Genesis: Patriarchs, Family, and Providence

Theft By Any Other Name Is Still Theft

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2021-11-11

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver teaches from Genesis 31 that theft, regardless of who commits it or what form it takes, is a sin against God's law. He identifies three types of theft exemplified in Jacob's experience with Laban: theft by deception, theft by change, and theft by conversion. Weaver applies these principles to modern economic and governmental systems, arguing that fiat currency, fractional reserve banking, and legal plunder are forms of theft that rob people of their labor and lives. He calls believers to recognize these deceptions, prepare practically with tangible assets, and trust in God's ultimate judgment on thieves.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bible's day to the book of Genesis chapter 31 and we'll read the first 11 verses and Go from there. The title of the message is theft By any other means or by any other name is still theft theft by any other name is still theft Notice, if you would please, Genesis chapter 31, beginning with verse 1. And he heard the words of Laban's son, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's, and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as before. And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, into thy kindred, and I will be with thee. Jacob sent in called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock and said unto them I see your father's countenance that it is not toward me as before But the God of my father hath been with me and you know that with all my power I've served your father and your father

[John Weaver] had deceived me and changed my wages ten times But God suffered him not to hurt me if he said thus the speckle shall be thy wages Then all the cattle bear speckled And if he said, Thus the ringstrake shall be thy hire, then bear all the cattle ringstrake. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leapt upon the cattle were ringstrake, speckled, and grizzled. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob.

[John Weaver] And I said, Here am I. Verse 12, And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, All the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled. For I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee." You've heard the old saying that a rose by any other name is still a rose. And the truth of the matter is theft by any other name is still theft as well.

[John Weaver] So I begin this message by asking a question which I'm sure that you know the answer to. And that is this, is it a sin to steal? And the answer, of course, obviously is yes. But before I ask a few other questions, let me just simply define sin for you. 1 John 3 and verse 4 tells us, whosoever committed sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. Therefore, in the book of Exodus chapter 20 and verse 15, God simply says, thou shalt not steal.

[John Weaver] So we have to understand then that theft is a violation It is a trespass. It is a transgression against God's law. So now I want you to listen to these questions and I want you to think with me as I ask them. Is it a sin for an individual to sin or to steal? Is it a sin for an individual to steal? Is it a sin for a family to steal? Is it a sin for a church to steal? Is it a sin for an institution to steal? Is it a sin for a ruler to steal? Is it a sin for a government to sin? So the answer to those questions, of course, is yes. And it does not matter if it is an individual, a family, a church, an institution, a ruler, or government. Theft is still theft. It is still a sin.

[John Weaver] And God certainly will judge all who engage in that. So it does not matter if theft is accomplished by the lowliest peasant or simply by the mightiest ruler or even the most arrogant politician. Theft is still theft and God certainly will judge it as well.

[John Weaver] Now, in the book of Genesis, when we just read from Exodus chapter 31, you have to be aware of the fact that the context of this goes farther back than in just simply Genesis chapter 31. Everyone is aware of the struggles between Jacob and Esau. You remember how Esau despised his birthright? And he sold that birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage. Well, when it came time for Isaac to die, then Rebekah heard him say to Esau, go fix me some of this venison that I love, that my heart may bless thee before I die. And of course, she conceived this idea and she got Jacob dressed up as Esau, put some garments on him and put some goat's hair on his arms to make him feel hairy like Esau, and fixed up from the flock to make it taste like venison. And of course, then Jacob went in and claimed to be Esau, and he got the blessing. He stole the blessing. In reality, he really and truly did not steal it, although he deceived his father, because the blessing actually went with the birthright.

[John Weaver] And probably Rebekah and Jacob as well knew that if If he did not do this by deception, then Isaac was going to bless Esau instead of Jacob. Now, when Esau came home and found out that Jacob had beaten him out of that blessing, he said in Genesis chapter 27, if you'll look at verse 41 there, Genesis 27 and verse 41, and Esau hated Jacob because the blessing wherewith his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, the days of mourning for my father are at hand, then will I slay my brother Jacob." Well, he may have said it in his heart, but he also said it out loud, or at least told it to someone else as well. Because when you look in Genesis chapter 27, beginning with verse 42, and these words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, touching thee doth comfort himself proposing to kill thee.

[John Weaver] Now therefore, my son, obey my voice and arise. Flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran, and tarry with him a few days until thy brother's fury turn away, until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him. Then will I send and fetch thee from thence. Why should I be deprived also of both of you in one day?" Now the interesting thing is, She said in verse 44, and tarry with him a few days. Interestingly enough, if you will look in Genesis chapter 31 and verse 38, those few days are described where Jacob said, this 20 years have I been with thee. So the few days turned into 20 years. As far as I can tell, Rebekah died before Jacob ever returned.

[John Weaver] She never saw him again. Now we read in the Bible of Jacob and Esau burying their father Isaac. And the only other thing we read about Rebekah is that she was buried in the cave of Machpelah along with Sarah and Abraham. If you'll look in Genesis chapter 35 and verse 29, Genesis 35 verse 29, the scripture says this, And Isaac gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him." But nothing is said about Rebekah's burial. If you would look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 49, very quickly, and verse 31, here is where we understand that Rebekah is buried in that cave. Notice Genesis 49 and verse 31, the Scripture says, There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife. And there I buried Leah." That was Jacob speaking. So Isaac and Rebekah were buried in the same cave that Abraham and Sarah were buried in as well. So when Rebekah told Jacob, you go tarry with Laban for a few days and I'll send and fetch you.

[John Weaver] Well, of course, he never came back then and she died without ever seeing him again. So he was there 20 years. 20 years is an awful long time, especially if you're being stolen from for 20 years. So I want to just show you three things from the Bible in relationship to theft and Jacob. And at the same time, I want to be able to apply them to where we're living today. So first of all, I want you to understand here is theft by deception. So if you'll go back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 29, Genesis 29. The deception did not begin with money. The deception did not begin with wages. The deception began with marriage. Because you see, Jacob loved Rachel, and that's who he wanted to marry. So in Genesis chapter 29, beginning there with verse 15, And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shalt thou therefore serve me for naught? Tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

[John Weaver] Leah was tender-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well-favored. And Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, it is better that I give her to thee than I should give her to another man. Abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed unto him but a few days for the love that he had for her." Now, notice if you would please, here was a deal, here was a contract, here was a covenant, I will serve these seven years for your daughter Rachel. So when it came time for him to marry Rachel, look if you would please in verse 21, And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, Then he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, that is to Jacob, and he went in unto her.

[John Weaver] Now you have to remember they wore veils in those days. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah, Zilpah, his maid, for an handmaid. And it came to pass that in the morning, behold, it was Leah. And he said unto Laban, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Did I not serve thee with thee for Rachel? Why then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be done in our country to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week, and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

[John Weaver] Now, here's an interesting thing. Seven years he served for Rachel, but he only got Leah.

[John Weaver] Now, Jacob asked, Why hast thou beguiled me? The word beguiled in the Hebrew is the word ramah, and it literally means to deceive, to beguile, to betray, to mislead, and to deal treacherously. So notice if you would, he served for Rachel, but he got Leah. And when he found out it was Leah, he asked, what have you done to me? Oh, I forgot to tell you. I left this out of the contract.

[John Weaver] In this country, we don't give the younger before the elder. Now, since you've got the elder, I'm going to let you have the younger in a week, but you have to give me seven more years of your life. Well, if that's not deception, I certainly don't know what deception really is. By the way, when we're talking about marriage, there have been many individuals that entered into marriage through deception. I have known, and still know, couples One was a Christian, one was not. And yet the one who was not professed to be a Christian went to church, did everything just like a good Christian does until they got married. And then once he got his wife or she got the husband, they dropped out by the wayside and it was just simply pure deception. And there have been individuals that have married through deception by pretending to be something they really were not. I used to laugh and tell everybody that I married Alice for her money, and she married me for my money, and we got married and we found neither one of us had any.

[John Weaver] But the truth of the matter is there have been plenty of people like that. Deception abounds on every hand, even in marriage. And the fact of the matter is we've been deceived in many ways, and we don't understand that deception is indeed a form of theft. I remember laughing at what my father told me many, many years ago. But he told me that when he and my mother had first married, that there was a drought. And he said because of the drought, fleas were everywhere. And dad said he did everything he could to kill all those fleas. And he said finally he was reading and he saw an advertisement that guaranteed to kill every flea on the place if the directions are properly followed.

[John Weaver] And it was only 50 cents. Now, we think 50 cents is not much money, but this was during the Depression, and so 50 cents wasn't a lot of money back in those days. And so Dad sent 50 cents, and sure enough, in a few weeks, in came his product that guaranteed to kill every flea on the place if the directions were properly followed. And what he was sent was two little blocks of wood, and the directions were as follows, catch the flea, put him on one block, smash him with the other block. Well, would it work? Of course it would work.

[John Weaver] But it was deception and it was theft. And dad was just simply out of his 50 cents.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is, we have been deceived so many ways. I could ask this question. How many of you think that we have real money in our pockets? And how many of you really think that you have a dollar in your pocket. And the truth of the matter is, we really do not. And the truth is, we've been deceived by our own government. We've been deceived by the bankers. We've been deceived every which way you turn.

[John Weaver] When Alexander Hamilton wrote the Coinage Act of 1792, it went into law, the dollar was indeed at that time the market definition of a dollar, of the Spanish mill dollar, which was 371.25 grains of silver. This is the historical definition of a dollar. A dollar is a unit of measurement. It's like an inch or a foot or a quart or a gallon. And you can no more change the definition of a dollar than you can change the definition of a foot or an inch. It is indeed a unit of measurement.

[John Weaver] Many people try to think that our irredeemable paper money or dollars, they are not. We have been deceived. We have been tricked into thinking that. By the way, before I leave the Coinage Act of 1792, I want to read to you part of Article 19. Listen to this. Remember now, by the way, before I read this, that our founding fathers had just gotten through with an experiment with paper money, the continental currency. Hence we have that old adage, it's not worth a continental. In fact, the continental paper money usually was referred to as shinplasters.

[John Weaver] Because soldiers would take them and cover their shins with them as they tied up their boots because it was worthless. And so the continental dollars were called shinplasters as well. But here is section 19 of the Cornage Act of 1792. If any of the gold or silver coins shall be debased, Every such officer or person who shall commit any or either of said offenses shall be deemed guilty of felony and shall suffer death." Did you hear that? If you were to base a dollar, you face the death penalty. If you took just 50% silver and 50% lead, that's debasement. Or if you put 90% silver and 10% zinc, that's debasement. And the coin eject says that if you debase these coins, it is a felony and you shall suffer death.

[John Weaver] Now, I hope you understand why in the Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 8 says this, Congress shall have the power to coin money and regulate the power thereof. In other words, Congress never had the power to print money because gold and silver was the money of the Constitution. It was the money of history. It was the money of Bible. And how about this one? Article 1, Section 10 of the United States Constitution says this, no state, not Florida, not Georgia, not South Carolina, No state shall coin money, emit bills of credit, make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payments of debt. Do you realize that every time we use paper money, we're violating the Constitution of the United States?

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is this. The Constitution was denied and destroyed When our money was debased in 1965, all the silver was taken out of our coins. The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from the circulating coins, like a dime, a 50-cent piece, a quarter, whatever. So our coins are basically worthless today as well, as well as our fiat paper money. It is absolutely worthless. The interesting thing is this.

[John Weaver] I'm going to give you some quotes, and Thomas Jefferson is the first one who died in 1826. He said, I believe that the banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and the corporations will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all their property until their children wake up homeless on the continent that their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs."

[John Weaver] Did you know that a time in this country was, if you found gold on your land or if you found silver on your land, you could mine it and take it to the mint and they would mint the coins for you. This is what he's talking about being restored to the people. Then Reginald McKenna, who was the past chairman of the board of Midland Bank of England, said this, I'm afraid that the ordinary citizen will not like to be told that the banks can and do create money. And they who control the credit of the nation direct the policy of the governments and hold in the hollow of their hands the destiny of the people.

[John Weaver] Representative Charles Lindberg, who was a Republican from Minnesota, said this, the financial system has been turned over to the Federal Reserve Board. That board administers the finance system by authority of a purely profiteering group. The system is private, conducted for the sole purpose of obtaining the greatest possible profits from the use of other people's money. And then, of course, this one is from Lord Josiah Stemp, or Stamp, who was the director of the Bank of England.

[John Weaver] He said, the modern banking process manufactures currency out of nothing. The process is perhaps the most astounding piece of sleight of hand that was ever invented. If you want to be the slaves of the bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let the banks create currency. Hmm. One more. Henry Ford, he said, it is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe that there would be a revolution before morning. So when you stop and think that the Federal Reserve and our banking system are creating money out of thin air, it's called fiat money, then you have to understand that the Federal Reserve notes are not money. In fact, they are neither Federal nor Reserve nor real notes. because a note is an IOU and it means that you can collect at some point, but the notes, of course, have nothing backing them since the silver is gone and the gold is gone as well. So you have to understand that the Federal Reserve notes are not real money.

[John Weaver] They are instruments of debt and deception. Debased coins are not real money. They are instruments of debt and deception.

[John Weaver] Now, I understand that there has been a host of other things used as money historically, but biblically speaking and historically speaking the main thing has always been silver and gold. I suppose that you know in colonial America even preachers were paid with tobacco because tobacco was counted as the gold of that day. In Holland a lot of people took tulip bulbs because at one time tulip bulbs were exploding and may I point out also that there have been clamshells, there have been All kind of things use as a medium exchange and as money. But all of those things have gone and fallen by the wayside, but we still have silver and gold. And so let me burst your bubble with this one. I want you to also to know that electronic digits are not money. Electronic digits can disappear with a computer crash. And no matter how many millions of electronic digits you have, you cannot hold them in your hand and you cannot eat them. And you cannot use them when the system is down.

