You shall not steal. [Exodus 20:15 (ESV)]
Jesus once said that Satan was a thief. Satan does not steal money, for he knows that money has no eternal value. He steals only what has eternal value—primarily the souls of men. [Zac Poonen]
The patient Cormorant had been diving and resurfacing empty-beaked for several minutes before finally emerging victorious with a large fish crosswise in its beak. The fish thrashed in the cormorant’s beak while the bird tried to re-position its meal so it could be swallowed head first. A Brown Pelican suddenly crashed into the water and, after a great deal of wing flapping and water splashing, it was clear the Cormorant was no match for the larger bird. While the Pelican threw back its head and swallowed the unlucky fish, the unfortunate cormorant swam away still hungry.
Apparently, food theft (kleptoparasitism) is common among birds and it’s not limited to stealing one another’s fish dinner. Some species harass other birds until they spit up swallowed food and several species conduct high-speed chases in the sky and grab food from other birds in midair. Bird theft isn’t even limited to food. Blue Jays and Black Crows frequently pilfer the nests of other birds for shiny things with which to adorn their own nests while Magpies and Eagles will steal building material as well. At first, it seems like the birds are exploiting the hard work of others but they’re just doing what birds do naturally. Living in a competitive world with limited resources, they’ve developed remarkable skills needed for survival.
Fortunately, we don’t have to steal fish or mice from another person’s mouth or snatch bits of foil, moss, or twigs from someone’s home to survive. Unlike the birds and other animals, God created us in His image. As such, He gave us a different set of rules for living. Nevertheless, the Pelican’s behavior caused me to consider the simple commandment not to steal—a prohibition important enough to be mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible. Is this commandment limited to things like not cheating on taxes, shop lifting, snatching purses, embezzling, and robbing banks or is there something more?
Essentially, most of us are honest; nevertheless, we steal—by using worktime to check social media or personal email, padding an expense account, getting paid under the table, taking more than our share, or cutting in line. We’re stealing when we do a slip-shod job and call it “good enough,” fail to return something borrowed or found, pay unfair wages, or take advantage of someone else’s hardship, kindness, or ignorance. We steal the truth whenever we tell a lie and steal God’s glory when we take credit for His blessings. We rationalize our little cheats and don’t think of them as stealing, but they are.
Worse, we can steal someone’s reputation when we gossip, we can steal their hope when we deny them an opportunity or encouragement, we can steal their joy with a few poorly chosen words, and we can steal their dignity when we treat them in a demeaning manner. When we snub, humiliate, abuse, deny, and ignore or when we’re over-bearing, selfish, rude, negative, and unforgiving, we’re stealing something far more valuable than money. We’re stealing things like self-respect, innocence, courage, delight, confidence, dreams, and opportunities. This sort of stealing is neither a misdemeanor nor a felony; nevertheless, it is a sin.
Devotions of the Heart 