In this seventeenth installment of The Commandments series, John Ritenbaugh, focusing on the Eighth Commandment (the prohibition against stealing) reveals that God intended land to be the basis for all wealth, desiring that families should own and retain property. The Jubilee Laws indicate that God never intended any kind of state collective (or corporate) ownership of property, but that families should retain what has been given to them. The Federal Government, through confiscatory taxes has blatantly violated the commandment against stealing- modeling shameless theft for society at large. Beside predatory street crime (dramatically on the increase according to uniform F. B. I. statistics), blue collar and white-collar theft have even more dramatically contributed (and continue to contribute) to the demise or failure of many large businesses and to the economic woes of our country in general- literally stealing from (the inheritance of) future generations. In modern Israel, we are drowning in thievery, forcing the land to vomit us out. Wealth accumulated by honest work and diligence will be blessed, but hastily acquired by any kind of theft or dishonesty will be cursed.

Accumulated thievery Blue collar crime Borrowing Brassy Caveat emptor Communism Confiscatory taxation Daughters owning property Differing weights Discrimination Embezzlement Employee theft Federal grants Gender discrimination Generosity Get rich scheme Getting rich quick Harpax Jubilee law Just balances Kick backs Larceny OSHA Plumb line Pollution Possession of property Price fixing Price payoffs Product defects Racial discrimination Robbery Stealing Taking of property Trust U. S. Steel Treasures from a lying tongue Welfare system White collar crime