[John Weaver] And the truth of the matter is, the system will be going down, I am sure, because it is a slap in the face of God. Now, you're going to say, well, what is happening? There are people around that still will take Federal Reserve notes. I understand that. But may I remind you of this? The only reason the Federal Reserve notes are still being accepted is because most people are still deceived, and most people still have a little bit of confidence in them. And when that confidence disappears, then everything goes down.

[John Weaver] I'm reminded of the incident that happened in Germany during their hyperinflation of the Deutschmark. I read about where one woman had taken a wheelbarrow load of money, paper money, was on her way to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread, took a wheelbarrow full, And on her way there, there was a fight in the street and people were gathered around and her curiosity got the best of her, so she put her wheelbarrow down and started parting the crowd so she could see who was fighting. And when her curiosity was satisfied, she turned around and someone had dumped all the paper money out of the wheelbarrow and stolen the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow was worth more than the paper money.

[John Weaver] And of course, I'm sure that you have seen, in fact, Some brother in the last class was showing us, what was it, a 10 trillion dollar Zimbabwean note. 10 trillion. And he said it would not even buy a cup of coffee. So, this is what I'm trying to say is, here is theft by deception. And you have to ask yourself this question. Who possesses the silver and the gold today? Where is it? Who has it? And of course, I hope you know, in the 1970s, it was illegal for a United States citizen to own gold. Of course, that has changed, but I'm just pointing out the fact, most of the gold now is either owned by governments or by the bankers. So there is theft by deception. Just like Jacob was deceived, we are also deceived.

[John Weaver] Now, notice if you would, in verses 7 and 8 of Genesis 31, Here's a second way, and this is theft by change. Look at it. Genesis 31, verse 7. Jacob says,"...and your father had deceived me, and changed my wages ten times. But God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, the speckle shall be thy wages, then all the cattle bear speckled. And if he said thus, the ring strike shall be thy hire, then bear all the cattle ring straight.

[John Weaver] So what Laban did was said, was something like this. I'll try to put it where you can grasp it very easily. Let's suppose you're working for me and I agree to pay you in apples. But all of a sudden my apple trees really start producing and the price of apples rises tremendously. And I realize I'm giving you The most valuable thing on the property. And I say, look, no, no, no, no. I'm going to pay you in oranges. I'm not going to pay you in apples anymore. And so I start paying you in oranges. The next thing I know, oranges rise and my orange trees are producing.

[John Weaver] I can't do that because I want the profit and I want the increase. And so now I'm going to say I'm going to pay you in lemons. You can have lemons. And then the price of lemons rises. Now I'm going to pay you in pears. If pears rise, oh, I'll give you figs. You see, this is exactly what was happening to Jacob. If he said, ring straight, all the cattle said, ring straight, offspring.

[John Weaver] If he said, grizzle, they had grizzle. In other words, everything that Jacob said he would take, God blessed and was giving in. And ten times Laban changed his mind. Let me ask you a question. How often has the value of our money changed? I want you to think about this. Everybody kind of smiles when I tell them when Alice and I first married. Sometimes I think 100 years ago. Sometimes I think yesterday. When Alice and I first married, I would give her 10 bucks a week to buy groceries. And I'd kind of fuss at her if she didn't bring two or three of it back, which meant for a week, she and I, she could buy all the meat, milk, bread, other things that we needed for a week on six or seven bucks. You can even buy a loaf of bread hardly for that today.

[John Weaver] I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Do you realize in 1971, Before Nixon took us off the gold standard, gold was $35 an ounce. Today it's $2,000, and it's been over that. So what you are going to see is this. I'm going to read it to you. Do you realize that the Federal Reserve note has lost 98% of its purchasing power? I probably will not pronounce his name correctly. His name is Egon von Guerriers. He is from Switzerland, and he has gold Switzerland.

[John Weaver] And here's what he wrote. But Nixon's promise to the American people 50 years ago, on August the 15th, 1971, that your dollar will be worth just as much tomorrow hasn't quite held true, to say the least. Yes, $1 is still $1. But in purchasing power terms, it is worth only two cents today compared to 1971. So in a half a century, the dollar has lost 98% of its value compared to real money, that is gold. The dollar has outstayed its usefulness as sound money and will soon be in the graveyard where every single currency in history has ended up.

[John Weaver] And then he printed a little chart showing the currency rate race to the bottom, and he gives us the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Europe, Canada, Argentina. And the interesting thing is this, and today, 2021, in the United States, the dollar, quote unquote, the Federal Reserve note, has lost 98% of its purchasing power. In all the other countries, it's lost 99%. So we're one cent better. Now, here's a quote from Dr. Alfred Friedberg. And he just made this, wrote this on July the 27th, 2021 of this year. He says, if inflation keeps accelerating beyond their 2.5% annum expectation, which in our view is guaranteed, increase of 1.25% in Fed funds will be implemented on a quarterly basis and then monthly There is a long way to go and a long time necessary to reach a funds rate of just 2.5%.

[John Weaver] The last peak was in 2019. And dear reader, that won't cut it when inflation is running 500 to 800 basis points higher.

[John Weaver] Now listen to what he says. It's useless for us to speculate any further. It will be a long time measured in years before the Fed regains control of prices. During this long period of time, inflation will rage and consumer purchasing power will shrink as wages struggle to keep up with prices. Economic activity will be severely affected by the loss of purchasing power and slowdowns and recessions will follow. Corporate margins will shrink. Price controls, always useless and counterproductive, will almost certainly reappear on the scene. The evils of social inequality will be compounded, and social unrest will follow. There are very few places to which we will be able to escape and find safety in the coming financial and economic disaster.

[John Weaver] But recognizing the problem is the first step, and we believe that we've recognized it. Now, he's going to go a little bit further, and I want you to listen very carefully to what he's going to say. writes, as an executive with a multi-billion financial institution, I'm a financial insider also. Then he put in parentheses his and boo. He says, I also believe in preparedness. I believe that I have some insights into the money side of preparedness that you might want to consider. I will not delve too deeply into the fragile nature of the global financial system, but I will share my biggest concerns without going into detail. And I want you to listen to what his biggest concerns are. Here they are. Number one, the fractional reserve banking system allows your bank to create money out of thin air. Number two, the central banks of the world are creating unprecedented amounts of money out of thin air. Now, follow me.

[John Weaver] You know they just passed this, what, $2.5, $3.5 trillion bill? Where is it coming from? It's going to be printed. It's going to be manufactured out of thin air. So the more money they print, the less value the existing money has. Okay? So he says the banks created out of thin air. The central banks are creating money. Here's the third one. Fiat currencies are not real money. So our Federal Reserve notes are fiat currency. They're not real money. Number four, the central banking system of the major nations only exists to prop up large commercial banks and do not care about citizens. Number five, there's an enormous amount of leverage in the financial markets, government's balance sheets, shadow banks, and the average household.

[John Weaver] Next, some private equity firms operate in the shadows, taking enormous leveraged bets, which can shake fixed income markets when their bets go bad. And lastly, listen to this. Regulators are incapable of understanding the risks being taken by the firms that they regulate. He said the regulators don't know what's going on. So, in case you don't understand everything that he just said, let me boil it down to you by showing you what happened to Jacob. Here it is.

[John Weaver] Theft of labor is theft of life. Theft of labor is theft of life. Jacob was basically stolen from for 20 years. Laban stole 13 years of Jacob's life by deceiving him and by constantly changing his wages. And if you add the seven years that he served for Rachel, which he was deceived in that as well, then it was 20 years. So the point I'm trying to make is this, our modern day economic system is not designed for you and I to prosper. Our modern day economic system is designed to have everything that we work for taken from us and stolen from us.

[John Weaver] You look at the people today who cannot plan ahead, they cannot take a vacation, they cannot do anything. Why? Because they have to work almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week just to keep their eyeballs above water and keep from drowning. That is theft of labor. That is when our labor is stolen from us and that means our lives are stolen from us and we no longer have time for friends or family or anything else. It is indeed theft by change as well as theft by deception. So mark it down, theft of labor is theft of life because you're not able to live the life that God has designed for you. Let me just put it to you like this.

[John Weaver] When I was a boy, my father worked. My mother stayed home. She kept the house. She cooked. You look at the people today, the married couples today, both husband and wife, both now work just to try to make mortgage payments. car payments, whatever. I'm just simply pointing out that theft of labor is theft of life. So, you have theft by deception, you have theft by change. I'm going to give you one more, theft by conversion. If you look in verses 14 and 15 of Genesis chapter 31, Genesis 31 verses 14 and 15, look what Rachel and Leah answered Jacob. And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

[John Weaver] Are we not counted of him strangers? For he hath sold us, and quite devoured also our money."

[John Weaver] Now I want you to pay close attention to what these girls said concerning their father. He has sold us And hath quite devoured also our money."

[John Weaver] Now, it's obvious that Laban did indeed sell his two daughters. He sold them for 14 years worth of wages. It would have been the same thing if he had looked at Jacob and said, well, I'll take 20,000 for this one and 10,000 for that one. It would have been the same thing. So he did sell them. So the question has to be asked, what in the world do they mean when they say that their father had quite devoured also our money? Well, you have to remember that in the Old Testament, particularly, there was what is known as a bride price or a dowry.

[John Weaver] Let me give you just several verses. said this to Jacob and his sons in Genesis 34 and verse 12. He said, ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as you shall say to me, but give me the damsel to wife. He wanted to marry Dinah. He said, I'll give you whatever you ask, ever how much dowry and gift you want, I'll give it to you. And then of course, in Exodus 22 and verse 17, the scripture says, If her father utterly refused to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." So here in this passage, a man had seduced a woman and the Bible said he had to marry her unless the father utterly refused to give her unto him. And if the father refused, he still had to pay the dowry.

[John Weaver] When you get to 1 Samuel chapter 18, King Saul had wanted David to be his son-in-law. Well, he first promised him the older daughter Mirab. But when it came time for David to marry her, he gave her to another man. Now here's Michael and he finds out that Michael loves David. And Saul is in for David and he wants David to fall by the hands of the Philistines. And so he tells David, or he tells his servants to tell David, that the king is pleased with you, and he wants you to be his son-in-law. And David said, it's not a light thing to be the king's son-in-law, and I don't have the money. And in 1 Samuel 18, verse 25, And Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred forskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemy. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines." In other words, he really wanted David killed.

[John Weaver] But David went out, killed the Philistines, and accomplished the feat, and came back, and of course, he and Michael were married. May I tell you what a dowry was? A dowry was money that was given to the bride's father and kept for the daughter in case the husband died. Therefore she would have something to live on until she could find another husband Usually the dowry was two years of wages But in this instance, it was 14 years because he served seven for Rachel and seven for Leah so the monies or the profits that Laban made off the labor of Jacob for those 14 years Actually belong to Leah and to Rachel So instead of saving this money for his own daughters, he converted it to his own use and he spent it. It was theft on the part of Laban. He took that which did not belong to him and he took that which was entrusted to him to keep for his daughters and spent it on himself. Now, Matthew Henry hit the nail on the head and described Laban very closely.

[John Weaver] He said this, selfish men consider themselves robbed of all that goes past them, and covetousness will even swallow up natural affection, the error of overvaluing worldly wealth is the root of covetousness, envy, and all evil." Notice that in covetousness will swallow up natural affection. And it will. And it did so in the instance of Laban. The truth of the matter is this. We're talking about theft by conversion.

[John Weaver] Do you realize that we have been legally plundered for years, not only by the bankers, but also by our own government? Here's an illustration that I think is very understandable. The author said, technically, of course, the government has been defaulting on the debt since 1913 because anyone who lends money to the United States government is paid back in devalued dollars. Whether you buy a savings bond, treasury bond, treasury bill, or treasury note, when you eventually redeem it, you're paid back in dollars that are worth less than they were when you loaned the cash to the government. If, for example, you lend a friend $100 with the understanding that he'll pay you back $110 in five years, you are not $10 ahead If government costs price inflation means that the 110 can only purchase what used to cost 95. Your friend pays you back with 110. But if consumer prices have gone up substantially since the loan was originated, you're worse off. And that's true.

[John Weaver] That is exactly what has been happening. Now, there is a book, if you have not read it, I would encourage you to do so. It's not a large book. The title is The Law, written by Frédéric Bastier. He was a Frenchman, and it's very easily read. But in this book, he talks about legal plunder. And we understand what illegal plunder is. So if I pulled out a pistol and stuck it up James' head and said, James, give me your money or I'm going to kill you, obviously that's illegal plunder. I mean, not only could I go to prison for that, But if James knew a few things, he could take that weapon away from me and even kill me. So I'm, you know, I'm the one that would be suffering, but that's illegal plunder. Everybody understands that. But if I don't want to go to jail and if I do not want to get hurt, we could get together and pass a law where people like James would have to give me 15% of everything that he made.

[John Weaver] Now, if he doesn't do it, he goes to jail. And I'm, but it's called legal plunder. So here's what Frederick Vashti said. Listen carefully. It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this, the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder. What are the consequences of such a perversion? It would require volumes to describe them all. Thus, we must content ourselves with pointing out the most striking.

[John Weaver] In the first place, it erases from everyone's conscience the distinction between justice and injustice. No society can exist unless the laws are respected to a certain degree. The safest way to make laws respected is to make them respectable. When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law. These two evils are of equal consequence.

[John Weaver] It would be difficult for a person to choose between them. The nature of the law is to maintain justice. This is so much the case that in the minds of the people, law and justice are one and the same thing. There is in all of us a strong disposition to believe that anything that is lawful is legitimate. And that is true. That's what the average person believes. But just because something is lawful does not mean that it is legal or legitimate. Does not mean that it is in accord with God's word. Does not mean that it is morally acceptable. But he said that's the disposition in most people to believe that anything that is lawful has to be legitimate. He says this belief is so widespread that many persons have erroneously held that things are just because the law makes them so. Thus, in order to make plunder appear just and sacred to many consciences, it is only necessary for the law to decree it and sanction it." Now, listen to his definition of legal plunder.

