Thou Shalt Not Steal: A Injunction Against All Exploitation

Thou shalt not steal is an injunction against all abuse and exploitation of others, but especially the poor

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” — Malachi 3:8

What are ye tithes and offerings for?

They are meant to fulfill two primary purposes 1) To support the work of church and the proselytizing of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and 2) To care for the poor and needy.

When we rob God, we cause the poor in spirit and the poor in temporal need to go wanting. The attitude that we have about our worldly resources affects how generous we are n our tithes and offerings. When we view our temporal wealth as blessings from God we are more likely to use what we are able to bless others. We are less likely to condemn the poor.

This attitude of gratitude and free will giving of tithes and offerings are an antidote to temptations to covet, to be greedy, and to steal or defraud others. In giving we lead our thoughts to those who are less fortunate and focus more on our blessings and less on our wants.

Here are a few more scriptures about the attitudes, good and bad, that we sometimes exhibit toward the poor:

“Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.” — Proverbs 22:22

“Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry.” — Proverbs 6:30

“They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.” — 2 Nephi 28:13, Book of Mormon

“And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.

“And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.

“I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.

“And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.

“And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received." 

— Mosiah 4:21-25, Book of Mormon