's a violation of the Eighth Commandment. One commentator says, it is today regarded as certain that the prohibition of stealing referred originally to the kidnapping of a free person. So the prohibition in the Eighth Commandment, this man argues, its primary referent initially was to kidnapping or enslaving somebody.

Now again, slavery in scripture was practiced, but the idea of kidnapping in order to perpetuate slavery, that is condemned. But indentured servitude, as we've seen in our studies in the Ten Commandments, that was a legitimate thing in place in Old Covenant Israel. If a thief stole and he didn't have the money to pay back if he was caught, he would be an indentured servant to that family to work off his debt and to pay them back. He wasn't paying back his debt to society generically defined. He was paying back his debt specifically to the family that he wronged.

So kidnapping, bad. As one man also says, it was to steal a man's freedom. And while we don't value freedom as we ought in North America or in Western civilization, historically people usually valued freedom. And so the idea of kidnapping in order to perpetuate slavery is frowned upon and condemned in the Eighth Commandment.

The fourth is the act of fraud. And there's a whole host of ways that one can commit fraud, and we'll look at a few of those. So a deception deliberately practiced to secure unfair or unlawful gain. A deception deliberately practiced to secure unfair or unlawful gain. So that's fraud.

One of the ways that we can do that is the moving of a landmark. You can turn back to Deuteronomy. And again, we're going to come to these passages in due time, just doing some study here on the Ten Commandments. Eventually, we'll come to Deuteronomy chapter 19. But in 1914, it says, you shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set. in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess." If you move his landmark and stretch your property or stretch your border, that is theft, that is fraud, that is deception, and it is frowned upon.

Notice in Deuteronomy 27. I shouldn't keep saying frowned upon. It is condemned and treated with great contempt. Notice in Deuteronomy 27 at verse 17, cursed is the one who moves his neighbor's landmark and all the people shall say, amen.

Remember that the land was central in old covenant theology. The land was promised by God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When God speaks to Abraham and promises him the land, he promises him a seed. We get into the conquest in the book of Joshua, and you see that they go in, they conquer the land, they take the land, and then they divide the land according to the portions that God had allotted to them.

Remember that instance of Naboth in 1 Kings chapter 21. Ahab wanted to increase his property, so he tries to put pressure on Naboth and says, sell me your land. And what does Naboth do? He says, no, this is mine by right. Yahweh gave this to us. Of course, Ahab goes home, he's upset, he's pouting, he's sullen, the scripture says. And Jezebel says, what's the matter? And he tells him what Naboth said. So what does Jezebel do? Jezebel frames Naboth, accuses him, or has him accused of blasphemy, and has him executed so that Ahab can then seize his land.

This is godlessness and unrighteousness, so the moving of landmarks in the Old Covenant and in the New Covenant. I mean, you can't just stretch your property out. You can't just take what belongs to your neighbors. That's forbidden by the Eighth Commandment.

But another act of fraud is the use of unjust weights. If you're in Deuteronomy, look back at 25. Deuteronomy 25 at verse 13. The only place I ever think about unjust weights is the deli, because that's the only place I ever see them weighing things out. I mean, I'm not a trucker, I don't go to the weigh stations, I'm not involved in, you know, counting money or whatever, but the deli, right? If you had the deli and they say, I want a pound of meat, and they're messing with that scale and they're charging you for a pound of meat, but you're only getting three quarters of a pound, that's wrong.

Deuteronomy 25, 13, You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Notice that, that your days may be lengthened. In other words, if you are honest, If you are obedient, if you comply with the law of God, it's not a hundred percent success rate. It's a general principle, however, that life goes good. Proverbs tells us the way of the transgressor is hard. What do we imply from that? The way of the non-transgressor is not as hard And typically, in a moral universe, when you do what you're supposed to do, things tend to work out. Again, there are exceptions. The righteous suffer. We get disease. We have bad things happen to us. But the general principle is, have a just weight, and your life will be better.

For all who do such things, verse 16, all who behave unrighteously are an abomination to the Lord your God. Now, turn to Proverbs, just visiting this theme of unjust weights. You know, the book of Proverbs is written by Solomon, the wisest man next to Christ on the earth. And of course, Solomon writes to all mankind everywhere to be sure it's inscripturated. He writes by the Holy Spirit, but he's a king writing to future kings. He's writing to his sons. They're going to take the throne. They're going to administer the kingdom. They need to know principles of righteousness.