[John Weaver] But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply, see if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. I hope you're beginning to realize that's exactly where we are today.

[John Weaver] Because our government is taking from this group and giving to this group. Taking the hard labor over here and converting it to this group over here who does not deserve anything. Now, listen carefully. He says, the choice before us, the question of legal plunder must be settled once and for all. And there's only three ways to settle it. How do we settle it? Number one, the few plunder the many.

[John Weaver] That's where we are right now. Number two, everybody plunder everybody. That's anarchy. And number three, nobody plunder anybody. Then he goes on to say this, we must make our choice among limited plunder, universal plunder, or no plunder. The law can only follow one of these three. Now listen to this. This ought to really nail it down for you. He has limited legal plunder. The system, this system prevailed. where the right to vote was restricted. One would turn back to this system to prevent the invasion of socialism. Now what in the world is limited legal plunder? Well, he says this system prevailed when the right to vote was restricted. Do you realize there was a time in this country that you could not vote unless you owned property? So I would have the right to say what happens to my own property. If you did not own property, you have no say so in how I handle property. Then he goes on to say this, universal legal plunder. We have been threatened with this system since the franchise or the voting was made universal.

[John Weaver] The newly enfranchised majority has decided to formulate law on the same principle of legal plunder that was used by their predecessors when the vote was limited. So now we've made it where everybody can vote, and of course now the Democrats want all the illegal aliens to vote as well.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. If you have no property, and you have nothing, and everything you have is given to you, and you vote, what are you going to vote for? more to be given to you. I will tell you, and I will be absolutely honest, what really frosts my cake is the property tax. And especially when you find out about 85% of that property tax goes for the support of government schools. None of my children ever went to one day in a government school in their entire lives.

[John Weaver] And every time I have to pay those stupid taxes, I say, why do I have to pay for somebody's child to go to a public school, which I disagree with what they're teaching? And it's not my child. It's their responsibility to educate their children. It's not my responsibility. But I'm just simply saying this is universal legal plunder. And this is the way it works today. You have to pay for those Who won't work, you have to pay for those who won't do anything. You'll have to pay for those who will never own anything because they have no desire to.

[John Weaver] All they want to do is sit home, watch TV, and take their food stamps and their welfare payments. That's it. And then he said, here's the third one, no legal plunder. This is the principle of justice, peace, and order, stability, and harmony, and logic. Then he says this, until the day of my death, I shall proclaim this principle with all the force of my lungs, which, alas, is all too inadequate. So, he says we are given a choice, and that choice is the few plunder the many, everybody plunder everybody, or nobody plunders anybody. And that's the way it should be, no one plunders anybody, but yet the truth of the matter is, we are having today universal legal plunder. H.L.

[John Weaver] Mencken said this, a government at bottom is nothing more than a gang of men, And as a practical matter, most of them are inferior men. Government is actually the worst failure of civilized man. There's never been a really good one, and even those that are most tolerable are arbitrary, cruel, grasping, and unintelligent. Indeed, it would not be far wrong to describe the best as the common enemy of all decent citizens." And that's basically true. So here's my question. What in the world are we to do except educate ourselves the best that we can and prepare the best we can to survive this universal plunder?

[John Weaver] Well, I want you to look in Genesis chapter 31, beginning there, verse 38, because the truth of the matter is, since theft is a violation of God's law in every shape, form, fashion, and color, God's going to judge it sooner or later. So in Genesis 31, verse 38, he's talking to Laban. Jacob is. In verse 38, he says, These 20 years have I been with thee. Thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have not eaten.

[John Weaver] In other words, I suffer the loss of it. Watch this. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee. I bear the loss of it. Of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. Thus I was in the day, the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house. I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle, and thou hast changed my wages ten times, except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, in the fear of Isaac, had been with me. thou had sent me now away empty, God hath seen mine affliction, and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday night." And you know what God did?

[John Weaver] God came to Laman and said, you better not say anything good or bad to Jacob. You better not touch him. Let me put it to you like this. Sooner or later, God's hammer is going to fall. And it's going to fall with force upon the thieves. I do not care If you are a multi-multi-billionaire, if you've gotten it by theft, if you've gotten it by deception, if you've gotten it by change, if you've gotten it by conversion, if you've gotten it by fraud, the hammer's going to fall upon you. It's just that simple. It will fall upon you.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to think about some things in light of this. Theft, by any other name, is still theft. If you and I do not wish to be the victims of plunder, we must not plunder others. You remember the Bible teaches that we reap exactly that which we sow. We have to learn the biblical principles of wealth and then apply them to our lives. We cannot be dependent upon the government which cannot give to us except that which it takes from someone else. We must learn to be independent of others. We must learn to be self-sufficient in and of ourselves with our complete and total dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] It was Thomas Jefferson who said this, if people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in a sorry state as their souls as those who live under tyranny. And that's the truth. And did you know, there's even a bill now trying to be introduced that would make it against the law for you to buy vitamin supplements without a prescription from a doctor.

[John Weaver] This is exactly where we're going. Remember I gave you this quote earlier? Jefferson said, I believe that the banking institutions are more dangerous than standing armies. And he said, if the American people do not, do not get back this power to control the money, we're going to wake up homeless on the very continent in which Our forefathers suffered, bled, and died, and both for us. And the truth of the matter is we fail to heed these warnings. All you've got to do is look around, and you'll see the trouble that we're in. And the present administration is intent on taking and stealing what little the American people have left.

[John Weaver] The second application is this. We must learn to recognize theft in its many and varied forms. Theft takes upon itself Many different colors and schemes, yet theft is a sin and God will judge it. My counsel would be this, be prepared to live right, do right, and die right. There's a sign that I have. It said, do not steal. The government does not like the competition. Well, that is certainly true. That is true. But I much prefer God's law that just simply says thou shalt not steal.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you what you should get from this. What you should get from this. Is it what we call money is not really money. And you should understand that silver and gold are real money. They've always been valuable. They will always will be valuable. and especially in comparison to paper, there will always have some value. If gold went back down to 35 bucks an ounce, that is still 35 bucks an ounce when your paper is worth nothing other than to start fires or to wallpaper your house.

[John Weaver] The point I'm trying to make is this. You need not only silver and gold, you need non-hybrid seeds. You need garden tools. You need farming tools. You need hunting tools. You need trapping tools. You need fixing tools. You need bartering tools. You need something that is tangible, something that is usable, something that will last and will help you and your descendants, your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren.

[John Weaver] Adam Smith said it like this, What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience? And has a clear conscience. You know, the Apostle Paul said, Herein do I exercise myself to always have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man. So we need to understand that we are being stolen from, and we need to do everything that we can to preserve what little wealth that we have for our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren.

[John Weaver] Theft, by any other name, is still theft. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth, and Lord, help us To be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, help us to understand where we are, how we got here, and where we're going, and how we need to change, and how we need to apply truth.

[John Weaver] Give us grace, give us mercy, give us wisdom, give us understanding. May we lean upon Thee and trust in Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. ♪ ♪ you

Theft By Any Other Name Is Still Theft

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	p-jRshRrOno
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Patriarchs, Family, and Providence
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-11-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 075: Genesis — Chapter 19
Source Timed Segments	81

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: Theft Defined as Sin

Weaver opens by reading Genesis 31:1-11 and posing the question of whether stealing is a sin, defining sin as transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4) and citing the Eighth Commandment. He extends the question to individuals, families, churches, institutions, rulers, and governments, concluding that theft is always sin and God will judge it.

Let's open our Bibles today to the book of Genesis, chapter 31, and we'll read the first 11 verses and go from there. The title of the message is "Theft By Any Other Name Is Still Theft." Notice, if you would please, Genesis chapter 31, beginning with verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Genesis 31:1-11

"And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father

hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grizzled. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I said, Here am I. Verse 12: 'And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.' You've heard the old saying that a rose by any other name is still a rose. And the truth of the matter is, theft by any other name is still theft as well.

So I begin this message by asking a question which I'm sure that you know the answer to. And that is this: is it a sin to steal? And the answer, of course, obviously is yes. But before I ask a few other questions, let me just simply define sin for you. 1 John 3:4 tells us,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:4

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

Therefore, in the book of Exodus, chapter 20 and verse 15, God simply says, "Thou shalt not steal."

So we have to understand then that theft is a violation. It is a trespass. It is a transgression against God's law. So now I want you to listen to these questions and I want you to think with me as I ask them. Is it a sin for an individual to steal? Is it a sin for a family to steal? Is it a sin for a church to steal? Is it a sin for an institution to steal? Is it a sin for a ruler to steal? Is it a sin for a government to steal? So the answer to those questions, of course, is yes. And it does not matter if it is an individual, a family, a church, an institution, a ruler, or government. Theft is still theft. It is still a sin.

And God certainly will judge all who engage in that. So it does not matter if theft is accomplished by the lowliest peasant or simply by the mightiest ruler or even the most arrogant politician. Theft is still theft and God certainly will judge it as well.

Background: Jacob's Deception and Flight to Laban

Weaver recounts the story of Jacob obtaining Esau's birthright and blessing through deception, Esau's murderous intent, and Rebekah's plan for Jacob to flee to Laban for 'a few days,' which became 20 years. He notes Rebekah likely died before Jacob returned.

Now, in the book of Genesis, when we just read from chapter 31, you have to be aware of the fact that the context of this goes farther back than just simply Genesis chapter 31. Everyone is aware of the struggles between Jacob and Esau. You remember how Esau despised his birthright? And he sold that birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage. Well, when it came time for Isaac to die, then Rebekah heard him say to Esau, "Go fix me some of this venison that I love, that my soul may bless thee before I die." And of course, she conceived this idea and she got Jacob dressed up as Esau, put some garments on him and put some goat's hair on his arms to make him feel hairy like Esau, and fixed up from the flock to make it taste like venison. And of course, then Jacob went in and claimed to be Esau, and he got the blessing. He stole the blessing. In reality, he really and truly did not steal it, although he deceived his father, because the blessing actually went with the birthright.

And probably Rebekah and Jacob as well knew that if he did not do this by deception, then Isaac was going to bless Esau instead of Jacob. Now, when Esau came home and found out that Jacob had beaten him out of that blessing, he said in Genesis chapter 27, if you'll look at verse 41 there, Genesis 27:41:

Scripture Reading — Genesis 27:41

"And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."

Well, he may have said it in his heart, but he also said it out loud, or at least told it to someone else as well. Because when you look in Genesis chapter 27, beginning with verse 42: "And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?" Now the interesting thing is, she said in verse 44, "and tarry with him a few days." Interestingly enough, if you will look in Genesis chapter 31 and verse 38, those few days are described where Jacob said,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 31:38

"This twenty years have I been with thee."

So the few days turned into 20 years. As far as I can tell, Rebekah died before Jacob ever returned. She never saw him again. Now we read in the Bible of Jacob and Esau burying their father Isaac. And the only other thing we read about Rebekah is that she was buried in the cave of Machpelah along with Sarah and Abraham. If you'll look in Genesis chapter 35 and verse 29, Genesis 35:29, the scripture says this: "And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him." But nothing is said about Rebekah's burial. If you would look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 49, very quickly, and verse 31, here is where we understand that Rebekah is buried in that cave. Notice Genesis 49:31, the Scripture says: "There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah." That was Jacob speaking. So Isaac and Rebekah were buried in the same cave that Abraham and Sarah were buried in as well. So when Rebekah told Jacob, "You go tarry with Laban for a few days and I'll send and fetch you,"

Scripture Reading — Genesis 35:29

well, of course, he never came back then and she died without ever seeing him again. So he was there 20 years. 20 years is an awful long time, especially if you're being stolen from for 20 years. So I want to just show you three things from the Bible in relationship to theft and Jacob. And at the same time, I want to be able to apply them to where we're living today. So first of all, I want you to understand here is theft by deception. So if you'll go back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 29, Genesis 29. The deception did not begin with money. The deception did not begin with wages. The deception began with marriage. Because you see, Jacob loved Rachel, and that's who he wanted to marry. So in Genesis chapter 29, beginning there with verse 15: "And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

Theft by Deception: Laban's Marriage Trick and Modern Parallels

Weaver details how Laban deceived Jacob by substituting Leah for Rachel after seven years of labor, then demanding another seven years for Rachel. He connects this to modern deceptions in marriage, fraudulent products, and the deception of fiat currency, which is not real money according to the Constitution and historical definition.

Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her." Now, notice if you would please, here was a deal, here was a contract, here was a covenant: I will serve these seven years for your daughter Rachel. So when it came time for him to marry Rachel, look if you would please in verse 21: "And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.

Now you have to remember they wore veils in those days. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

Now, here's an interesting thing. Seven years he served for Rachel, but he only got Leah. Now, Jacob asked, "Why hast thou beguiled me?" The word "beguiled" in the Hebrew is the word "ramah," and it literally means to deceive, to beguile, to betray, to mislead, and to deal treacherously. So notice if you would, he served for Rachel, but he got Leah. And when he found out it was Leah, he asked, "What have you done to me?" "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I left this out of the contract. In this country, we don't give the younger before the elder. Now, since you've got the elder, I'm going to let you have the younger in a week, but you have to give me seven more years of your life." Well, if that's not deception, I certainly don't know what deception really is. By the way, when we're talking about marriage, there have been many individuals that entered into marriage through deception. I have known, and still know, couples where one was a Christian, one was not. And yet the one who was not professed to be a Christian went to church, did everything just like a good Christian does until they got married. And then once he got his wife or she got the husband, they dropped out by the wayside and it was just simply pure deception. And there have been individuals that have married through deception by pretending to be something they really were not. I used to laugh and tell everybody that I married Alice for her money, and she married me for my money, and we got married and we found neither one of us had any.

