“Do not steal.”
Taking something (without permission) that belongs to someone else. That’s the essence of stealing, correct?
Now, why would someone steal something that belongs to another? This is a very interesting concept. I mean, why should this be a problem if everything belongs to Abba anyway. We should just get over it quickly and be ok with the outcome. Because Abba is in control, right?
But it bugs us.
How could someone just take what isn’t theirs. They should have been taught better.
We’ll start by looking at the obvious picture you have in your mind right now. That sneaky person coming in when no one is around and carefully locating the item of interest then smoothly making their way to the exit. We all know this is deliberate and, more importantly, very wrong. I mean, who has the nerve to be so bold as to carelessly take what belongs to me. I worked hard to have that thing and someone just waltzes in and takes it. I feel so violated!
So how do you respond?
If you are a slave, you will want justice and retribution. There is no room for grace with someone that chose to violate me.
If you are a servant, you will want justice withheld to pray for this individual. You understand that while this is indeed a violation, perhaps they have extenuating issues clouding their judgment: addiction, abuse, selfishness, etc.
We have two parties involved in this exchange so let’s see if we can unpack each of their positions to find out why stealing is a problem.
Thief - What are the reasons they steal?
Victim - How do you respond?
So, I think we can all agree that we are of the fundamental position that thieves should be held accountable. They knew what they were doing and people were hurt as a result. At one extreme we could cut off the hand of thieves or, at the other end, just send them to prison. Justice must be served, correct? Or maybe you travel the high road and just let Abba take care of them. They will absorb the curses upon their life and suffer the consequences one way or another, right?
Are you sure you want this to be the judgment?
What if you are the thief? What if you are the one taking from others with no regard to their well being?
"Not me!" you say.
Are you sure?
You may ask, "How have I robbed someone?"
Well, let’s turn the tables a bit
Consider a common ethical dilemma: If your family is starving, is it wrong to steal food?
The problem with this question is that it is ill-posed. No one was ever to face that type of problem. It has always been the responsibility of obedient followers to ensure no man or woman had to even entertain that idea. This is why Abba commanded that the corners of a field be left untouched.
So, if the property owner decides to harvest it all for themselves, are they stealing from the poor? Or worse, stealing from God?
----------
Malachi 3:8 Can a person rob God?
Yet you rob me.
But you ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’
In tenths and voluntary contributions.
9 A curse is on you, on your whole nation,
because you rob me.
10 Bring the whole tenth into the storehouse,
so that there will be food in my house,
and put me to the test,”
says YHVH-Tzva’ot.
“See if I won’t open for you
the floodgates of heaven
and pour out for you a blessing
far beyond your needs.”
----------
“Oh, you’re talking about tithing. I see. Well, Mr. Smartypants, I tithe with no reservations. So there! Your argument is trash.”
Perhaps. But Malachi at least demonstrates that it is possible to rob God.
Now that we see it’s a possibility, let’s look at what Abba says in Leviticus to see if we can start to understand theft a little better:
----------
Leviticus 19:5 “‘When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to YHVH, offer it in a way that will make you accepted. 6 It is to be eaten the same day you offer it and the following day; but if any of it remains until the third day, it is to be burned up completely. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it will have become a disgusting thing and will not be accepted; 8 moreover, everyone who eats it will bear the consequences of profaning something holy meant for YHVH — that person will be cut off from his people.
9 “‘When you harvest the ripe crops produced in your land, don’t harvest all the way to corners of your field, and don’t gather the ears of grain left by the harvesters. 10 Likewise, don’t gather the grapes left on the vine or fallen on the ground after harvest; leave them for the poor and the foreigner; I am YHVH your God.
11 “‘Do not steal from, defraud or lie to each other. 12 Do not swear by my name falsely, which would be profaning the name of your God; I am YHVH. 13 Do not oppress or rob your neighbor; specifically, you are not to keep back the wages of a hired worker all night until morning.
----------
Notice this command has nothing to do with tithing. The leftover in your field is not considered a tithe. The tithe comes from what you harvest. This also isn’t an offering. Which means it has to be something more.
(side note: notice the thematic flow -- offerings, leaving the corners of the field, stealing. They are all connected. It gets more serious when you see this is nestled alongside honoring your parents, keeping Shabbat, and worshiping idols. But that’s something to consider another time.)
The leftover in your field belongs to someone else. It isn’t even yours.
Does that mean you are stealing from others by harvesting your entire field?
Depends on what we mean by your field?
We see that the 7 days of Unleavened Bread are a time of uprooting everything in your life. We till the ground for a week then start planting for the harvest. We watch over the seedlings and fight away the birds and weeds along the way. Then we have a wheat harvest that sustains us until the full harvest comes.
The field is you.
(We see this idea of you as the field presented beautifully in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.)
We remove all of the leaven from our lives and start anew as we count the omer for 50 days. Watching for those old weeds to spring up as we’re trying to plant and establish new realities in our lives. These 50 days require daily inspection and we must remain on guard so a harvest with good fruit may one day come. Then it does. And we are not to take it all for ourselves.
No matter what you produce, some of you is reserved for others. You don’t just belong to yourself. Your gifts, your struggles, your victories, your defeats, your wisdom -- all given to you for other people.
So are you leaving anything behind for those that need it? Or are you keeping it all to yourself?
Stop robbing those that need what you have to give.
A true servant will gladly and joyfully leave part of themselves behind. They don’t need it all. They are working the field on the Master’s behalf anyway, and He will grow their field to any size He chooses. If they are trustworthy, He will enlarge them so much, entire nations will be able to glean from them.
So Abba says, “Do not steal. I want you to ensure everyone understands my Kingdom. Whether they are less than obedient or a foreigner dwelling among you, you have been tasked with showing them My love. You can keep your field small and feed a few, or I can grow you into the fullness of your design and nations will eat from your field. You are here to make My presence known so please don’t steal what has been earmarked for others through you. Step out in faith knowing you have been created for something much larger than you can imagine. Be transparent. Be vulnerable. Be generous. You are no longer your own anyway. You now belong to Me.”