And several times, this one comes up. Notice in 11.1. Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. It comes up again in 16.11. Honest weights and scales are the Lord's. All the weights in the bag are his work. And then again in 20.10. Proverbs chapter 20 in verse 10. Diverse weights and diverse measures, they are both alike. Notice, an abomination to the Lord. What undergirds that but the Eighth Commandment? You shall not steal. And to steal from somebody else is an offense against the Holy God.

Notice again in 20, 23. Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord and dishonest scales are not good. And then again in 22, 22 and 23. So if you're keeping track, there's a lot of emphasis in the book of Proverbs on this whole idea of unjust weights or unbalanced scales. So notice in 22, 22 and 23, do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate for the Lord will plead their cause and plunder the soul of those who plunder them. So the idea is that you are not supposed to rob the poor, you are not supposed to oppress the afflicted, you're not supposed to engage in acts of theft by fraud, specifically unjust weights.

In Isaiah the prophet, you can turn there, Isaiah chapter 1, Naphtali wants to preach through Isaiah because he's going to preach the glorious Christ who comes to save his people from their sins. Great theme the book of Isaiah promotes. But Isaiah also deals in historical context prior to the fall of the northern kingdom. and then the coming fall of the southern kingdom, Isaiah the prophet writes, in a very compromised age. In other words, sin was rampant in Old Covenant Israel. And notice one of the specifics that is mentioned. Notice in 121, how the faithful city has become a harlot. It was full of justice, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves brides and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before that. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.

The reference is to false weights, silver replaced with baser metals or heavily alloyed with them and to false measures, a quart of wine made into a gallon by mixture with water. So it's a condemnation. This is not the fruit of a good society where everybody's doing well. This is the sign or the indicator that society is abandoned. It is abandoned righteousness, and thus is abandoned by God as he gives them over to that lawlessness.

A third act of fraud would be the exploitation of hired workers, Deuteronomy 24. Deuteronomy chapter 24, the exploitation of hired workers. This is something James picks up in James chapter 5 in the New Covenant. But in Deuteronomy 24, 14, you shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy. whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates. Each day you shall give him his wages and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it, lest he cry out against you to the Lord and it be sin to you." Again, this is to defraud a man. This is the exploitation under this larger concern of fraud. You're not supposed to withhold something good from somebody who earned it. Give it up as you had agreed to.

And then I would add under this, you know, had the theft of time. The theft of time. A man is paid to work. When you go clock in and you go do your work, you're supposed to work. You don't charge your employer for eight hours of work if you've only done four hours. That is to defraud and that's unrighteous behavior.

So we've got burglary, robbery, kidnapping, fraud. Under fraud, landmarks, unjust weights, exploitation, and time theft. I would suggest next is the act of extortion. Extortion, acquiring money or property by undue legal power or undue influence. You can turn to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 23. Matthew chapter 23, specifically verse 14. This is Jesus' condemnation of the scribes and the Pharisees, the context. He's working his way up to the Olivet Discourse in chapter 24. He's going to prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem, similar to what Isaiah does there in Isaiah 1, 20 to 22, when he talks about how the city, the great city, has become a harlot, how they are compromised, how they are sinful.

Well, then subsequent in the prophecy of Isaiah is the prophetic condemnation of Old Covenant Israel. Well, Jesus, beginning in chapter 21, to set the larger context, is basically tangling it up with the unbelieving religious leadership of Israel. And he condemns them, he confronts them, they confront him, they ask him a series of questions. Well, here in chapter 23, he just pronounces woes upon them. He's not nice Jesus like everybody says that he is, at least in Matthew chapter 23. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. He calls them a brood of vipers. He doesn't hold back. He doesn't say, well, I don't want to offend your delicate sensitivities. I don't want to trigger you, so I'll make this very nice and soft and palatable. No, he's very, you know, direct.

So verse 13, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither go in yourselves nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Now note verse 14, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you devour widows' houses and for pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation. So obviously this, you know, for a pretense make long prayers, we know that's their custom. Jesus teaches that in the Sermon on the Mount. Don't be like the Pharisee when he prays. He goes out and he stands on the street corner so that he can be seen by men. Or in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican in Luke 18, the Pharisee stands and he prays thus with himself, thank you God that I'm not like other men. Thank you God that I'm such a great fellow. Thank you that I'm not a, you know, a murderer, an adulterer, an extortioner. I'm not like this publican here.