But the truth of the matter is there have been plenty of people like that. Deception abounds on every hand, even in marriage. And the fact of the matter is we've been deceived in many ways, and we don't understand that deception is indeed a form of theft. I remember laughing at what my father told me many, many years ago. But he told me that when he and my mother had first married, that there was a drought. And he said because of the drought, fleas were everywhere. And dad said he did everything he could to kill all those fleas. And he said finally he was reading and he saw an advertisement that guaranteed to kill every flea on the place if the directions are properly followed.

And it was only 50 cents. Now, we think 50 cents is not much money, but this was during the Depression, and so 50 cents was a lot of money back in those days. And so Dad sent 50 cents, and sure enough, in a few weeks, in came his product that guaranteed to kill every flea on the place if the directions were properly followed. And what he was sent was two little blocks of wood, and the directions were as follows: catch the flea, put him on one block, smash him with the other block. Well, would it work? Of course it would work.

But it was deception and it was theft. And dad was just simply out of his 50 cents. Now, the interesting thing is, we have been deceived so many ways. I could ask this question. How many of you think that we have real money in our pockets? And how many of you really think that you have a dollar in your pocket? And the truth of the matter is, we really do not. And the truth is, we've been deceived by our own government. We've been deceived by the bankers. We've been deceived every which way you turn.

When Alexander Hamilton wrote the Coinage Act of 1792, it went into law, the dollar was indeed at that time the market definition of a dollar, of the Spanish milled dollar, which was 371.25 grains of silver. This is the historical definition of a dollar. A dollar is a unit of measurement. It's like an inch or a foot or a quart or a gallon. And you can no more change the definition of a dollar than you can change the definition of a foot or an inch. It is indeed a unit of measurement. Many people try to think that our irredeemable paper money are dollars, they are not. We have been deceived. We have been tricked into thinking that. By the way, before I leave the Coinage Act of 1792, I want to read to you part of Section 19. Listen to this. Remember now, by the way, before I read this, that our founding fathers had just gotten through with an experiment with paper money, the continental currency. Hence we have that old adage, "It's not worth a continental." In fact, the continental paper money usually was referred to as shinplasters.

Because soldiers would take them and cover their shins with them as they tied up their boots because it was worthless. And so the continental dollars were called shinplasters as well. But here is Section 19 of the Coinage Act of 1792: "If any of the gold or silver coins shall be debased, every such officer or person who shall commit any or either of said offenses shall be deemed guilty of felony and shall suffer death." Did you hear that? If you were to debase a dollar, you face the death penalty. If you took just 50% silver and 50% lead, that's debasement. Or if you put 90% silver and 10% zinc, that's debasement. And the Coinage Act says that if you debase these coins, it is a felony and you shall suffer death.

Now, I hope you understand why in the Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 8 says this: "Congress shall have the power to coin money and regulate the value thereof." In other words, Congress never had the power to print money because gold and silver was the money of the Constitution. It was the money of history. It was the money of the Bible. And how about this one? Article 1, Section 10 of the United States Constitution says this: "No state, not Florida, not Georgia, not South Carolina, no state shall coin money, emit bills of credit, make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts." Do you realize that every time we use paper money, we're violating the Constitution of the United States?

Now, the interesting thing is this. The Constitution was denied and destroyed when our money was debased in 1965, all the silver was taken out of our coins. The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from the circulating coins, like a dime, a 50-cent piece, a quarter, whatever. So our coins are basically worthless today as well, as well as our fiat paper money. It is absolutely worthless. The interesting thing is this. I'm going to give you some quotes, and Thomas Jefferson is the first one who died in 1826. He said, "I believe that the banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and the corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all their property until their children wake up homeless on the continent that their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs."

Did you know that a time in this country was, if you found gold on your land or if you found silver on your land, you could mine it and take it to the mint and they would mint the coins for you. This is what he's talking about being restored to the people. Then Reginald McKenna, who was the past chairman of the board of Midland Bank of England, said this: "I'm afraid that the ordinary citizen will not like to be told that the banks can and do create money. And they who control the credit of the nation direct the policy of the governments and hold in the hollow of their hands the destiny of the people." Representative Charles Lindbergh, who was a Republican from Minnesota, said this: "The financial system has been turned over to the Federal Reserve Board. That board administers the finance system by authority of a purely profiteering group. The system is private, conducted for the sole purpose of obtaining the greatest possible profits from the use of other people's money." And then, of course, this one is from Lord Josiah Stamp, who was the director of the Bank of England.

He said, "The modern banking process manufactures currency out of nothing. The process is perhaps the most astounding piece of sleight of hand that was ever invented. If you want to be the slaves of the bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let the banks create currency." Hmm. One more. Henry Ford, he said, "It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe that there would be a revolution before morning." So when you stop and think that the Federal Reserve and our banking system are creating money out of thin air, it's called fiat money, then you have to understand that the Federal Reserve notes are not money. In fact, they are neither Federal nor Reserve nor real notes, because a note is an IOU and it means that you can collect at some point, but the notes, of course, have nothing backing them since the silver is gone and the gold is gone as well. So you have to understand that the Federal Reserve notes are not real money.

They are instruments of debt and deception. Debased coins are not real money. They are instruments of debt and deception. Now, I understand that there has been a host of other things used as money historically, but biblically speaking and historically speaking the main thing has always been silver and gold. I suppose that you know in colonial America even preachers were paid with tobacco because tobacco was counted as the gold of that day. In Holland a lot of people took tulip bulbs because at one time tulip bulbs were exploding and may I point out also that there have been clamshells, there have been all kind of things used as a medium of exchange and as money. But all of those things have gone and fallen by the wayside, but we still have silver and gold. And so let me burst your bubble with this one. I want you to also to know that electronic digits are not money. Electronic digits can disappear with a computer crash. And no matter how many millions of electronic digits you have, you cannot hold them in your hand and you cannot eat them. And you cannot use them when the system is down.

And the truth of the matter is, the system will be going down, I am sure, because it is a slap in the face of God. Now, you're going to say, well, what is happening? There are people around that still will take Federal Reserve notes. I understand that. But may I remind you of this? The only reason the Federal Reserve notes are still being accepted is because most people are still deceived, and most people still have a little bit of confidence in them. And when that confidence disappears, then everything goes down.

I'm reminded of the incident that happened in Germany during their hyperinflation of the Deutschmark. I read about where one woman had taken a wheelbarrow load of money, paper money, was on her way to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread, took a wheelbarrow full, and on her way there, there was a fight in the street and people were gathered around and her curiosity got the best of her, so she put her wheelbarrow down and started parting the crowd so she could see who was fighting. And when her curiosity was satisfied, she turned around and someone had dumped all the paper money out of the wheelbarrow and stolen the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow was worth more than the paper money. And of course, I'm sure that you have seen, in fact, some brother in the last class was showing us, what was it, a 10 trillion dollar Zimbabwean note. 10 trillion. And he said it would not even buy a cup of coffee. So, this is what I'm trying to say is, here is theft by deception. And you have to ask yourself this question. Who possesses the silver and the gold today? Where is it? Who has it? And of course, I hope you know, in the 1970s, it was illegal for a United States citizen to own gold. Of course, that has changed, but I'm just pointing out the fact, most of the gold now is either owned by governments or by the bankers. So there is theft by deception. Just like Jacob was deceived, we are also deceived.

Now, notice if you would, in verses 7 and 8 of Genesis 31, here's a second way, and this is theft by change. Look at it. Genesis 31, verse 7. Jacob says, "...and your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked."

Theft by Change: Laban's Wage Manipulation and Currency Devaluation

Weaver explains how Laban changed Jacob's wages ten times, always shifting to the less valuable livestock. He parallels this to the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, which has lost 98% of its purchasing power since 1971, and quotes financial experts on the dangers of fiat money and inflation.

So what Laban did was said, was something like this. I'll try to put it where you can grasp it very easily. Let's suppose you're working for me and I agree to pay you in apples. But all of a sudden my apple trees really start producing and the price of apples rises tremendously. And I realize I'm giving you the most valuable thing on the property. And I say, look, no, no, no, no. I'm going to pay you in oranges. I'm not going to pay you in apples anymore. And so I start paying you in oranges. The next thing I know, oranges rise and my orange trees are producing.

I can't do that because I want the profit and I want the increase. And so now I'm going to say I'm going to pay you in lemons. You can have lemons. And then the price of lemons rises. Now I'm going to pay you in pears. If pears rise, oh, I'll give you figs. You see, this is exactly what was happening to Jacob. If he said, ringstraked, all the cattle had ringstraked offspring.

If he said, grizzled, they had grizzled. In other words, everything that Jacob said he would take, God blessed and was giving in. And ten times Laban changed his mind. Let me ask you a question. How often has the value of our money changed? I want you to think about this. Everybody kind of smiles when I tell them when Alice and I first married. Sometimes I think 100 years ago. Sometimes I think yesterday. When Alice and I first married, I would give her 10 bucks a week to buy groceries. And I'd kind of fuss at her if she didn't bring two or three of it back, which meant for a week, she and I, she could buy all the meat, milk, bread, other things that we needed for a week on six or seven bucks. You can't even buy a loaf of bread hardly for that today.

I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Do you realize in 1971, before Nixon took us off the gold standard, gold was $35 an ounce. Today it's $2,000, and it's been over that. So what you are going to see is this. I'm going to read it to you. Do you realize that the Federal Reserve note has lost 98% of its purchasing power? I probably will not pronounce his name correctly. His name is Egon von Greyerz. He is from Switzerland, and he has gold Switzerland.

And here's what he wrote. "But Nixon's promise to the American people 50 years ago, on August the 15th, 1971, that your dollar will be worth just as much tomorrow hasn't quite held true, to say the least. Yes, $1 is still $1. But in purchasing power terms, it is worth only two cents today compared to 1971. So in a half a century, the dollar has lost 98% of its value compared to real money, that is gold. The dollar has outstayed its usefulness as sound money and will soon be in the graveyard where every single currency in history has ended up." And then he printed a little chart showing the currency rate race to the bottom, and he gives us the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Europe, Canada, Argentina. And the interesting thing is this, and today, 2021, in the United States, the dollar, quote unquote, the Federal Reserve note, has lost 98% of its purchasing power. In all the other countries, it's lost 99%. So we're one cent better. Now, here's a quote from Dr. Alfred Friedberg. And he just made this, wrote this on July the 27th, 2021 of this year. He says, "If inflation keeps accelerating beyond their 2.5% annum expectation, which in our view is guaranteed, increase of 1.25% in Fed funds will be implemented on a quarterly basis and then monthly. There is a long way to go and a long time necessary to reach a funds rate of just 2.5%.

The last peak was in 2019. And dear reader, that won't cut it when inflation is running 500 to 800 basis points higher." Now listen to what he says. "It's useless for us to speculate any further. It will be a long time measured in years before the Fed regains control of prices. During this long period of time, inflation will rage and consumer purchasing power will shrink as wages struggle to keep up with prices. Economic activity will be severely affected by the loss of purchasing power and slowdowns and recessions will follow. Corporate margins will shrink. Price controls, always useless and counterproductive, will almost certainly reappear on the scene. The evils of social inequality will be compounded, and social unrest will follow. There are very few places to which we will be able to escape and find safety in the coming financial and economic disaster."

But recognizing the problem is the first step, and we believe that we've recognized it. Now, he's going to go a little bit further, and I want you to listen very carefully to what he's going to say. He writes, "As an executive with a multi-billion financial institution, I'm a financial insider also." Then he put in parentheses "his and boo." He says, "I also believe in preparedness. I believe that I have some insights into the money side of preparedness that you might want to consider. I will not delve too deeply into the fragile nature of the global financial system, but I will share my biggest concerns without going into detail." And I want you to listen to what his biggest concerns are. Here they are. Number one, the fractional reserve banking system allows your bank to create money out of thin air. Number two, the central banks of the world are creating unprecedented amounts of money out of thin air. Now, follow me.

You know they just passed this, what, $2.5, $3.5 trillion bill? Where is it coming from? It's going to be printed. It's going to be manufactured out of thin air. So the more money they print, the less value the existing money has. Okay? So he says the banks create out of thin air. The central banks are creating money. Here's the third one. Fiat currencies are not real money. So our Federal Reserve notes are fiat currency. They're not real money. Number four, the central banking system of the major nations only exists to prop up large commercial banks and do not care about citizens. Number five, there's an enormous amount of leverage in the financial markets, government's balance sheets, shadow banks, and the average household.

Next, some private equity firms operate in the shadows, taking enormous leveraged bets, which can shake fixed income markets when their bets go bad. And lastly, listen to this. Regulators are incapable of understanding the risks being taken by the firms that they regulate. He said the regulators don't know what's going on. So, in case you don't understand everything that he just said, let me boil it down to you by showing you what happened to Jacob. Here it is. Theft of labor is theft of life. Theft of labor is theft of life. Jacob was basically stolen from for 20 years. Laban stole 13 years of Jacob's life by deceiving him and by constantly changing his wages. And if you add the seven years that he served for Rachel, which he was deceived in that as well, then it was 20 years. So the point I'm trying to make is this, our modern day economic system is not designed for you and I to prosper. Our modern day economic system is designed to have everything that we work for taken from us and stolen from us.

Theft of Labor Is Theft of Life

Weaver argues that Laban's theft of Jacob's labor for 20 years equates to stealing his life, as Jacob could not live as God intended. He applies this to modern workers who must labor incessantly just to survive, losing time for family and rest.

Theft of labor is theft of life. Theft of labor is theft of life. Jacob was basically stolen from for 20 years. Laban stole 13 years of Jacob's life by deceiving him and by constantly changing his wages. And if you add the seven years that he served for Rachel, which he was deceived in that as well, then it was 20 years. So the point I'm trying to make is this, our modern day economic system is not designed for you and I to prosper. Our modern day economic system is designed to have everything that we work for taken from us and stolen from us.

