Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
- 1 Timothy 5:8
Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
- Proverb 28:19
A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.
- Proverbs 21:6
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
- Ephesians 4:28
Whoever strays from the path of prudence
comes to rest in the company of the dead.
- Proverbs 21:16
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
- 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10
The Larger Catechism has twenty points for this question and biblical proofs for each point. I will only provide the biblical references so that you can look them up at your leisure.
1. Prov. 23:21; I John 3:17; James 2:15, 16.
2. Eph. 4:28.
3. Ps. 62:10.
4. I Tim. 1:10; Exod. 21:16.
5. Prov. 29:24; Ps. 50:18.
6. I Thess. 4:6.
7. Prov. 11:1; Prov. 20:10.
8. Deut. 19:14; Prov. 23:10.
9. Amos 8:5; Ps. 37:21.
10. Luke 16:11.
11. Ezek. 22:29; Lev. 25:17.
12. Matt. 23:25; Ezek. 22:12.
13. Isa. 33:15.
14. Prov. 3:30; I Cor. 6:7.
15. Isa. 5:8; Micah 2:2.
16. Prov. 11:26.
17. Acts 19:19. See context.
18. James 5:4; Prov. 21:6.
19. Luke 12:15; Prov. 1:19.
20. I John 2:15, 16; Prov. 23:5; Ps. 62:10.
21. Matt. 6:25, 34.
22. Ps. 73:3; James 5:9.
23. II Thess. 3:11; Prov. 18:9.
24. Prov. 21:17; Prov. 23:20, 21; Prov. 28:19.
25. Deut. 12:7; Deut. 16:14.
“Q. 60. What is forbidden in the Eighth Commandment?
“A. The Eighth Commandment forbids whatever does or may unjustly hinder our own (1 Tim. 5:8, Prov. 28:19, Prov. 21:6), or our neighbor’s wealth, or outward estate. (Eph. 4:28).”
- Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Catechism (Scripture proofs in bold above)
“Q. 75. What is forbidden in the Eighth Commandment?
“A. The Eighth Commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbor’s, wealth or outward estate.”
- The Shorter Catechism (Westminster Assembly)
“Q. 142. What are the sins forbidden in the Eighth Commandment?
“A. The sins forbidden in the Eighth Commandment besides the neglect of duties required, are: theft, robbery, man-stealing, and receiving anything that is stolen; fraudulent dealing, false weights and measures, removing landmarks, injustice and unfaithfulness in contracts between man and man, or in matters of trust; oppression, extortion, usury, bribery, vexatious lawsuits, unjust enclosures and depopulations; engrossing commodities to enhance the price, unlawful callings, and all other unjust or sinful ways of taking or withholding from our neighbor what belongs to him, or of enriching ourselves; covetousness, inordinate prizing and affecting worldly goods; distrustful and distracting cares and studies in getting, keeping, and using them; envying at the prosperity of others; as likewise idleness, prodigality, wasteful gaming, and all other ways whereby we do unduly prejudice our own outward estate; and defrauding ourselves of the due use and comfort of that estate which God hath given us.”
- The Larger Catechism (Westminster Assembly)
The Shorter and Spurgeon catechisms have the same wording, almost. In another rare difference, the Spurgeon Catechism adds extra biblical proofs to the first point, while the shorter catechism adds extra proofs to the second point. The Larger Catechism adds twenty-five points, each with their own biblical proofs that are listed for extra research, if you desire.
The Larger Catechism expansion goes beyond what was discussed last week. Prodigality, or the act of being prodigal or lavish can waste your property or that of someone else’s. I had a boss try to find my hidden alcohol consumption on an expense report, not an allowable expense. Why? Because he was creative in doing so when he was a lowly engineer. Bosses usually look for the old tricks, but my alcohol consumption was very hard to find on the expense report. I did not drink any, thus no expense. In another instance, not something I did, a man turned in an expense for a new hat, since his was crushed on the airplane trip home from the project. The boss rejected his expenses four times in a row because the man kept putting a new hat in various places on the form. On the fifth try, the boss said that his expense report finally had no entry for reimbursing him for a crushed hat. He complimented the engineer. But then, the engineer said that the hat was there, but the boss might not ever find it.
Wasteful gaming was written hundreds of years ago, but today it can be literally playing too many video games, wasting your time, or if at work, wasting time that you should have spent working.
Vexatious lawsuits abound in our modern times. Even if they are thrown out of court as wasting the court’s time, it takes someone working on the merits or lack of merit of the case just to rule that the case had no merit.
So, the concept of our own estate or someone else’s estate is hindered by “stealing.” That is anything that has that effect, and an estate includes possessions, but our time and even our peace of mind. Anything that you can think of with word “our.” I love quiet. Being noisy robs me, or steals from me, my quiet. It goes beyond “borrowing” a pen from your desk.
By the way, has anyone seen my pen lately?
And now let us sing.
The following song is I Am Not My Own, sung by Keith and Kristyn Getty. Another reminder of why this commandment is among the ten, not that it is not nice to have something stolen from us, but that it dishonors God, for even ourselves, who love the Lord, are not our own. We belong to Him.
“The One who made the heavens made my heart and soul
Before I drew a breath, I was loved and known
I am His creation, the Maker’s masterpiece
And all that He designs will be done in me
My body is a temple of the Living God
I’ll worship in this house that His blood has bought
As I bear His image, oh may I not profane
The holiness I hold in this earthly frame
CHORUS
I belong to the Lord, oh I am not my own
I belong to the Lord, I am not my own
I will honor Him for this I know
I belong to the Lord, I am not my own
And if He has redeemed me, I am not my own
The measure of my worth is His love alone
He declares my standing, and He declares my state
So I will know myself by the name He gave
REPEAT CHORUS
I am not my own and now my heart is free
O Maker come and make what You will of me
There is nothing broken that You cannot repair
So Lord, I leave my life in Your loving care
REPEAT CHORUS
I will honor Him for this I know
I belong to the Lord, I am not my own”
- Skye Peterson, I Am Not My Own
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord,
You are our God. Help us to respect the possessions of others, respecting and loving the people in doing so. Help us to be honest in our dealings with others, not stealing possession, time, or someone’s right to a little quiet time.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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