You shall not steal.
The word translated into English as “steal” covers a wide range of unjust takings, including frauds. It should be obvious how this inflicts harm on the community. The whole point of living in proximity of others is security, not inviting abuse. We should find it strange this even needs to be addressed. Still, such a blunt statement covers a lot of territory.
Our Suzerain says we need only what He grants us. It’s an affront to Him directly if we insist on nabbing something He gave to another, as if we were charging Him with mismanagement and neglect.
Paul said it best when he said we should prefer being a victim in this area than risk in the slightest degree defrauding another. A primary sin of the Pharisees and the Hellenized corruption of the Law of Moses was this nasty pile of excuses for grabbing other people’s stuff. Jesus condemned it harshly, suggesting a great many Jews were actually worshiping Mammon. A loose grip on the things of this world means they will have a loose grip on you.