You look at the people today who cannot plan ahead, they cannot take a vacation, they cannot do anything. Why? Because they have to work almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week just to keep their eyeballs above water and keep from drowning. That is theft of labor. That is when our labor is stolen from us and that means our lives are stolen from us and we no longer have time for friends or family or anything else. It is indeed theft by change as well as theft by deception. So mark it down, theft of labor is theft of life because you're not able to live the life that God has designed for you. Let me just put it to you like this.

When I was a boy, my father worked. My mother stayed home. She kept the house. She cooked. You look at the people today, the married couples today, both husband and wife, both now work just to try to make mortgage payments, car payments, whatever. I'm just simply pointing out that theft of labor is theft of life. So, you have theft by deception, you have theft by change. I'm going to give you one more, theft by conversion. If you look in verses 14 and 15 of Genesis chapter 31, Genesis 31 verses 14 and 15, look what Rachel and Leah answered Jacob. "And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

Theft by Conversion: Laban's Misuse of the Dowry and Legal Plunder

Weaver examines Rachel and Leah's complaint that Laban sold them and devoured their money, explaining the biblical dowry system. He connects this to modern legal plunder, where government takes from some to give to others, citing Frédéric Bastiat's 'The Law' and the three forms of plunder.

Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money." Now I want you to pay close attention to what these girls said concerning their father. "He hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money." Now, it's obvious that Laban did indeed sell his two daughters. He sold them for 14 years worth of wages. It would have been the same thing if he had looked at Jacob and said, "Well, I'll take 20,000 for this one and 10,000 for that one." It would have been the same thing. So he did sell them. So the question has to be asked, what in the world do they mean when they say that their father had quite devoured also our money? Well, you have to remember that in the Old Testament, particularly, there was what is known as a bride price or a dowry.

Let me give you just several verses. Shechem said this to Jacob and his sons in Genesis 34 and verse 12. He said,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 34:12

"Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife."

He wanted to marry Dinah. He said,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 34:12

"I'll give you whatever you ask, ever how much dowry and gift you want, I'll give it to you."

And then of course, in Exodus 22 and verse 17, the scripture says, "If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." So here in this passage, a man had seduced a woman and the Bible said he had to marry her unless the father utterly refused to give her unto him. And if the father refused, he still had to pay the dowry.

When you get to 1 Samuel chapter 18, King Saul had wanted David to be his son-in-law. Well, he first promised him the older daughter Merab. But when it came time for David to marry her, he gave her to another man. Now here's Michal and he finds out that Michal loves David. And Saul is in for David and he wants David to fall by the hands of the Philistines. And so he tells David, or he tells his servants to tell David, that the king is pleased with you, and he wants you to be his son-in-law. And David said, "It is not a light thing to be the king's son-in-law, and I don't have the money." And in 1 Samuel 18, verse 25: "And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines." In other words, he really wanted David killed.

But David went out, killed the Philistines, and accomplished the feat, and came back, and of course, he and Michal were married. May I tell you what a dowry was? A dowry was money that was given to the bride's father and kept for the daughter in case the husband died. Therefore she would have something to live on until she could find another husband. Usually the dowry was two years of wages. But in this instance, it was 14 years because he served seven for Rachel and seven for Leah. So the monies or the profits that Laban made off the labor of Jacob for those 14 years actually belonged to Leah and to Rachel. So instead of saving this money for his own daughters, he converted it to his own use and he spent it. It was theft on the part of Laban. He took that which did not belong to him and he took that which was entrusted to him to keep for his daughters and spent it on himself. Now, Matthew Henry hit the nail on the head and described Laban very closely.

He said this: "Selfish men consider themselves robbed of all that goes past them, and covetousness will even swallow up natural affection. The error of overvaluing worldly wealth is the root of covetousness, envy, and all evil." Notice that covetousness will swallow up natural affection. And it will. And it did so in the instance of Laban. The truth of the matter is this. We're talking about theft by conversion. Do you realize that we have been legally plundered for years, not only by the bankers, but also by our own government? Here's an illustration that I think is very understandable. The author said, "Technically, of course, the government has been defaulting on the debt since 1913 because anyone who lends money to the United States government is paid back in devalued dollars. Whether you buy a savings bond, treasury bond, treasury bill, or treasury note, when you eventually redeem it, you're paid back in dollars that are worth less than they were when you loaned the cash to the government. If, for example, you lend a friend $100 with the understanding that he'll pay you back $110 in five years, you are not $10 ahead if government-caused price inflation means that the $110 can only purchase what used to cost $95. Your friend pays you back with $110. But if consumer prices have gone up substantially since the loan was originated, you're worse off." And that's true.

That is exactly what has been happening. Now, there is a book, if you have not read it, I would encourage you to do so. It's not a large book. The title is "The Law," written by Frédéric Bastiat. He was a Frenchman, and it's very easily read. But in this book, he talks about legal plunder. And we understand what illegal plunder is. So if I pulled out a pistol and stuck it up James' head and said, "James, give me your money or I'm going to kill you," obviously that's illegal plunder. I mean, not only could I go to prison for that, but if James knew a few things, he could take that weapon away from me and even kill me. So I'm, you know, I'm the one that would be suffering, but that's illegal plunder. Everybody understands that. But if I don't want to go to jail and if I do not want to get hurt, we could get together and pass a law where people like James would have to give me 15% of everything that he made.

Now, if he doesn't do it, he goes to jail. And I'm, but it's called legal plunder. So here's what Frédéric Bastiat said. Listen carefully. "It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder. What are the consequences of such a perversion? It would require volumes to describe them all. Thus, we must content ourselves with pointing out the most striking.

In the first place, it erases from everyone's conscience the distinction between justice and injustice. No society can exist unless the laws are respected to a certain degree. The safest way to make laws respected is to make them respectable. When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law. These two evils are of equal consequence. It would be difficult for a person to choose between them. The nature of the law is to maintain justice. This is so much the case that in the minds of the people, law and justice are one and the same thing. There is in all of us a strong disposition to believe that anything that is lawful is legitimate." And that is true. That's what the average person believes. But just because something is lawful does not mean that it is legal or legitimate. Does not mean that it is in accord with God's word. Does not mean that it is morally acceptable. But he said that's the disposition in most people to believe that anything that is lawful has to be legitimate. He says, "This belief is so widespread that many persons have erroneously held that things are just because the law makes them so. Thus, in order to make plunder appear just and sacred to many consciences, it is only necessary for the law to decree it and sanction it." Now, listen to his definition of legal plunder.

"But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply, see if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime." I hope you're beginning to realize that's exactly where we are today. Because our government is taking from this group and giving to that group. Taking the hard labor over here and converting it to this group over here who does not deserve anything. Now, listen carefully. He says, "The choice before us, the question of legal plunder must be settled once and for all. And there's only three ways to settle it." How do we settle it? Number one, the few plunder the many.

That's where we are right now. Number two, everybody plunder everybody. That's anarchy. And number three, nobody plunder anybody. Then he goes on to say this: "We must make our choice among limited plunder, universal plunder, or no plunder. The law can only follow one of these three." Now listen to this. This ought to really nail it down for you. He has limited legal plunder. "This system prevailed where the right to vote was restricted. One would turn back to this system to prevent the invasion of socialism." Now what in the world is limited legal plunder? Well, he says this system prevailed when the right to vote was restricted. Do you realize there was a time in this country that you could not vote unless you owned property? So I would have the right to say what happens to my own property. If you did not own property, you have no say so in how I handle property. Then he goes on to say this, universal legal plunder. "We have been threatened with this system since the franchise or the voting was made universal.

The newly enfranchised majority has decided to formulate law on the same principle of legal plunder that was used by their predecessors when the vote was limited." So now we've made it where everybody can vote, and of course now the Democrats want all the illegal aliens to vote as well. Now let me ask you a question. If you have no property, and you have nothing, and everything you have is given to you, and you vote, what are you going to vote for? More to be given to you. I will tell you, and I will be absolutely honest, what really frosts my cake is the property tax. And especially when you find out about 85% of that property tax goes for the support of government schools. None of my children ever went to one day in a government school in their entire lives.

And every time I have to pay those stupid taxes, I say, why do I have to pay for somebody's child to go to a public school, which I disagree with what they're teaching? And it's not my child. It's their responsibility to educate their children. It's not my responsibility. But I'm just simply saying this is universal legal plunder. And this is the way it works today. You have to pay for those who won't work, you have to pay for those who won't do anything. You'll have to pay for those who will never own anything because they have no desire to.

All they want to do is sit home, watch TV, and take their food stamps and their welfare payments. That's it. And then he said, here's the third one, no legal plunder. This is the principle of justice, peace, and order, stability, and harmony, and logic. Then he says this: "Until the day of my death, I shall proclaim this principle with all the force of my lungs, which, alas, is all too inadequate." So, he says we are given a choice, and that choice is the few plunder the many, everybody plunder everybody, or nobody plunders anybody. And that's the way it should be, no one plunders anybody, but yet the truth of the matter is, we are having today universal legal plunder. H.L.

God's Judgment on Theft and Practical Applications

Weaver reads Genesis 31:38-42, showing Jacob's integrity and God's rebuke of Laban. He warns that God's hammer will fall on all thieves. Applications include not plundering others, learning biblical wealth principles, recognizing theft's forms, and preparing with tangible assets like silver, gold, seeds, and tools.

Mencken said this: "A government at bottom is nothing more than a gang of men, and as a practical matter, most of them are inferior men. Government is actually the worst failure of civilized man. There's never been a really good one, and even those that are most tolerable are arbitrary, cruel, grasping, and unintelligent. Indeed, it would not be far wrong to describe the best as the common enemy of all decent citizens." And that's basically true. So here's my question. What in the world are we to do except educate ourselves the best that we can and prepare the best we can to survive this universal plunder? Well, I want you to look in Genesis chapter 31, beginning there, verse 38, because the truth of the matter is, since theft is a violation of God's law in every shape, form, fashion, and color, God's going to judge it sooner or later. So in Genesis 31, verse 38, he's talking to Laban. Jacob is. In verse 38, he says, "These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.

In other words, I suffer the loss of it. Watch this. "That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight." And you know what God did?

God came to Laban and said, "You better not say anything good or bad to Jacob. You better not touch him." Let me put it to you like this. Sooner or later, God's hammer is going to fall. And it's going to fall with force upon the thieves. I do not care if you are a multi-multi-billionaire, if you've gotten it by theft, if you've gotten it by deception, if you've gotten it by change, if you've gotten it by conversion, if you've gotten it by fraud, the hammer's going to fall upon you. It's just that simple. It will fall upon you.

Now, I want you to think about some things in light of this. Theft, by any other name, is still theft. If you and I do not wish to be the victims of plunder, we must not plunder others. You remember the Bible teaches that we reap exactly that which we sow. We have to learn the biblical principles of wealth and then apply them to our lives. We cannot be dependent upon the government which cannot give to us except that which it takes from someone else. We must learn to be independent of others. We must learn to be self-sufficient in and of ourselves with our complete and total dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was Thomas Jefferson who said this: "If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." And that's the truth. And did you know, there's even a bill now trying to be introduced that would make it against the law for you to buy vitamin supplements without a prescription from a doctor. This is exactly where we're going. Remember I gave you this quote earlier? Jefferson said, "I believe that the banking institutions are more dangerous than standing armies." And he said, "If the American people do not get back this power to control the money, we're going to wake up homeless on the very continent in which our forefathers suffered, bled, and died, and fought for us." And the truth of the matter is we fail to heed these warnings. All you've got to do is look around, and you'll see the trouble that we're in. And the present administration is intent on taking and stealing what little the American people have left.

The second application is this. We must learn to recognize theft in its many and varied forms. Theft takes upon itself many different colors and schemes, yet theft is a sin and God will judge it. My counsel would be this: be prepared to live right, do right, and die right. There's a sign that I have. It said, "Do not steal. The government does not like the competition." Well, that is certainly true. That is true. But I much prefer God's law that just simply says, "Thou shalt not steal."

Let me tell you what you should get from this. What you should get from this is that what we call money is not really money. And you should understand that silver and gold are real money. They've always been valuable. They will always be valuable. And especially in comparison to paper, they will always have some value. If gold went back down to 35 bucks an ounce, that is still 35 bucks an ounce when your paper is worth nothing other than to start fires or to wallpaper your house.

The point I'm trying to make is this. You need not only silver and gold, you need non-hybrid seeds. You need garden tools. You need farming tools. You need hunting tools. You need trapping tools. You need fixing tools. You need bartering tools. You need something that is tangible, something that is usable, something that will last and will help you and your descendants, your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren.

Adam Smith said it like this: "What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?" And has a clear conscience. You know, the Apostle Paul said, "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." So we need to understand that we are being stolen from, and we need to do everything that we can to preserve what little wealth that we have for our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren.

Closing Prayer

Weaver prays for wisdom, mercy, and understanding to apply truth, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, and trust in God.

Theft, by any other name, is still theft. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth, and Lord, help us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, help us to understand where we are, how we got here, and where we're going, and how we need to change, and how we need to apply truth. Give us grace, give us mercy, give us wisdom, give us understanding. May we lean upon Thee and trust in Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Universality of Theft as Sin

Summary: Theft is a transgression of God's law regardless of who commits it—individual, family, church, institution, ruler, or government—and God will judge all theft.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Theft is still theft. It is still a sin. And God certainly will judge all who engage in that.'

Deception as a Form of Theft

Summary: Deception, whether in marriage, commerce, or monetary systems, is a form of theft because it takes value through lies and misrepresentation.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Deception abounds on every hand, even in marriage. And the fact of the matter is we've been deceived in many ways, and we don't understand that deception is indeed a form of theft.'

The Illegitimacy of Fiat Currency

Summary: Federal Reserve notes and debased coins are not real money but instruments of debt and deception, violating the Constitution's requirement for gold and silver coin.

Evidence: Weaver asserts, 'The Federal Reserve notes are not real money. They are instruments of debt and deception. Debased coins are not real money. They are instruments of debt and deception.'

Theft of Labor as Theft of Life

Summary: When labor is stolen through wage manipulation or economic exploitation, it robs individuals of their time, family, and the life God intended.

