[Darris McNeely] Our Beyond Today live Bible studies have been going through the 10 commandments. And this week we are going to be talking about the eighth commandment. Do you know what the eighth commandment is?

Let me ask you a few questions first. You are checking out of your grocery store or your local department store, you are undercharged by a checker at the department store. You discover that when you get back out of your car or maybe home. What do you do?

If as you are examining your monthly bank statement or looking online to see what your funds are, you discover that they have made a mistake, your bank has made a mistake in your favor for $100. Maybe even only $50. What do you do?

Your're a laborer, you're an electrician, you're a carpenter. You do a side job, you're paid $300 cash. Do you report it on your income tax form? What do you do? These are everyday situations that we're confronted with that test us on the eighth commandment.

Now do you know what the eighth commandment is? Let me read it to you from chapter 20 from the book of Exodus, verse 15. Simple. "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15). You shall not steal. As I have been working on this Bible study, this has been another eye opener, all of the commandments are an eye opener as we dig into the Word of God and see what God's word tells us about these 10 cardinal principles of His law. What I've discovered or rediscovered as I've gone through the study of this, is just how impactful this eighth commandment is to every one us at so many different points in our lives. I probably will not have enough time in my allotted bible study time to get through the subject. And certainly as we do a daily here I'm thinking, wow, what could I cover? But these examples bring to a point of everyday examples. We find we might be the recipients of somebody else's mistake.

Let me read to you just another point of God's law and teaching on the subject to kind of bring this home to us and to show how it impacts so many of our own lives and what God's Word says about it. In Proverbs 20:14, in the midst of a section here in Proverbs that's talking about personal integrity. A man being righteous walking in integrity doing right before God. And even in verse 10 it talks about diverse weights, different measures that are both alike and they are an abomination to the Lord (Provers 20:10).

In other words, God wants a business person to have an accurate scale, measure of what it is they may be selling, giving out to their customer in return for cash. Being accurate in what they deliver. Sometimes that..and this always works both ways. In verse 14 the Proverb says, making a quote as if a person is talking, "It's good for nothing," cries the buyer.

In other words you are negotiating. You are trying to work a deal with somebody over any type of item whatever it might be. You name it what it could be. Something that has been used, something new, labor, goods or services. "It's good for nothing," cries the buyer. And then it says, "But when he's gone his way" meaning the buyer "then he boasts." In other words a person says, this isn't worth this or it's worn out or it's not..the value is less than what you are asking. And one negotiates down the price to the point where even below market value. Below the true value. And the buyer takes advantage of the seller. Sound familiar?

Have you ever done that or tried to do that? It says, and then you go your way and you boast. The context of what God is talking about even those of us who buy need to be able to say that we paid a fair price and not taken advantage of another person in whatever situation the seller by buying below market value.

God's word has a lot to say about the eighth commandment. This is just one verse of several and of many. Tomorrow's daily will give another example. But think about it, what you would do.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.