The Ten Commandments Do not steal Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Exodus 20: 15

Today we’ll start with a song called ‘The God of Wow’, by Sovereign Grace music. It reminds us of who God is and what he has done. After you have sung or listened to the song say a prayer thanking God for His greatness and goodness. Ask Him to help you understand learn about Him through today’s lesson (it is quite tricky!)

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Exodus 20: 15 teal : Exodus 20: 15 A story from the Old Testament (Joshua Chapter 7) shows how seriously God treats sin. To us it will seem quite shocking what happens to the man who breaks the commandment “Do not steal”. We must remember that God is just and fair even when we read our Bible and don’t understand why God makes the decisions that he does. Do you remember the story of Job?

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Joshua 7 teal: Exodus 20: 15 When the Israelites conquered Jericho God gave instructions that no one was to plunder anything or there would be trouble in the camp. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron was brought to the Lord and put in His treasury. However, unknown to anyone, one man had secretly taken plunder and hidden it.

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Joshua 7 t Joshua sent men to spy out the next town they needed to capture. It was a town west of Jericho called Ai. When they returned, they told Joshua, ‘There’s no need for the whole army to capture Ai. There are so few of the enemy, it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. ’

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Joshua 7 So Joshua sent around 3, 000 men to take the town. But the men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate, killing about thirty-six as they retreated in defeat. The Israelites were overcome with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away.

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Joshua 7 Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down before the Ark of the Lord until evening. Then Joshua cried out, ‘Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you let the Amorites kill us? When the Canaanites and others hear about our defeat, they will surround us and destroy us forever. And then what will happen to the honour of your great name? ’

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Joshua 7 The Lord replied, ‘Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. They have not only stolen things and lied about it but hidden the plunder among their own belongings. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you. ’

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Joshua 7 The next morning Joshua ordered the Israelites to present themselves before the Lord tribe by tribe. The tribe of Judah was singled out. Then the clans of Judah came forward, and the clan of Zerah was singled out. Then the families of Zerah came forward, and the family of Zimri was singled out. Every member of Zimri’s family was brought forward person by person, and Achan was singled out. Joshua told Achan to tell the truth and confess what he had done.

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Joshua 7 ‘It is true! I have sinned, ’ Achan confessed. ‘Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest. ’ Joshua sent men to make a search and they found the stolen goods. They laid them on the ground in the presence of the Lord

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Joshua 7 Joshua and the Israelites took Achan, all the stuff he had stolen, his family, his animals and everything he had. They brought them into a valley where Achan and his family were killed. They piled a great heap of stones over Achan reminding the people of Israel how serious it was to steal, especially from God. The place has been called the Valley of Trouble ever since. After this the Lord was no longer angry with the Israelites.

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Exodus 20: 15 Achan had no choice but to admit to his sin but a truly sorry (repentant) man would have owned up before but he expected to get away with stealing – he had rebelled against God. His punishment seems hard but anything less may have led to others going against God. The Bible teaches us that God cannot ignore sin. Watch this short clip with the title ‘Why sin is a big deal’

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Exodus 20: 15 God knows we have all sinned by breaking God’s commands. He cannot ignore that BUT when we trust in Jesus to forgive our sins, God’s anger against us is finished. He gives us his Holy Spirit to live in us and help us to obey him. God wants us to show other people that we love him by the way we live. That includes not stealing when nobody’s looking. Two weeks ago we saw a video a bit like this one but this clip helps explain God’s plan (Jesus’ death and resurrection) really well.

God tells us not to steal and we must learn to do what he says. If we do steal, we must say sorry straight away. God will forgive us if we are truly sorry because the Lord Jesus took our punishment instead of us. We finish with a song we sometimes sing In Central, it’s called ‘Every Promise Of Your Word’. The words remind us of God’s love for us and His promises to us, especially about forgiving us! Maybe after singing you could use some of the words of the song to help you to write a prayer that you could say with your family (I’d love it if you could send me a copy and I could share it with our church family on facebook). God Bless, Colin Do Not Steal: Exodus 20: 15

The Ten Commandments Do not steal: Exodus 20: 15 Here is a clip showing you how to do the water clearing trick. Maybe you could practise (WITH AN ADULT) so you can show others how Jesus takes away our sin.