Evidence: Weaver declares, 'Theft of labor is theft of life. Jacob was basically stolen from for 20 years... Our modern day economic system is designed to have everything that we work for taken from us and stolen from us.'

Legal Plunder as Institutionalized Theft

Summary: Government redistribution of wealth through taxation and inflation is legal plunder, which erases the distinction between justice and injustice and leads to societal decay.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Bastiat: 'It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.'

God's Judgment on Thieves

Summary: God sees all theft and will ultimately bring judgment on those who steal, whether through deception, change, or conversion.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'Sooner or later, God's hammer is going to fall. And it's going to fall with force upon the thieves.'

Practical Preparation and Self-Sufficiency

Summary: Believers should recognize theft, avoid dependence on government, and prepare with tangible assets like silver, gold, seeds, and tools to preserve wealth for future generations.

Evidence: Weaver advises, 'You need not only silver and gold, you need non-hybrid seeds. You need garden tools... something that is tangible, something that is usable, something that will last.'

Key Arguments

Theft is always sin, regardless of the thief's identity or method.

Summary: Weaver argues that God's law against stealing applies universally, and no amount of legal or social sanction can make theft acceptable.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Is it a sin for an individual to steal? Is it a sin for a family to steal? Is it a sin for a church to steal?... The answer to those questions, of course, is yes.'

Modern fiat money is a deception that constitutes theft.

Summary: Weaver contends that Federal Reserve notes are not real money because they are not backed by gold or silver, and their creation out of thin air devalues existing currency, stealing purchasing power.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The Federal Reserve notes are not real money. They are instruments of debt and deception.'

Wage manipulation and currency devaluation are forms of theft by change.

Summary: Just as Laban changed Jacob's wages ten times to his own advantage, modern governments and banks devalue currency, robbing people of the value of their labor.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Laban changed my wages ten times... How often has the value of our money changed?... The Federal Reserve note has lost 98% of its purchasing power.'

Theft of labor equates to theft of life.

Summary: When economic systems force people to work constantly just to survive, they are robbed of time for family, rest, and the life God designed, which is a form of theft.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Theft of labor is theft of life... you're not able to live the life that God has designed for you.'

Legal plunder is the most dangerous form of theft because it corrupts law and morality.

Summary: Weaver uses Bastiat's analysis to show that when government legalizes taking from some to give to others, it destroys the distinction between justice and injustice and leads to societal collapse.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Bastiat: 'When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law.'

God will ultimately judge all thieves.

Summary: Weaver asserts that no matter how powerful or wealthy, those who steal will face God's judgment, as seen in God's rebuke of Laban.

Evidence: Weaver declares, 'God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight... Sooner or later, God's hammer is going to fall.'

Believers must prepare practically and avoid participating in theft.

Summary: Weaver urges Christians to recognize theft, not plunder others, learn biblical wealth principles, and acquire tangible assets for survival and legacy.

Evidence: Weaver advises, 'If you and I do not wish to be the victims of plunder, we must not plunder others... You need not only silver and gold, you need non-hybrid seeds.'

Scripture References

Genesis 31:1-11

Context: Opening reading; Jacob hears Laban's sons' accusations and God tells him to return home.

Genesis 31:7-8

Context: Jacob recounts Laban's deception and wage changes; God prevented Laban from hurting him.

Genesis 31:12

Context: The angel of God tells Jacob He has seen all Laban's actions.

1 John 3:4

Context: Definition of sin as transgression of the law.

Exodus 20:15

Context: The Eighth Commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal.'

Genesis 27:41

Context: Esau's hatred and plan to kill Jacob after the stolen blessing.

Genesis 27:42-45

Context: Rebekah warns Jacob of Esau's plan and sends him to Laban.

Genesis 31:38

Context: Jacob states he has been with Laban 20 years.

Genesis 35:29

Context: Isaac's death and burial by Esau and Jacob.

Genesis 49:31

Context: Burial of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah in Machpelah.

Genesis 29:15-20

Context: Jacob's agreement to serve seven years for Rachel.

Genesis 29:21-30

Context: Laban's deception: giving Leah instead of Rachel, then requiring another seven years for Rachel.

Genesis 31:14-15

Context: Rachel and Leah say Laban sold them and devoured their money.

Genesis 34:12

Context: Shechem offers any dowry for Dinah.

Exodus 22:17

Context: Law requiring payment of dowry if father refuses marriage.

1 Samuel 18:25

Context: Saul's dowry demand of 100 Philistine foreskins for Michal.

Genesis 31:38-42

Context: Jacob's defense of his faithful service and God's rebuke of Laban.

Historical References

Coinage Act of 1792

Context: Defined the dollar as 371.25 grains of silver; Section 19 made debasement a felony punishable by death.

U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8

Context: Grants Congress power to coin money and regulate its value; Weaver argues this means only gold and silver, not paper.

U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 10

Context: Prohibits states from coining money or making anything but gold and silver coin legal tender.

Coinage Act of 1965

Context: Eliminated silver from circulating U.S. coins, which Weaver calls debasement.

Thomas Jefferson (died 1826)

Context: Quoted on the danger of banking institutions and private control of currency.

Reginald McKenna, past chairman of Midland Bank of England

Context: Quoted on banks creating money and controlling governments.

Charles Lindbergh, Republican Representative from Minnesota

Context: Quoted on the Federal Reserve as a private profiteering group.

Lord Josiah Stamp, director of the Bank of England

Context: Quoted on modern banking creating currency out of nothing and enslaving people.

Henry Ford

Context: Quoted on the revolutionary potential if people understood the banking system.

German hyperinflation (Weimar Republic)

Context: Anecdote of a woman whose wheelbarrow was stolen while the paper money was dumped, illustrating worthlessness of fiat currency.

Important Quotes

Theft by any other name is still theft.

Significance: Central thesis of the sermon, emphasizing that all forms of taking what belongs to another are sin regardless of labels.

Theft of labor is theft of life.

Significance: Key argument that economic exploitation robs people of time and the life God intended.

It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.

Significance: Bastiat's warning about legal plunder, used to argue that government redistribution is theft.

Sooner or later, God's hammer is going to fall. And it's going to fall with force upon the thieves.

Significance: Assurance of divine judgment on all forms of theft.

If you and I do not wish to be the victims of plunder, we must not plunder others.

Significance: Application calling for personal integrity and rejection of theft in all forms.

What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?

Significance: Adam Smith quote used to summarize the goal of living free from theft and guilt.

Discussion Questions

How does defining theft as 'transgression of God's law' change the way we view economic and governmental practices today?

Context: Weaver opens by establishing theft as sin based on 1 John 3:4 and Exodus 20:15.

In what ways have we been deceived about the nature of money, and how does that deception constitute theft?

Context: Weaver discusses fiat currency and the Coinage Act of 1792.

How does the concept 'theft of labor is theft of life' apply to modern work and economic pressures?

Context: Weaver argues that constant labor to survive robs people of family and rest.

What is the difference between illegal plunder and legal plunder, and why is legal plunder more dangerous?

Context: Weaver explains Bastiat's categories of plunder.

How should Christians respond to a system that engages in legal plunder?

Context: Weaver gives applications about not plundering others and preparing practically.

What does Jacob's experience with Laban teach us about trusting God in the midst of theft and deception?

Context: Weaver recounts Jacob's 20 years of service and God's eventual intervention.

Applications

Recognize and reject all forms of theft

Summary: Believers must learn to identify theft in its many forms—deception, change, conversion—and refuse to participate in or benefit from it.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must learn to recognize theft in its many and varied forms.'

Avoid dependence on government and fiat currency

Summary: Christians should not rely on government provisions or paper money, which are instruments of theft, but instead seek self-sufficiency under God.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'We cannot be dependent upon the government which cannot give to us except that which it takes from someone else.'

Prepare with tangible assets

Summary: Acquire silver, gold, non-hybrid seeds, tools, and other usable goods to preserve wealth and provide for future generations.

Evidence: Weaver advises, 'You need not only silver and gold, you need non-hybrid seeds. You need garden tools... something that is tangible.'

Live with a clear conscience before God and man

Summary: Strive to be out of debt, in health, and free from offense toward God, following Paul's example in Acts 24:16.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Adam Smith and Paul: 'Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.'

Trust in God's ultimate justice

Summary: Do not take revenge or despair over theft, but trust that God sees all and will judge thieves in His time.

Evidence: Weaver declares, 'God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:38:27Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:31:05Z

