The fourth commandment, in setting apart the Sabbath day as a day of rest, recognizes the necessity of work. It says, "Six days you shall labor."
The eighth commandment throws a safeguard around what has been earned by honest toil. It teaches the dignity of ownership and the sacredness of private property. No one is to take what does not belong to him or to deprive another of what is rightfully his.
For a shining example of a man who obeyed this command, study the life of George Washington. The expense account which he kept during the confused days of the American Revolution is one of the treasures preserved in the national capitol.
Washington used his personal funds to feed and clothe his soldiers but kept detailed records so that he would know exactly what he had spent. In case the country were ever able to pay him back, he wanted to receive only what he had actually advanced. He scorned the thought of using his nation as a source of personal profit.
He served his country but would not allow his country to serve him.
In a day when common honesty has ceased to be common and people use all sorts of ingenious means to cheat the government on their income taxes, the integrity of the first president has a pointed lesson.
Money talks: it tells whether you are a thief or an honest man.
Thou God of righteousness, make me honest with myself and with everyone. May I respect the possessions of other people and refuse to profit by their loss. Help me to be a blessing to others instead of a curse. In Christ's name. Amen.
The Eighth Commandment Read II Thess. 3:6-13
You shall not steal. - Exod. 20:15
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