The Eighth Commandment: Statutes and Precepts (13)
Leviticus 19.13
“You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him.”
Robbery is a form of cheating in that it deprives a person of that which God has freely given him for use in seeking the Kingdom of God. To rob another is to take the place of God in that person’s life by assuming ownership of property and, thus, redefining the parameters within which one may serve the Lord and love his neighbor.
Other forms of cheating also exist, and they are often bound up with property: unlawful taxation; moving boundaries; unreasonable restrictions on property use; unlawful government seizure of property, for example, in the name of eminent domain; and so forth.
We cheat our neighbors in these ways by constraining their freedom to serve and enjoy the Lord according the station in life He has assigned to them. All such forms of cheating are unlawful.
T. M. Moore
The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