Well, when it says that they devour widows' houses, the best I can tell, and the commentaries that I've consulted, is that when a woman's husband died, they would seek ecclesiastical advice. They'd call their pastor. Well, these guys happen to be false pastors. They happen to be crooks. They happen to be thieves that seized upon this vulnerability and devoured their property, devoured their resources, probably had them invest in, you know, whatever it is that was gonna make them money. And so Jesus condemns that. You devour widows' houses.

I think verse 25, kind of gives an illustration of this. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish by your long prayers for pretense, according to verse 14. But he goes on to say, but inside they're full of extortion and self-indulgence. So you make these long prayers on the street corner so that you can be seen by men. But then when, you know, sister whoever's husband dies, I almost said sister Jones, but most assuredly it probably wasn't Jones. in Old Covenant Israel in the first century. You could probably bank on that. Mrs. Goldstein, perhaps, but not Mrs. Jones. But they'd make their long prayers and they'd meet with the widows and they would devour their resources.

That seems to be the indication here in verse 25, you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish with your long prayers for pretense, but inside they're full of extortion and self-indulgence. And how does he then address that? Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish that the outside of them may be clean also.

So extortion, always bad, acquiring money or property by undue legal power or undue influence, or just coercion. The next would be destruction of property. To destroy property is to wrongfully appropriate it. To destroy property is, in essence, theft of property. You can turn to Exodus 22, Exodus chapter 22. And there's a couple of ways to destroy property, through negligence and as well through wickedness.

Exodus 22 verse six, if fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that stack grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. We know it's not arson, we know he didn't purposefully do this, we know he didn't do this in order to try and kill people, but it was through his negligence that he did this. So you don't just say, well, it's too bad you threw your cigarette butt on the grain and it caught fire. That's just the way things go. No, you've got to make restitution. You've got to pay back. You've got to see that emphasis in Old Covenant and New Covenant law and pretty much the history of the world up until the 21st century. Restitution, well, the 20th century too wasn't great, but restitution and paying back were valuable commodities. People prized that. You didn't just get away with things. You didn't just go to prison to pay your debt to society. You paid back through hard work and effort what you wrongfully took from another person.

But as well, destruction of property through wickedness. You can look at Deuteronomy 22. Deuteronomy chapter 22. Verse one, you shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and hide yourself from them. You shall certainly bring them back to your brother. And if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it to your own house and it shall remain with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. You shall do the same with his donkey. And so you shall do with his garment, with any lost thing of your brothers which he has lost and you have found. You shall do likewise.

You must not hide yourself. You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall down along the road and hide yourself from them. You shall surely help lift them up again. Again, that's not just negligence. That is positively doing something that is wrong. You should help your neighbor. You should try to, you know, make sure he doesn't lose an ox or a donkey or a garment.

And then the final one that I want to mention, this is probably a bit closer to home. I don't know how many of us have, you know, night jobs as burglars or day jobs as robbers or kidnappers or we get into fraud or extortion or property. But the act of religious theft. Religious theft. You can turn to the book of Malachi. Malachi chapter 3.

I should set Malachi 3 in its larger context. The book of Malachi is what we call a post-exilic prophet, post-exile, after the exile. So after the Babylonian captivity, the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC. They take the Judahites to Babylon, and the Judahites are there for about 70 years. After 70 years, they return because of the decree of Cyrus. Cyrus, king of Persia, said, yeah, you guys can go back. we'll give you some dough to help you rebuild and, you know, blessings to be upon you." I don't know if Cyrus said that, but that's essentially what happened.

So you've got three post-exilic prophets in the Old Testament. You've got Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. So these men come later than, say, Jeremiah and Isaiah. Jeremiah was in the midst of the Babylonian captivity or the time of the Babylonian invasion. Isaiah was prior to that. So you kind of time or date the prophets relative to when the northern kingdom was standing and the southern kingdom was standing. Well, here the kingdoms had both collapsed. Now Judahites return to Judah or to Israel and they're rebuilding in Jerusalem.

