Christian
Churches of God
No. CB77_2
Lesson:
Eighth Commandment
(Edition
3.0 20050713-200703030-20211008)
The Eighth Commandment says: You shall not steal. In this lesson we will consider the ways in which we steal from God and from our neighbour.
Christian Churches of God
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Lesson:
Eighth Commandment
Goal:
To review the Eighth Commandment (You shall not steal) with special emphasis on stealing from God and stealing from neighbour and restoration in both situations.
Objectives:
1. Children will be able to understand the meaning of the Eighth Commandment.
2. Children will understand ways in which we steal from God.
3. Children will understand ways in which we steal from our neighbour.
4. Children will understand God’s system of restoration.
Resources:
The Ten Commandments (No. CB17)
Law and the Eighth Commandment (No. 261)
Relevant Scriptures:
Exodus 20:15, Deuteronomy 22:1-4, Deuteronomy 23:19-20, Malachi 3:7-12, Isaiah 58:13-14, Matthew 25:14-30
Memory
Verse:
Exodus 20:15 You
shalt not steal.
Format:
Open with prayer.
Poster Board Activity (Optional). If using the poster board from the previous lesson add the eighth commandment to the poster board.
Lesson on stealing.
Activity associated with stealing from neighbour.
Activity associated with stealing from God.
Close with prayer.
Lesson:
1. Read through the paper The Eighth Commandment, No. CB77 unless it is read as a sermonette with the children present.
2. Children’s questions are in bold. This is a general review of the material covered in the lesson.
Q1. What is stealing?
A. Taking something that is not ours.
Q2. What about if we find something (as opposed
to taking something) and don’t return it?
Is that stealing?
A. Yes. If we keep something that is not ours without trying to return it, that is still considered stealing.
Q3. What does God say we should do if we find something that is not ours?
A. Read Deuteronomy 22:1-4: "You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and withhold your help from them; you shall take them back to your brother. And if he is not near you, or if you do not know him, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall be with you until your brother seeks it; then you shall restore it to him. And so you shall do with his donkey; so you shall do with his garment; so you shall do with any lost thing of your brother's, which he loses and you find; you may not withhold your help. You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way, and withhold your help from them; you shall help him to lift them up again.” (RSV)
Q4. What do some children call it when they find
something and don’t return it?
A. “Finders/Keepers”. Is that ok? Why not?
Q5. What if we are just borrowing something and
don’t return it, or it breaks?
A. If someone lets us borrow something then we understand that they would like it back in the same condition as when they let us borrow it. If something happens to it while we are using it, then it becomes our responsibility to fix it or replace it.
Q6. What is the penalty for stealing?
A. Usually, we have to pay it back double. For instance, if we stole someone’s money or property we would have to return twice the amount we stole. But if you steal someone’s ox or a sheep and kill it or sell it, you would have to pay back five ox or four sheep. If the ox or sheep are still alive you would have to return double. (Ex 22:1-4)
Q7. What about when we lend money to someone? Can we charge them interest?
A. God says in Deuteronomy 23:19-20: “Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: 20Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.”
According to God’s
Law, when we charge someone interest, we are stealing money from him/her that
is not owed to us.
Q8. Is there anything that is not a physical object that we can steal from someone?
A. Yes. We can steal someone’s reputation, happiness, etc.
Q9. Who else, besides our neighbour, can we steal from?
A. There are many ways we can steal from God.
Q10. What is one way we steal from God that is listed in Malachi 3:7-12?
A. If we withhold our tithes and offerings.
Q11. What is an offering?
A.
An offering today is a
contribution of money that is given to God through the Church. The amount that we choose to give is
completely up to the individual.
Q12. How many times a year should we give God an offering?
A.
The
minimum is three times a year at the Feasts, although we can give as many more
offerings as we choose (see Deut. 16:16; Ex. 23:14-15).
Q13. What is a tithe?
