October, 1938
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
348
with the thunders of the law’s demands, but with the tones of grace and forgiveness. III. T he D anger (Lk. 19:45, 46) Eagerness to amass material wealth in vades even the house of God. That house, in which the voice of prayer should be heard, too frequently echoes the voice of base commercialism. Instead of obeying the command of God to g iv e (1 Cor. 16:2) so that His house might be maintained and His worship properly conducted, we at tempt to carry on His service and worship by means of various schemes calculated to relieve us of the prescribed giving. In this we are guilty of a species of thievery. The sin of stealing is exceedingly subtle. Only yieldedness to the indwelling Holy Spirit, together with the recognition of God’s laws, backed up by the acknowledg ment of those laws in obedience, will con stitute the believer's sufficient protection. Points and Problems 1. "T hou shalt not steal ” (E x. 20:1 5 ). This command appears in what is some times called the second table of the law, that which has to do with man’s relation to his fellow man. But this distinction be tween the first and second tables is never absolute. As a matter of fact, it is not only from men that we steal, but also from God. W e steal time that belongs to Him. W e also defraud Him of m oney and life which are His by right. If it is bad to steal from men, it is worse to steal from God. 2. The publican Zaccheus is an interest ing character. He seems to have through out the story a natural exuberance that ar rests attention, and that perhaps accounts for much about him. He is the sort of man who is not satisfied with half measures. He is not only a publican, but also a “chief” among publicans. Furthermore, he suc ceeds at the business, for we are told that he was "rich.” Having heard of Jesus, he is determined to see Him. Small of stature and caught by the press of the great crowd, other men might have given up the at tempt. But not Zaccheus. He estimates the path the Lord will take, runs ahead, and climbs a sycamore tree. It is not a very dignified procedure, to be sure, but Zac cheus did not get rich standing on his dignity. And when the Lord calls to him, down he comes with "haste,” and receives Him "joyfully.” Once in the house, he jumps to his feet, proposes to give half his riches to the poor, and offers to restore fourfold anything he has taken by fraud. You have an impression that Zaccheus was one of these lively men who go bounding through life, seldom still even for a moment. W e do not know what became of him, but I have an idea he must have been a great worker for the Lord. BLACKBOARD LESSON I ¡T4-10U SWOLT IflOT STEAL* S XI / \ , I , / £X.20:I5 J
Outline and Exposition i. T he C ommand (E x . 20:15). B Y NATURE, man is a thief; otherwise this command would never have been given. This injunction, together with all the law, was g iv e n b e c a u se of man’s transgression. The meaning of the verse usually is confined to the stealing of money, but it goes much further than this and really involves man’s relation to his Creator, as well as to his fellow man. God has a right to every man’s homage, service, and obedience. But these, His possessions, actually have been stolen from Him. Because of his acquisitive nature, fallen man is constantly seeking to get what is not rightfully his. This is the reason we must have laws controlling the commercial, finan cial, and social affairs of society. Even with these laws, both human and divine, men seek ways to avoid the prohibitions. Men think that if they are not legally con demned by man-made laws, they are safe. But “Thou shalt not steal” is God’s word, not man’s, and it cannot be evaded. This commandment reaches to a multi tude of matters seldom considered in con nection with stealing. For example, God gives one man influence for good, to be exercised for Him. God gives another in dividual time for worship and service in His name. The prevalent treatment of the Lord’s Day is but one more instance of men’s acting as thieves. The day often is degraded, and men forget that any portion of that day taken for selfish personal inter ests is in reality stolen from God. Y et the solemn truth remains that “every trans gression and disobedience raceived a just recompense of reward” (Heb. 2 :2 ). II. T he C onviction (Lk. 19:1-10) The story of Zaccheus is illuminating in this matter of stealing. His profession as a publican, or taxgatherer, was one in which opportunity to steal was given even under protection of the law. As far as the Roman government was concerned, this man was no robber; all knew his business per mitted unjust taxation and that his profits came from unjust practices. But while these practices did not condemn him under Ro man law, they declared him guilty in God’s sight, a thief before God. Convicted of his sin, he voluntarily un dertook to make full reparation according to what the law of God demanded. His sal vation did not depend upon the righteous ness of his actions. But his actions in re storing what he had wrongfully acquired were proof of the bestowal of a new, hon est spirit within him. It was unquestioned that Zaccheus was a son of Abraham by natural generation. When our Lord said, "He also is a son of Abraham," He meant a son of Abraham by faith. This new relationship was revealed by Zaccheus’ readiness to obey the law of God. Zaccheus went further and declared, "The half of my goods I give to the poor.” His spirit of getting was replaced by the spirit of giving —a transaction possible only by heart relationship to the great Giver, God Himself. In His ministry to the tax- gatherer, our Lord was doing what He came to do, that is, to save the lost. Like wise today, He does not come upon men
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