So, basically, what's happening in Malachi, and, you know, if you've ever asked the question, I wonder why they didn't learn lessons after the collapse of the northern and southern kingdoms. You're on the right track. They should have learned lessons. They learned all too well that what God says in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus chapter 26 wasn't just filler to end the books. the curses of the covenant were executed by the God of heaven and earth. So, that's what happens in the northern, collapse of the northern kingdom, that's what happens in the collapse of the southern kingdom.

In fact, that's Jeremiah's argument in Jeremiah chapter 3 to the southern kingdom. Look at your sister up north, look at what they did, look at what happened to them. The Assyrians came in and conquered that. If you continue in the same path you're going, then you're going to be conquered by the Babylonians. but they continue in that path. This is the perennial problem of man, sin. Parents know every time you tell a child, do this or do that, two out of 10, they might get, but not usually. Why is that? Because we have a sin nature, because we don't listen. We just tune it out, or we do what we want. So by the time you get to the post-exilic prophets, you'd like to think that the two collapses of both kingdoms would have set them straight. But it didn't set them straight. The only thing that sets sinners straight is the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's kind of the overall emphasis in the Old Testament. It presses us toward the coming of the Messiah that will save his people from their sins.

But in Malachi, it's basically a series of indictments by the prophet Malachi to the children of Israel. So Malachi comes along and says, you did this, you did this, you did this. And they say, who, us? And then Malachi gives them an extended argument as to, yeah, this is what you did.

So in Malachi chapter one, for instance, he's condemning them for their worship practices, the way they sacrifice. You bring the lame, and you bring the maimed, and you even steal animals to bring them to the place of worship in order to sacrifice them. Again, brethren, as I've said on many occasion, if you find yourself stealing your neighbor's goat to offer it up as a sacrifice to God, you've missed the point of sacrifice. Sacrifice has to do with pinch. A pinching of your own flesh, a deprivation of your own account, some sort of hardship in your life, stealing your neighbor's goat and taking it and offering it up as a sacrifice really does completely destroy the notion of sacrifice.

But so does the blind and the lame. Why? Because God demands the best, right? You read the book of Leviticus, as we've gone through Leviticus, does God say, you know, reach into the back of your flock or your herd and get the worst one and bring that to me to sacrifice? No, God says, give me the best. God demonstrates that and that he so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. So the principle, Old Covenant-wise, was to highlight the need for a sacrifice that was wholly harmless, undefiled, a sacrifice that was spotless and pure, a sacrifice that was perfect.

So the prophet upbraids them or indicts them for that kind of practice. In fact, God says, send this to your governor and see if he'd be pleased with it. You think you could pay your taxes to the Persian governor with a blind animal, a lame animal, a maimed animal? You think the governor's going to appreciate that? No way. He's going to say, out of there, give me the best. And the reason why they give the lame or the blind or the maimed is because the non-lame, the non-blind, the non-maimed was more valuable. So they wanted to keep the more valuable. Again, it's not rocket science. I understand it. I condemn it, along with the prophet. But knowing my own heart, I see the inclination. And hey, I want to keep this best part for myself. That's religious theft, right? You're supposed to present the best of God, and you kind of dole out what's left. You give him a few shackles that's left over.

Well, then it gets right down to the issue of tithing in Malachi chapter 3. And in Malachi 3.8, notice, will a man rob God? That's why I call it religious theft. Well, a man robbed God, yet you have robbed me. But you say, here it is, in what way have we robbed you? They're so surprised. That's the constant refrain in the book of Malachi. He upbraids them. He rebukes them. What do we do? You know? Again, you walk into the kitchen. Your kid has chocolate all over his face. He's got chocolate on his hand. The lid's off the cookie jar. And you say, you know, I'm sure you've gotten into that. Well, what do you mean? Well, I know exactly what I mean because I'm looking at the evidence of it right before my eyes. That's what's happening in the prophet Malachi.

So will a man rob God, yet you have robbed me. But you say, in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me. Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And try me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

Now, brethren, I know there's this group of weirdo preachers called Health, Wealth, and Prosperity guys that say, you know, Malachi 3, you test God, you go give the best you have and as much as you want, and you just watch him repay you. You just watch, you know, your bank account grow. That's not the purpose for this text. God is saying, I am faithful, give to me, I will sustain, and I will even bless you.

