I suspect that of all the commandments, this is probably the one that most of us think that we are pretty good at keeping.
But, like the other commandments, stealing is a broader principle than just outright theft.
Let’s start by looking at how Moses speaks of theft against God.
Deuteronomy 23:21-23 speaks of paying your vows. If you fail to keep your vows, you are stealing from God.
Most of us have made certain vows: -- baptism (the vow is implicit in the rite–and made explicit through profession) -- marriage -- ordination
If you have told God that you will do certain things as a husband, a wife, as a Christian – and if you have not done them (or if you have failed to do them properly), then you have stolen from God.
Once you make a vow, you are bound to perform it. This is why you need to be careful to avoid rash vows.
R. J. Breckinridge was a big fan of the “abstinence pledge” in the 19th century, where people would pledge to abstain from alcohol as a beverage; but he always made it clear that this vow could not be interpreted to forbid drinking wine at communion – because Christ commanded us to use wine at communion.
So you may vow not to drink wine (think of the Nazirites in the OT), but that vow does not apply to communion wine, because you may not vow to abstain from something that Christ commands.
In our day, most contexts where OT people took vows (or oaths) will use contracts....
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