God wants believers to serve Him in truth. In fact, it is this very issue that will determine “of what sort” our work is at the judgment seat of Christ.
To steal is to wrongfully and selfishly take something that belongs to someone else and place it amongst one’s own possessions.
Most people assume the Lord’s actions are motivated almost solely because of His love for man. Yet, God works for His own glory and for His own name’s sake.
Sin can never be flippantly disregarded. If the Lord is just, and He is, He must mete out consequences for rebellion. The biblical descriptions of the Lord’s reaction to rebellion varies from “he will be wroth” (Joshua 22:18) to “then shall the hand of the LORD be against you” (1 Samuel 12:15) to “ye shall be devoured with the sword” (Isaiah 1:20) to “I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee” (Exodus 33:5) to “I will purge out from among you the rebels” (Ezekiel 20:38) to “I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings” (Malachi 2:2). Though there are variations in the response, the constant truth remains that the Lord hates rebellion and responds to the rebellion with judgment.
It is easier to love those with whom we feel a common bond and share a special relationship. In fact, the Lord suggests as much in the scripture. When the Lord encouraged His people to love strangers, He did so by reminding them that they too had been strangers in the land of Egypt. By recalling their past associations, the Israelites would know how to better deal with those who were strangers to them. It would be good for them to recall some of the trials they faced when they were strangers in a strange land. With this in mind, they would know how to care for and minister to the strangers. Though Christians are not under the law and most are not Israelites, much can be learned from these truths. It becomes easier to love those to whom we can closely relate.