Now, having said all this, God doesn't need our money. God's not dependent upon, you know, the tithes and offerings to keep BC Hydro functioning. But it's an act of worship. It's an act of sacrifice. It is a lively acknowledgement of, I'm sorry, Psalm 24. The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it. So that whatever we possess or own, whatever God has graciously given us, we are stewards of it. We're not the omnipotent owners of it. God is. He has entrusted it to us, and gratitude and thankfulness and joy and cheerfulness ought to be part and parcel of the Christian heart relative to giving to God Most High.

Jesus speaks to this in Matthew's Gospel. Matthew 23, same passage, woes to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, you bag of snakes. Notice in 23, 23. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. You see the obvious problem there. They're weighing out, okay, tithe means tenth. I just have this picture in my head of these guys with their scales weighing mint. Mint does not weigh much. Neither does anise or cumin. To get the tenth takes probably effort as you're weighing it out. Okay, here's the 10% there and here's the 10% there and here's the 10% there. All the while you've neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. So the obvious problem there, right? You're weighing out Mint, Annis and Kuhman, and you're neglecting justice, mercy and faith. Big disconnect.

And remember, he's talking to the religious leadership in Israel in the first century. You know, brethren, we see it in John's gospel. They take up stones often to throw at Jesus to kill him. They've already plotted and planned to kill Jesus. All the way back to Matthew chapter 9, Jesus sort of foreshadows that his death is coming. But in Matthew 12, they actively begin to plot his demise. So you see that there is some big contrast between Jesus and the religious leaders of the Jews in the first century.

But notice what he goes on to say after you've neglected the weightier matters of the law. These you ought to have done, justice and mercy and faith, without leaving the others undone, tithing the mint and the anise and the cumin. He doesn't say, no, you don't have to tithe the mint, anise, and the cumin. No, go ahead. It's an expression to God, the owner of all things. This is the rightness of tithing and offering. So these you ought to have done, justice and mercy and faith, without leaving the others undone.

And then in verse 24, blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. That was funny. If you were a believer and you loved Jesus and you heard him say that, you'd probably have to fight back a bit of a laugh. Just like when you watched Elijah mock the prophets of Baal and say, where's your God? Is he meditating? Is he in the bathroom? Is he busy? You probably would have thought that was a bit of a knee slapper.

But as well, in the original language, gnat and camel rhyme to give it a bit more added punch. But you get this picture in your head. They strain tithing mint and anise and cumin, but they swallow the neglect of justice and mercy and faith. You strain out a gnat and you swallow a camel.

He has no regard for their delicate sensitivities and for anything that might offend them or trigger them. In fact, in Luke's gospel, there's an instance where Jesus is condemning the Pharisees and then a lawyer comes up to him and he says, you know, when you say this, you're offending the Pharisees. You know what Jesus does? Oh, I'm sorry. He says, well, what about you lawyers too? He turns his guns against him.

This concept that Jesus would just wander around floating through the streets, just waving magic dust all over all the multitudes is simply unbiblical. This is the Jesus that flipped the tables over, that drove the animals out of the temple courts of God most high. This Jesus pronounces woes and condemnation upon the scribes and the Pharisees.

So those are a sample of sins that are forbidden. But of course, whenever we see an external act, it flows from an internal disposition. So we're going to end here. We'll pick up the reason for the command and the positive aspect of the command next week. And we might even look at theft by government in 1 Samuel chapter 8.

But the inner disposition, obviously, when we continue on through the Decalogue, you get to the 10th commandment. and the 10th commandment is you shall not covet. So, the thieving heart or the thieving act flows from this covetous heart. In fact, the covetousness in, you know, the 10th commandment is pretty comprehensive, all-encompassing. There's probably that aspect, you know, surrounding or underneath you know, many of the other sins that are in the Ten Commandments.

So this idea of covetousness and this inordinate desire for something that doesn't belong to us, we have to resist that temptation. We have to say, thank you, Lord, for what I have, and I'm not going to covet what I don't have. In fact, if you look at society, very often it's a society built on envy. Envy is wanting somebody to be deprived of a good. That's just wicked. It's like the slogan, eat the rich. You've all heard that, right? The socialists all say, eat the rich. Notice where the emphasis isn't. Feed the poor. It's not that they want to feed the poor. They want to deprive the rich. There's something fundamentally wrong with that.