Clean Transcript

Theft By Any Other Name Is Still Theft

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's open our Bibles today to the book of Genesis, chapter 31, and we'll read the first 11 verses and go from there. The title of the message is "Theft By Any Other Name Is Still Theft." Notice, if you would please, Genesis chapter 31, beginning with verse 1: "And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father
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hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grizzled. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob.
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And I said, Here am I. Verse 12: 'And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.' You've heard the old saying that a rose by any other name is still a rose. And the truth of the matter is, theft by any other name is still theft as well.
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So I begin this message by asking a question which I'm sure that you know the answer to. And that is this: is it a sin to steal? And the answer, of course, obviously is yes. But before I ask a few other questions, let me just simply define sin for you. 1 John 3:4 tells us, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." Therefore, in the book of Exodus, chapter 20 and verse 15, God simply says, "Thou shalt not steal."
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So we have to understand then that theft is a violation. It is a trespass. It is a transgression against God's law. So now I want you to listen to these questions and I want you to think with me as I ask them. Is it a sin for an individual to steal? Is it a sin for a family to steal? Is it a sin for a church to steal? Is it a sin for an institution to steal? Is it a sin for a ruler to steal? Is it a sin for a government to steal? So the answer to those questions, of course, is yes. And it does not matter if it is an individual, a family, a church, an institution, a ruler, or government. Theft is still theft. It is still a sin.
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And God certainly will judge all who engage in that. So it does not matter if theft is accomplished by the lowliest peasant or simply by the mightiest ruler or even the most arrogant politician. Theft is still theft and God certainly will judge it as well.
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Now, in the book of Genesis, when we just read from chapter 31, you have to be aware of the fact that the context of this goes farther back than just simply Genesis chapter 31. Everyone is aware of the struggles between Jacob and Esau. You remember how Esau despised his birthright? And he sold that birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage. Well, when it came time for Isaac to die, then Rebekah heard him say to Esau, "Go fix me some of this venison that I love, that my soul may bless thee before I die." And of course, she conceived this idea and she got Jacob dressed up as Esau, put some garments on him and put some goat's hair on his arms to make him feel hairy like Esau, and fixed up from the flock to make it taste like venison. And of course, then Jacob went in and claimed to be Esau, and he got the blessing. He stole the blessing. In reality, he really and truly did not steal it, although he deceived his father, because the blessing actually went with the birthright.
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And probably Rebekah and Jacob as well knew that if he did not do this by deception, then Isaac was going to bless Esau instead of Jacob. Now, when Esau came home and found out that Jacob had beaten him out of that blessing, he said in Genesis chapter 27, if you'll look at verse 41 there, Genesis 27:41: "And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob." Well, he may have said it in his heart, but he also said it out loud, or at least told it to someone else as well. Because when you look in Genesis chapter 27, beginning with verse 42: "And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
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Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?" Now the interesting thing is, she said in verse 44, "and tarry with him a few days." Interestingly enough, if you will look in Genesis chapter 31 and verse 38, those few days are described where Jacob said, "This twenty years have I been with thee." So the few days turned into 20 years. As far as I can tell, Rebekah died before Jacob ever returned.
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She never saw him again. Now we read in the Bible of Jacob and Esau burying their father Isaac. And the only other thing we read about Rebekah is that she was buried in the cave of Machpelah along with Sarah and Abraham. If you'll look in Genesis chapter 35 and verse 29, Genesis 35:29, the scripture says this: "And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him." But nothing is said about Rebekah's burial. If you would look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 49, very quickly, and verse 31, here is where we understand that Rebekah is buried in that cave. Notice Genesis 49:31, the Scripture says: "There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah." That was Jacob speaking. So Isaac and Rebekah were buried in the same cave that Abraham and Sarah were buried in as well. So when Rebekah told Jacob, "You go tarry with Laban for a few days and I'll send and fetch you,"
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well, of course, he never came back then and she died without ever seeing him again. So he was there 20 years. 20 years is an awful long time, especially if you're being stolen from for 20 years. So I want to just show you three things from the Bible in relationship to theft and Jacob. And at the same time, I want to be able to apply them to where we're living today. So first of all, I want you to understand here is theft by deception. So if you'll go back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 29, Genesis 29. The deception did not begin with money. The deception did not begin with wages. The deception began with marriage. Because you see, Jacob loved Rachel, and that's who he wanted to marry. So in Genesis chapter 29, beginning there with verse 15: "And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
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Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her." Now, notice if you would please, here was a deal, here was a contract, here was a covenant: I will serve these seven years for your daughter Rachel. So when it came time for him to marry Rachel, look if you would please in verse 21: "And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
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Now you have to remember they wore veils in those days. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
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Now, here's an interesting thing. Seven years he served for Rachel, but he only got Leah.
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Now, Jacob asked, "Why hast thou beguiled me?" The word "beguiled" in the Hebrew is the word "ramah," and it literally means to deceive, to beguile, to betray, to mislead, and to deal treacherously. So notice if you would, he served for Rachel, but he got Leah. And when he found out it was Leah, he asked, "What have you done to me?" "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I left this out of the contract.
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In this country, we don't give the younger before the elder. Now, since you've got the elder, I'm going to let you have the younger in a week, but you have to give me seven more years of your life." Well, if that's not deception, I certainly don't know what deception really is. By the way, when we're talking about marriage, there have been many individuals that entered into marriage through deception. I have known, and still know, couples where one was a Christian, one was not. And yet the one who was not professed to be a Christian went to church, did everything just like a good Christian does until they got married. And then once he got his wife or she got the husband, they dropped out by the wayside and it was just simply pure deception. And there have been individuals that have married through deception by pretending to be something they really were not. I used to laugh and tell everybody that I married Alice for her money, and she married me for my money, and we got married and we found neither one of us had any.
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But the truth of the matter is there have been plenty of people like that. Deception abounds on every hand, even in marriage. And the fact of the matter is we've been deceived in many ways, and we don't understand that deception is indeed a form of theft. I remember laughing at what my father told me many, many years ago. But he told me that when he and my mother had first married, that there was a drought. And he said because of the drought, fleas were everywhere. And dad said he did everything he could to kill all those fleas. And he said finally he was reading and he saw an advertisement that guaranteed to kill every flea on the place if the directions are properly followed.
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And it was only 50 cents. Now, we think 50 cents is not much money, but this was during the Depression, and so 50 cents was a lot of money back in those days. And so Dad sent 50 cents, and sure enough, in a few weeks, in came his product that guaranteed to kill every flea on the place if the directions were properly followed. And what he was sent was two little blocks of wood, and the directions were as follows: catch the flea, put him on one block, smash him with the other block. Well, would it work? Of course it would work.
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But it was deception and it was theft. And dad was just simply out of his 50 cents.
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Now, the interesting thing is, we have been deceived so many ways. I could ask this question. How many of you think that we have real money in our pockets? And how many of you really think that you have a dollar in your pocket? And the truth of the matter is, we really do not. And the truth is, we've been deceived by our own government. We've been deceived by the bankers. We've been deceived every which way you turn.
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When Alexander Hamilton wrote the Coinage Act of 1792, it went into law, the dollar was indeed at that time the market definition of a dollar, of the Spanish milled dollar, which was 371.25 grains of silver. This is the historical definition of a dollar. A dollar is a unit of measurement. It's like an inch or a foot or a quart or a gallon. And you can no more change the definition of a dollar than you can change the definition of a foot or an inch. It is indeed a unit of measurement.
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Many people try to think that our irredeemable paper money are dollars, they are not. We have been deceived. We have been tricked into thinking that. By the way, before I leave the Coinage Act of 1792, I want to read to you part of Section 19. Listen to this. Remember now, by the way, before I read this, that our founding fathers had just gotten through with an experiment with paper money, the continental currency. Hence we have that old adage, "It's not worth a continental." In fact, the continental paper money usually was referred to as shinplasters.
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Because soldiers would take them and cover their shins with them as they tied up their boots because it was worthless. And so the continental dollars were called shinplasters as well. But here is Section 19 of the Coinage Act of 1792: "If any of the gold or silver coins shall be debased, every such officer or person who shall commit any or either of said offenses shall be deemed guilty of felony and shall suffer death." Did you hear that? If you were to debase a dollar, you face the death penalty. If you took just 50% silver and 50% lead, that's debasement. Or if you put 90% silver and 10% zinc, that's debasement. And the Coinage Act says that if you debase these coins, it is a felony and you shall suffer death.
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Now, I hope you understand why in the Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 8 says this: "Congress shall have the power to coin money and regulate the value thereof." In other words, Congress never had the power to print money because gold and silver was the money of the Constitution. It was the money of history. It was the money of the Bible. And how about this one? Article 1, Section 10 of the United States Constitution says this: "No state, not Florida, not Georgia, not South Carolina, no state shall coin money, emit bills of credit, make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts." Do you realize that every time we use paper money, we're violating the Constitution of the United States?
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Now, the interesting thing is this. The Constitution was denied and destroyed when our money was debased in 1965, all the silver was taken out of our coins. The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from the circulating coins, like a dime, a 50-cent piece, a quarter, whatever. So our coins are basically worthless today as well, as well as our fiat paper money. It is absolutely worthless. The interesting thing is this.
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I'm going to give you some quotes, and Thomas Jefferson is the first one who died in 1826. He said, "I believe that the banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and the corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all their property until their children wake up homeless on the continent that their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs."
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Did you know that a time in this country was, if you found gold on your land or if you found silver on your land, you could mine it and take it to the mint and they would mint the coins for you. This is what he's talking about being restored to the people. Then Reginald McKenna, who was the past chairman of the board of Midland Bank of England, said this: "I'm afraid that the ordinary citizen will not like to be told that the banks can and do create money. And they who control the credit of the nation direct the policy of the governments and hold in the hollow of their hands the destiny of the people."
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Representative Charles Lindbergh, who was a Republican from Minnesota, said this: "The financial system has been turned over to the Federal Reserve Board. That board administers the finance system by authority of a purely profiteering group. The system is private, conducted for the sole purpose of obtaining the greatest possible profits from the use of other people's money." And then, of course, this one is from Lord Josiah Stamp, who was the director of the Bank of England.
#28 | 20:53 to 21:31 | cleaned
He said, "The modern banking process manufactures currency out of nothing. The process is perhaps the most astounding piece of sleight of hand that was ever invented. If you want to be the slaves of the bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let the banks create currency." Hmm. One more. Henry Ford, he said, "It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe that there would be a revolution before morning." So when you stop and think that the Federal Reserve and our banking system are creating money out of thin air, it's called fiat money, then you have to understand that the Federal Reserve notes are not money. In fact, they are neither Federal nor Reserve nor real notes, because a note is an IOU and it means that you can collect at some point, but the notes, of course, have nothing backing them since the silver is gone and the gold is gone as well. So you have to understand that the Federal Reserve notes are not real money.
#29 | 21:32 to 22:37 | cleaned
They are instruments of debt and deception. Debased coins are not real money. They are instruments of debt and deception.
#30 | 22:38 to 22:46 | cleaned
Now, I understand that there has been a host of other things used as money historically, but biblically speaking and historically speaking the main thing has always been silver and gold. I suppose that you know in colonial America even preachers were paid with tobacco because tobacco was counted as the gold of that day. In Holland a lot of people took tulip bulbs because at one time tulip bulbs were exploding and may I point out also that there have been clamshells, there have been all kind of things used as a medium of exchange and as money. But all of those things have gone and fallen by the wayside, but we still have silver and gold. And so let me burst your bubble with this one. I want you to also to know that electronic digits are not money. Electronic digits can disappear with a computer crash. And no matter how many millions of electronic digits you have, you cannot hold them in your hand and you cannot eat them. And you cannot use them when the system is down.
#31 | 22:47 to 23:53 | cleaned
And the truth of the matter is, the system will be going down, I am sure, because it is a slap in the face of God. Now, you're going to say, well, what is happening? There are people around that still will take Federal Reserve notes. I understand that. But may I remind you of this? The only reason the Federal Reserve notes are still being accepted is because most people are still deceived, and most people still have a little bit of confidence in them. And when that confidence disappears, then everything goes down.
#32 | 23:54 to 24:30 | cleaned
I'm reminded of the incident that happened in Germany during their hyperinflation of the Deutschmark. I read about where one woman had taken a wheelbarrow load of money, paper money, was on her way to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread, took a wheelbarrow full, and on her way there, there was a fight in the street and people were gathered around and her curiosity got the best of her, so she put her wheelbarrow down and started parting the crowd so she could see who was fighting. And when her curiosity was satisfied, she turned around and someone had dumped all the paper money out of the wheelbarrow and stolen the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow was worth more than the paper money.
#33 | 24:30 to 25:13 | cleaned
And of course, I'm sure that you have seen, in fact, some brother in the last class was showing us, what was it, a 10 trillion dollar Zimbabwean note. 10 trillion. And he said it would not even buy a cup of coffee. So, this is what I'm trying to say is, here is theft by deception. And you have to ask yourself this question. Who possesses the silver and the gold today? Where is it? Who has it? And of course, I hope you know, in the 1970s, it was illegal for a United States citizen to own gold. Of course, that has changed, but I'm just pointing out the fact, most of the gold now is either owned by governments or by the bankers. So there is theft by deception. Just like Jacob was deceived, we are also deceived.
#34 | 25:15 to 26:13 | cleaned
Now, notice if you would, in verses 7 and 8 of Genesis 31, here's a second way, and this is theft by change. Look at it. Genesis 31, verse 7. Jacob says, "...and your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked."
#35 | 26:13 to 26:50 | cleaned
So what Laban did was said, was something like this. I'll try to put it where you can grasp it very easily. Let's suppose you're working for me and I agree to pay you in apples. But all of a sudden my apple trees really start producing and the price of apples rises tremendously. And I realize I'm giving you the most valuable thing on the property. And I say, look, no, no, no, no. I'm going to pay you in oranges. I'm not going to pay you in apples anymore. And so I start paying you in oranges. The next thing I know, oranges rise and my orange trees are producing.
#36 | 26:51 to 27:33 | cleaned
I can't do that because I want the profit and I want the increase. And so now I'm going to say I'm going to pay you in lemons. You can have lemons. And then the price of lemons rises. Now I'm going to pay you in pears. If pears rise, oh, I'll give you figs. You see, this is exactly what was happening to Jacob. If he said, ringstraked, all the cattle had ringstraked offspring.
#37 | 27:34 to 28:00 | cleaned
If he said, grizzled, they had grizzled. In other words, everything that Jacob said he would take, God blessed and was giving in. And ten times Laban changed his mind. Let me ask you a question. How often has the value of our money changed? I want you to think about this. Everybody kind of smiles when I tell them when Alice and I first married. Sometimes I think 100 years ago. Sometimes I think yesterday. When Alice and I first married, I would give her 10 bucks a week to buy groceries. And I'd kind of fuss at her if she didn't bring two or three of it back, which meant for a week, she and I, she could buy all the meat, milk, bread, other things that we needed for a week on six or seven bucks. You can't even buy a loaf of bread hardly for that today.
#38 | 28:01 to 29:10 | cleaned
I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Do you realize in 1971, before Nixon took us off the gold standard, gold was $35 an ounce. Today it's $2,000, and it's been over that. So what you are going to see is this. I'm going to read it to you. Do you realize that the Federal Reserve note has lost 98% of its purchasing power? I probably will not pronounce his name correctly. His name is Egon von Greyerz. He is from Switzerland, and he has gold Switzerland.
#39 | 29:11 to 29:59 | cleaned
And here's what he wrote. "But Nixon's promise to the American people 50 years ago, on August the 15th, 1971, that your dollar will be worth just as much tomorrow hasn't quite held true, to say the least. Yes, $1 is still $1. But in purchasing power terms, it is worth only two cents today compared to 1971. So in a half a century, the dollar has lost 98% of its value compared to real money, that is gold. The dollar has outstayed its usefulness as sound money and will soon be in the graveyard where every single currency in history has ended up."
