Not stealing is probably the one commandment of the ten that is most taken for granted. But its violation has caused untold dislocation and misery throughout the history of mankind. It is not too much of a stretch to say that perhaps all of the major economic and financial upheavals of the modern era find their roots in this singular fact — that someone took something that was not his. We find ourselves still in the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments that the Lord handed down to the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai. With this the Lord framed His covenant relationship with His chosen people, to demonstrate to all the other nations how those who love the one true God were to conduct themselves in their daily lives. Exodus 20:15 is a negative imperative (only two words in the original Hebrew — “no stealing”); a command not to take what has not been granted to us by God. To understand this commandment we will look at three things — The Principle, The Prohibition, and The Prescription.