Covetousness and envy. When you build an economic system on covetousness and envy, vis-a-vis socialism or communism, you're in big trouble. And people often say, well, the Bible doesn't speak to matters of economic theory. It certainly does. The Eighth Commandment, you shall not steal. If you've got an economic theory built on stealing, you are in direct contradiction of Scripture at the most foundational level with reference to the Ten Commandments. So this sin of covetousness is bad, but as well the sin of discontentment, which goes hand-in-hand with covetousness. 

If you look at 1 Timothy chapter 6, 1 Timothy chapter 6, Specifically at verse 3, if anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions. 

Notice that Paul went to Jesus' school on how to talk and deal with people. If you teach otherwise and don't consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the doctrine which accords with godliness, Paul doesn't say, we have a different perspective. You have a different hermeneutic. You have a different interpretation. No, he says you're proud. You know nothing. But you're obsessed with disputes and arguments over words. From which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself." 

Now, godliness, note, with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money, notice it's the love of money. It's not money. Money's all moral. Money doesn't rob banks. Money doesn't commit, you know, rape. Money is just money. It's a tool by, you know, designed by man that's useful and in the exchange of goods and services. 

But it's that love of money, it's a root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith and their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. So notice that principle in verse eight, having food and clothing with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 

Now before we go and accuse Paul of being a socialist or a communist and telling everybody they need to be reduced to absolute poverty, look at 1 Timothy 6, 17. Huh. So on the one hand, he's condemning those who desire to be rich. Yeah, when they fall into various temptations and snares and the foolish and harmful loss, which drowned men in destruction and perdition. 

Could there be a man who's good at his work, who manages his company well, who's good at applying his trades and services and all that and makes a good wage? Sure. But what is he instructed according to verse 17, command those who are rich in this present age, notice, not to get rid of all their money, give it all to the downtrodden and poor, but not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 

Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life. No, they don't give all their money away to the downtrodden and poor, but they give some of it away because that's an act of or an expression of the bounty that God has blessed one with. You give to God, you give to those needs.

You see the same principle back in Ephesians chapter 4, which you can turn to, Ephesians chapter 4, where the apostle tells them very clearly to not steal any longer. Verse 28, let him who stole, steal no longer. This is in the context of the conduct of the Christian man. You were dead in your trespasses and sins, chapter 2, verses 1 to 3. But now you've been saved by God's grace, Ephesians 2, 8 to 10. By grace, you've been saved through faith, at and out of yourselves. It is the gift of God, lest anyone should boast.

So in chapter 3, he's got a bit of a transition chapter. His place is an apostle to the Gentiles, the mystery of God, the inclusion of Gentiles in the covenant promises of God. And then 4 to 6 is all practical. Notice 4-1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. Verse 17, this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind. So walk in a manner the worthy of the calling with which you were called for one. Don't walk like you used to walk when you were a Gentile and outside of the kingdom of God.

And then very practically in verses 25 to 32, but specifically in verse 28, let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good that he may have something to give him who has need. So work in such a way that you can provide for yourself and that you have enough to give to those who are in need. And when you're working, you're not out stealing. It's a beautiful principle.

And then finally, the disposition involved. Covetousness, discontentment, and then idolatry. Turn to Matthew's gospel. Again, Matthew chapter six. Idolatry, there is a division that can happen in a man's soul with reference to his supposed commitment to God. Notice in Matthew 6, 24, no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. It's an issue of idolatry. You cannot serve God and Mammon. You cannot have two allegiances, two primary allegiances.

Again, I don't think he's saying divest yourself of every bit of money that you've ever made and go live under a bridge and eat dog food for the rest of your life. But in terms of allegiance, it's all summarized in 633. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.

And one final passage and then we'll close in prayer. Proverbs 30. Proverbs chapter 30. You're likely to hear a couple of these again next week. But notice in Proverbs 30, specifically at verses 7 to 9. Two things I request of you, deprive me not before I die, remove falsehood and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with the food allotted to me, lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Now I have no doubt. that God, in his infinite wisdom, when he prospers a man, prospers him in such a way that he's able to deal with that prosperity. Not every man could have $10 million and live a life unfettered by idolatry, covetousness, and all sorts of evil. Some men God has made to make 10 million and be able to live in light of 1 Timothy 6, 17, to 19. I think about mighty preachers that have been used in the history of the church. When God raises up a Spurgeon and gives him a ministry that extensive, he gives him the requisite humility to be able to deal with it and not demand that everybody in his church wear a t-shirt with his picture on it. So when God prospers a man, God fits and equips the man for that prosperity.