A. The first tenth (10%) of our net earnings (or increase).
Q14. How could it be stealing from God if we don’t give Him a tithe of our income?
A. All things come from God. God set up a system that requires payment (or tithes) so we can worship, and for the poor (second tithe in the third year of the cycle: Deut. 14:28), as well as the ability for His people to participate in His ways, and on His Feasts and Sabbaths (second tithe: Deut. 14:22-27).
Q15. What is a second tithe? Is this included in Malachi 3?
A. The second tithe is set aside for the enjoyment of the Festivals of God. It is part of God’s system and therefore we must obey and maintain our second tithe. The 2nd tithe is used in the 3rd year of the Seven-year cycle to help widows and fatherless.
Q16. What happens if we borrow from our first tithe or our second tithe and then replace the funds?
A. The withholding of tithes is considered stealing. Where a person needs to borrow some of his tithe to use it for his own purpose, then there is a penalty. When the tithe is paid back, the penalty is that a fifth part or 20% must be added to it.
Q17. What is another thing we can steal from God?
A. When we don’t dedicate the Sabbath to God it is theft of God’s time and worship. God created us for His glory (Isa. 43:7). One way we glorify God is by dedicating time for worship and prayer to Him.
Activity
Options:
Activity associated with stealing from neighbour:
1. Divide the children into three groups (A,B,C). Place them at three separate tables if possible.
2. Give each group 7 cows and 7 sheep for their herds. (Note: either use small plastic animals or felt animals with a felt board.)
3. Have each group set up the cows and sheep and place a “fence” around their animals.
4. Have someone from group A “sneak” over and steal two cows from Group B.
5. Have someone from Group C “sneak” over and steal two sheep from Group B.
6. Discuss how the herds look now and ask the children in Group A and Group C how it makes them feel to have “bigger” herds. Ask Group B how they feel about their herd.
7. Group A leaves one stolen cow in their herd, and takes the other stolen cow and kills it for food.
8. Group C leaves one stolen sheep in their herd, and takes the other sheep and sells it for food.
9. Group B approaches Group A and Group C and asks for restitution.
10. Stop and ask the children in Group B what they think would be fair restitution. Ask Group A and Group C what they think would be fair to return to Group B.
11. Read Exodus 22:1-4.
12. Group A must first return the cow that is alive in the herd and then pay double. Then, Group A must pay Group B five cows for the cow that was killed for food.
13. Group C must first return the sheep that is alive in the herd, and then pay double. Then, Group C must pay Group B four sheep for the sheep that was sold for food.
14. Discuss how the herds look now. Ask the children in Group A and Group C how it feels to have smaller herds. Ask Group B how they feel about their herd.
15. Ask Group A and Group C if they would ever steal a cow or sheep from Group B again.
Activity associated with stealing from God:
The children will build a hinged “tithe box” which will hold their first tithe, second tithe, and offerings.
Read 2Kings
12:9: “Then Jehoi’ada the priest took a
chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar on the
right side as one entered the house of the LORD; and the priests who guarded
the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the
LORD.”
Box Assembly:
1. Ahead of time, pre-cut a piece of plywood into eight pieces per box and assemble; glue, and hinge the boxes ahead of time (see separate diagram for box measurements). Each box will have three compartments.
2. Give each child a box and explain that they are going to bore three holes in the top of their box, one for each compartment.
3. Have stickers, glitter, glue and paint available for the children to decorate the outside of their boxes (or any other decorating materials that would work).
4. One at a time, have each child go to the “drilling area”. With an adult, each child can drill a hole into each of the three compartments. The hole needs to be big enough to fit a quarter, so a large enough drill bit must be used.
5. Have the children and adults use safety goggles while drilling and explain that God’s Law gives the principle of safety from injury. There must be protection in all things even in putting walls around the roof (Deut. 22:8).
Once complete, explain to the children that the compartments represent our 1st tithe, 2nd tithe, and offerings.
Close with prayer.
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