Foreword:
The following exerpt is taken from The Ten
Commandments by Arthur W. Pink
(BAKER BOOK HOUSE, 1994 GRAND RAPIDS, MI)
In this blog series I will work through this very
important article a paragraph at a time – asking my reader comprehension style
questions at the end. I have been much convicted by the writings of Pink and I
pray your walk will also be strengthened meditating on his teaching of
scripture …
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT PART II
The solemn and striking fact deserves pointing out that the
first sin committed by the human species entailed theft: Eve took of (stole)
the forbidden fruit. So, too, the first recorded sin against Israel after they
entered the land of Canaan was that of theft: Achan stole from among the spoils
(Josh. 7:21). In like manner the first sin which defiled the primitive
Christian church was theft: Ananias and Sapphira "kept back part of the
price" (Acts 5:2). How often this is the first sin committed outwardly by
children! And therefore this Divine precept should be taught to them from
earliest infancy. Years ago we visited a home, and our hostess related how she
had that day secretly observed her daughter (about four years old) enter a room
in which was a large bunch of grapes. The little tot eyed them longingly, went
up to the table and then said, "Get thee hence, Satan. It is written,
'Thou shalt not steal,' " and rushed out of the room.
"Thou shalt not steal." The highest form of this
sin is where it is committed against God, which is sacrilege. Of old He charged
Israel with this crime: "Will a man rob God? yet ye have robbed Me. But ye
say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a
curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation" (Mal. 3:8, 9) . But
there are other ways in which this wickedness may be committed besides that of
refusing to financially support the maintenance of God's cause on earth. God is
robbed when we withhold from Him the glory which is His due, and we are
spiritual thieves when we arrogate to ourselves the honor and praise which
belong to Him alone. Arminians are great offenders here, by ascribing to free
will what is produced by free grace. "Ye have not chosen Me," said
Christ, "but I have chosen you" (John 15:16). "Herein is love,
not that we loved God, but that He loved us" (1 John 4:10).
1) Interestingly the first sin I can remember comitting as a
child was theft. I’m sure there was some dishonoring my parents or lying but I clearly
remember taking something from a hardware store and knowing it was wrong to do
so and still doing it – I was five years old. Is your recollection similar?
Perhaps it is because theft is so obviously wrong and tangible and the reminder
of the sin is a physical object that, while in your possessio, accuses you. I
still have some marbles I stole from my school mates!
2) Though we no longer live in a theocracy like Israel where
tithes were the tax of the nation and it is true that we do not have to give a
tenth of our income to the church – are we not even more obliged to give what
we can and even more so that it occasionally deprives us of luxury (to break
the idol of wealth) and to do so because it is fitting to further the gospel
and support the family of those who minister to us? When we favour holding onto
money for our comfort rather than giving to the church are we robbing God not
just of the said money but also of trust (trusting him for provision)?
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