Again, I'm not convinced everybody can necessarily do well. I've heard the stories. I've never actually researched them. I don't have any reason to think that they're lying to me, but, you know, people win the lotto. They win, you know, oodles and scads of money, and they end up broke in a couple of years. That's a problem. That's got some issues involved.

And I always love what C.S. Lewis said, and I think it's relative to this Proverbs 30 quote, Proverbs 30. He says, prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him.

I think to understand that principle and to keep things in proper perspective in a Matthew 633 approach is very helpful with reference to the pursuit of excellence in your labor, prosperity in your bank account. God does not condemn that. In fact, Solomon elsewhere says, do you see a man who excels in his work? He shall stand before kings. That's not condemned, that's commended.

Work in such a way that you please, honor, and glorify God and receive the blessings that He has for you in a manner that is consistent with His revealed will in places, for instance, like 1 Timothy 6, 17-19.

I've always wondered how Timothy received that. You know, Timothy was a younger man than Paul. Ephesus was no small city. The fact that elders and deacons are mentioned in 1 Timothy, where Timothy was in Ephesus, indicates, and I've seen, you know, the ruins, it was quite the commercial place. I would imagine there were many well-to-do people in Ephesus. Could you be a young pastor and your apostle says, okay, I want you to go and have a Bible study with all the rich folk and I want you to tell them how to live. I would imagine Timothy would have been like, okay.

It's always a tough, tough thing, right? Where I'm at now, some of these younger guys will call and, you know, we got some problems financially and what do I do? I said, one of the most difficult things in the world is preaching on giving in your own church. He said, call me up, I'll come over and preach on giving in your church. Yeah, it's tough, it feels self-serving, but it's all about faithfulness ultimately. We're to be faithful in all areas of life.

If God has prospered us, if God has blessed us, if God has given, there are things in scripture indicating a reciprocity on our part with the good gifts that he has entrusted to us.

Well, let's pray. Our Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You again for these commandments. We thank You for our Lord Jesus, who fulfilled them perfectly, and who died in our place, and who was raised again, and who is now seated at Your right hand. And He gives us the Holy Spirit. You've given us this written, revealed will of God, and we pray that you would help us to see the wisdom, help us to see the beauty of this, and help us to be faithful in our dealings across the board with all men everywhere. Give us grace, give us help, give us strength to persevere and to bring glory and honor to you in this present evil age. And we ask this through Christ our Lord, amen. 

Yes, go ahead. Yes. I think contactually it has to do with the sojourner or the alien coming into Old Covenant Israel. I don't know that, I mean, you're free to take in homeless people, you're not condemned or forbidden from doing that, but I don't think every Christian is required to take in every homeless person. 

I think it's dealing with, you know, immigration. into Old Covenant Israel, but there was a process. You didn't just wander in and get free phones. What's that? Oh yeah, it was controlled. It wasn't, you know, when you just open your borders, you basically get rid of your country. And in fact, that's part of the covenant curses in Deuteronomy 28. You're gonna be overrun. You're gonna face this particular, you know, it always amazes me when these proponents of open border sort of immigration, well, you know, this is what Jesus said. Show me where Jesus says this, because it's Jesus speaking through Moses in Deuteronomy 28, telling them an inevitability with reference to their disobedience of the law of God, is that their own country is going to be overrun with foreigners. 

And that's not just vis-a-vis the invasions by the Assyrians and Babylonians, but it's foreigners coming in and ruining their land. If foreigners want to come and assimilate and learn and be Israelites and Old Covenant Israel, they were certainly free to do that. But there was a process, there was legal requirement, and it was controlled. 

So that's how I understand the reference there to sojourners or to, what's the language here? Where'd you see that? Sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, exploit, wage earners. Oh, OK. Oh, the aliens. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I don't. I mean, again, if you want to bring in homeless, you're free to do that. But I don't think Malachi 3, 5 stipulates that you must bring in homeless. And you know what? No, I don't want to get into that. I better be quiet. Yeah. All right.