#40 | 30:00 to 30:44 | cleaned
And then he printed a little chart showing the currency rate race to the bottom, and he gives us the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Europe, Canada, Argentina. And the interesting thing is this, and today, 2021, in the United States, the dollar, quote unquote, the Federal Reserve note, has lost 98% of its purchasing power. In all the other countries, it's lost 99%. So we're one cent better. Now, here's a quote from Dr. Alfred Friedberg. And he just made this, wrote this on July the 27th, 2021 of this year. He says, "If inflation keeps accelerating beyond their 2.5% annum expectation, which in our view is guaranteed, increase of 1.25% in Fed funds will be implemented on a quarterly basis and then monthly. There is a long way to go and a long time necessary to reach a funds rate of just 2.5%.
#41 | 30:45 to 31:53 | cleaned
The last peak was in 2019. And dear reader, that won't cut it when inflation is running 500 to 800 basis points higher."
#42 | 31:53 to 32:03 | cleaned
Now listen to what he says. "It's useless for us to speculate any further. It will be a long time measured in years before the Fed regains control of prices. During this long period of time, inflation will rage and consumer purchasing power will shrink as wages struggle to keep up with prices. Economic activity will be severely affected by the loss of purchasing power and slowdowns and recessions will follow. Corporate margins will shrink. Price controls, always useless and counterproductive, will almost certainly reappear on the scene. The evils of social inequality will be compounded, and social unrest will follow. There are very few places to which we will be able to escape and find safety in the coming financial and economic disaster."
#43 | 32:04 to 33:01 | cleaned
But recognizing the problem is the first step, and we believe that we've recognized it. Now, he's going to go a little bit further, and I want you to listen very carefully to what he's going to say. He writes, "As an executive with a multi-billion financial institution, I'm a financial insider also." Then he put in parentheses "his and boo." He says, "I also believe in preparedness. I believe that I have some insights into the money side of preparedness that you might want to consider. I will not delve too deeply into the fragile nature of the global financial system, but I will share my biggest concerns without going into detail." And I want you to listen to what his biggest concerns are. Here they are. Number one, the fractional reserve banking system allows your bank to create money out of thin air. Number two, the central banks of the world are creating unprecedented amounts of money out of thin air. Now, follow me.
#44 | 33:02 to 34:06 | cleaned
You know they just passed this, what, $2.5, $3.5 trillion bill? Where is it coming from? It's going to be printed. It's going to be manufactured out of thin air. So the more money they print, the less value the existing money has. Okay? So he says the banks create out of thin air. The central banks are creating money. Here's the third one. Fiat currencies are not real money. So our Federal Reserve notes are fiat currency. They're not real money. Number four, the central banking system of the major nations only exists to prop up large commercial banks and do not care about citizens. Number five, there's an enormous amount of leverage in the financial markets, government's balance sheets, shadow banks, and the average household.
#45 | 34:07 to 34:58 | cleaned
Next, some private equity firms operate in the shadows, taking enormous leveraged bets, which can shake fixed income markets when their bets go bad. And lastly, listen to this. Regulators are incapable of understanding the risks being taken by the firms that they regulate. He said the regulators don't know what's going on. So, in case you don't understand everything that he just said, let me boil it down to you by showing you what happened to Jacob. Here it is.
#46 | 34:59 to 35:28 | cleaned
Theft of labor is theft of life. Theft of labor is theft of life. Jacob was basically stolen from for 20 years. Laban stole 13 years of Jacob's life by deceiving him and by constantly changing his wages. And if you add the seven years that he served for Rachel, which he was deceived in that as well, then it was 20 years. So the point I'm trying to make is this, our modern day economic system is not designed for you and I to prosper. Our modern day economic system is designed to have everything that we work for taken from us and stolen from us.
#47 | 35:29 to 36:16 | cleaned
You look at the people today who cannot plan ahead, they cannot take a vacation, they cannot do anything. Why? Because they have to work almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week just to keep their eyeballs above water and keep from drowning. That is theft of labor. That is when our labor is stolen from us and that means our lives are stolen from us and we no longer have time for friends or family or anything else. It is indeed theft by change as well as theft by deception. So mark it down, theft of labor is theft of life because you're not able to live the life that God has designed for you. Let me just put it to you like this.
#48 | 36:16 to 37:11 | cleaned
When I was a boy, my father worked. My mother stayed home. She kept the house. She cooked. You look at the people today, the married couples today, both husband and wife, both now work just to try to make mortgage payments, car payments, whatever. I'm just simply pointing out that theft of labor is theft of life. So, you have theft by deception, you have theft by change. I'm going to give you one more, theft by conversion. If you look in verses 14 and 15 of Genesis chapter 31, Genesis 31 verses 14 and 15, look what Rachel and Leah answered Jacob. "And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
#49 | 37:13 to 38:09 | cleaned
Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money."
#50 | 38:10 to 38:21 | cleaned
Now I want you to pay close attention to what these girls said concerning their father. "He hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money."
#51 | 38:22 to 38:32 | cleaned
Now, it's obvious that Laban did indeed sell his two daughters. He sold them for 14 years worth of wages. It would have been the same thing if he had looked at Jacob and said, "Well, I'll take 20,000 for this one and 10,000 for that one." It would have been the same thing. So he did sell them. So the question has to be asked, what in the world do they mean when they say that their father had quite devoured also our money? Well, you have to remember that in the Old Testament, particularly, there was what is known as a bride price or a dowry.
#52 | 38:33 to 39:13 | cleaned
Let me give you just several verses. Shechem said this to Jacob and his sons in Genesis 34 and verse 12. He said, "Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife." He wanted to marry Dinah. He said, "I'll give you whatever you ask, ever how much dowry and gift you want, I'll give it to you." And then of course, in Exodus 22 and verse 17, the scripture says, "If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." So here in this passage, a man had seduced a woman and the Bible said he had to marry her unless the father utterly refused to give her unto him. And if the father refused, he still had to pay the dowry.
#53 | 39:15 to 40:12 | cleaned
When you get to 1 Samuel chapter 18, King Saul had wanted David to be his son-in-law. Well, he first promised him the older daughter Merab. But when it came time for David to marry her, he gave her to another man. Now here's Michal and he finds out that Michal loves David. And Saul is in for David and he wants David to fall by the hands of the Philistines. And so he tells David, or he tells his servants to tell David, that the king is pleased with you, and he wants you to be his son-in-law. And David said, "It is not a light thing to be the king's son-in-law, and I don't have the money." And in 1 Samuel 18, verse 25: "And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines." In other words, he really wanted David killed.
#54 | 40:12 to 41:14 | cleaned
But David went out, killed the Philistines, and accomplished the feat, and came back, and of course, he and Michal were married. May I tell you what a dowry was? A dowry was money that was given to the bride's father and kept for the daughter in case the husband died. Therefore she would have something to live on until she could find another husband. Usually the dowry was two years of wages. But in this instance, it was 14 years because he served seven for Rachel and seven for Leah. So the monies or the profits that Laban made off the labor of Jacob for those 14 years actually belonged to Leah and to Rachel. So instead of saving this money for his own daughters, he converted it to his own use and he spent it. It was theft on the part of Laban. He took that which did not belong to him and he took that which was entrusted to him to keep for his daughters and spent it on himself. Now, Matthew Henry hit the nail on the head and described Laban very closely.
#55 | 41:15 to 42:32 | cleaned
He said this: "Selfish men consider themselves robbed of all that goes past them, and covetousness will even swallow up natural affection. The error of overvaluing worldly wealth is the root of covetousness, envy, and all evil." Notice that covetousness will swallow up natural affection. And it will. And it did so in the instance of Laban. The truth of the matter is this. We're talking about theft by conversion.
#56 | 42:32 to 43:03 | cleaned
Do you realize that we have been legally plundered for years, not only by the bankers, but also by our own government? Here's an illustration that I think is very understandable. The author said, "Technically, of course, the government has been defaulting on the debt since 1913 because anyone who lends money to the United States government is paid back in devalued dollars. Whether you buy a savings bond, treasury bond, treasury bill, or treasury note, when you eventually redeem it, you're paid back in dollars that are worth less than they were when you loaned the cash to the government. If, for example, you lend a friend $100 with the understanding that he'll pay you back $110 in five years, you are not $10 ahead if government-caused price inflation means that the $110 can only purchase what used to cost $95. Your friend pays you back with $110. But if consumer prices have gone up substantially since the loan was originated, you're worse off." And that's true.
#57 | 43:03 to 44:16 | cleaned
That is exactly what has been happening. Now, there is a book, if you have not read it, I would encourage you to do so. It's not a large book. The title is "The Law," written by Frédéric Bastiat. He was a Frenchman, and it's very easily read. But in this book, he talks about legal plunder. And we understand what illegal plunder is. So if I pulled out a pistol and stuck it up James' head and said, "James, give me your money or I'm going to kill you," obviously that's illegal plunder. I mean, not only could I go to prison for that, but if James knew a few things, he could take that weapon away from me and even kill me. So I'm, you know, I'm the one that would be suffering, but that's illegal plunder. Everybody understands that. But if I don't want to go to jail and if I do not want to get hurt, we could get together and pass a law where people like James would have to give me 15% of everything that he made.
#58 | 44:16 to 45:20 | cleaned
Now, if he doesn't do it, he goes to jail. And I'm, but it's called legal plunder. So here's what Frédéric Bastiat said. Listen carefully. "It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder. What are the consequences of such a perversion? It would require volumes to describe them all. Thus, we must content ourselves with pointing out the most striking.
#59 | 45:20 to 45:52 | cleaned
In the first place, it erases from everyone's conscience the distinction between justice and injustice. No society can exist unless the laws are respected to a certain degree. The safest way to make laws respected is to make them respectable. When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law. These two evils are of equal consequence.
#60 | 45:53 to 46:28 | cleaned
It would be difficult for a person to choose between them. The nature of the law is to maintain justice. This is so much the case that in the minds of the people, law and justice are one and the same thing. There is in all of us a strong disposition to believe that anything that is lawful is legitimate." And that is true. That's what the average person believes. But just because something is lawful does not mean that it is legal or legitimate. Does not mean that it is in accord with God's word. Does not mean that it is morally acceptable. But he said that's the disposition in most people to believe that anything that is lawful has to be legitimate. He says, "This belief is so widespread that many persons have erroneously held that things are just because the law makes them so. Thus, in order to make plunder appear just and sacred to many consciences, it is only necessary for the law to decree it and sanction it." Now, listen to his definition of legal plunder.
#61 | 46:29 to 47:38 | cleaned
"But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply, see if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime." I hope you're beginning to realize that's exactly where we are today.
#62 | 47:40 to 48:10 | cleaned
Because our government is taking from this group and giving to that group. Taking the hard labor over here and converting it to this group over here who does not deserve anything. Now, listen carefully. He says, "The choice before us, the question of legal plunder must be settled once and for all. And there's only three ways to settle it." How do we settle it? Number one, the few plunder the many.
#63 | 48:10 to 48:42 | cleaned
That's where we are right now. Number two, everybody plunder everybody. That's anarchy. And number three, nobody plunder anybody. Then he goes on to say this: "We must make our choice among limited plunder, universal plunder, or no plunder. The law can only follow one of these three." Now listen to this. This ought to really nail it down for you. He has limited legal plunder. "This system prevailed where the right to vote was restricted. One would turn back to this system to prevent the invasion of socialism." Now what in the world is limited legal plunder? Well, he says this system prevailed when the right to vote was restricted. Do you realize there was a time in this country that you could not vote unless you owned property? So I would have the right to say what happens to my own property. If you did not own property, you have no say so in how I handle property. Then he goes on to say this, universal legal plunder. "We have been threatened with this system since the franchise or the voting was made universal.
#64 | 48:42 to 50:10 | cleaned
The newly enfranchised majority has decided to formulate law on the same principle of legal plunder that was used by their predecessors when the vote was limited." So now we've made it where everybody can vote, and of course now the Democrats want all the illegal aliens to vote as well.
#65 | 50:11 to 50:30 | cleaned
Now let me ask you a question. If you have no property, and you have nothing, and everything you have is given to you, and you vote, what are you going to vote for? More to be given to you. I will tell you, and I will be absolutely honest, what really frosts my cake is the property tax. And especially when you find out about 85% of that property tax goes for the support of government schools. None of my children ever went to one day in a government school in their entire lives.
#66 | 50:32 to 51:16 | cleaned
And every time I have to pay those stupid taxes, I say, why do I have to pay for somebody's child to go to a public school, which I disagree with what they're teaching? And it's not my child. It's their responsibility to educate their children. It's not my responsibility. But I'm just simply saying this is universal legal plunder. And this is the way it works today. You have to pay for those who won't work, you have to pay for those who won't do anything. You'll have to pay for those who will never own anything because they have no desire to.
#67 | 51:17 to 51:50 | cleaned
All they want to do is sit home, watch TV, and take their food stamps and their welfare payments. That's it. And then he said, here's the third one, no legal plunder. This is the principle of justice, peace, and order, stability, and harmony, and logic. Then he says this: "Until the day of my death, I shall proclaim this principle with all the force of my lungs, which, alas, is all too inadequate." So, he says we are given a choice, and that choice is the few plunder the many, everybody plunder everybody, or nobody plunders anybody. And that's the way it should be, no one plunders anybody, but yet the truth of the matter is, we are having today universal legal plunder. H.L.
#68 | 51:50 to 52:35 | cleaned
Mencken said this: "A government at bottom is nothing more than a gang of men, and as a practical matter, most of them are inferior men. Government is actually the worst failure of civilized man. There's never been a really good one, and even those that are most tolerable are arbitrary, cruel, grasping, and unintelligent. Indeed, it would not be far wrong to describe the best as the common enemy of all decent citizens." And that's basically true. So here's my question. What in the world are we to do except educate ourselves the best that we can and prepare the best we can to survive this universal plunder?
#69 | 52:35 to 53:24 | cleaned
Well, I want you to look in Genesis chapter 31, beginning there, verse 38, because the truth of the matter is, since theft is a violation of God's law in every shape, form, fashion, and color, God's going to judge it sooner or later. So in Genesis 31, verse 38, he's talking to Laban. Jacob is. In verse 38, he says, "These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
#70 | 53:24 to 53:58 | cleaned
In other words, I suffer the loss of it. Watch this. "That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight." And you know what God did?
#71 | 53:58 to 54:44 | cleaned
God came to Laban and said, "You better not say anything good or bad to Jacob. You better not touch him." Let me put it to you like this. Sooner or later, God's hammer is going to fall. And it's going to fall with force upon the thieves. I do not care if you are a multi-multi-billionaire, if you've gotten it by theft, if you've gotten it by deception, if you've gotten it by change, if you've gotten it by conversion, if you've gotten it by fraud, the hammer's going to fall upon you. It's just that simple. It will fall upon you.
#72 | 54:44 to 55:19 | cleaned
Now, I want you to think about some things in light of this. Theft, by any other name, is still theft. If you and I do not wish to be the victims of plunder, we must not plunder others. You remember the Bible teaches that we reap exactly that which we sow. We have to learn the biblical principles of wealth and then apply them to our lives. We cannot be dependent upon the government which cannot give to us except that which it takes from someone else. We must learn to be independent of others. We must learn to be self-sufficient in and of ourselves with our complete and total dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
#73 | 55:21 to 56:01 | cleaned
It was Thomas Jefferson who said this: "If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." And that's the truth. And did you know, there's even a bill now trying to be introduced that would make it against the law for you to buy vitamin supplements without a prescription from a doctor.
#74 | 56:02 to 56:34 | cleaned
This is exactly where we're going. Remember I gave you this quote earlier? Jefferson said, "I believe that the banking institutions are more dangerous than standing armies." And he said, "If the American people do not get back this power to control the money, we're going to wake up homeless on the very continent in which our forefathers suffered, bled, and died, and fought for us." And the truth of the matter is we fail to heed these warnings. All you've got to do is look around, and you'll see the trouble that we're in. And the present administration is intent on taking and stealing what little the American people have left.
#75 | 56:37 to 57:19 | cleaned
The second application is this. We must learn to recognize theft in its many and varied forms. Theft takes upon itself many different colors and schemes, yet theft is a sin and God will judge it. My counsel would be this: be prepared to live right, do right, and die right. There's a sign that I have. It said, "Do not steal. The government does not like the competition." Well, that is certainly true. That is true. But I much prefer God's law that just simply says, "Thou shalt not steal."
#76 | 57:21 to 58:00 | cleaned
Let me tell you what you should get from this. What you should get from this is that what we call money is not really money. And you should understand that silver and gold are real money. They've always been valuable. They will always be valuable. And especially in comparison to paper, they will always have some value. If gold went back down to 35 bucks an ounce, that is still 35 bucks an ounce when your paper is worth nothing other than to start fires or to wallpaper your house.
#77 | 58:02 to 58:42 | cleaned
The point I'm trying to make is this. You need not only silver and gold, you need non-hybrid seeds. You need garden tools. You need farming tools. You need hunting tools. You need trapping tools. You need fixing tools. You need bartering tools. You need something that is tangible, something that is usable, something that will last and will help you and your descendants, your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren.
#78 | 58:45 to 59:26 | cleaned
Adam Smith said it like this: "What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?" And has a clear conscience. You know, the Apostle Paul said, "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." So we need to understand that we are being stolen from, and we need to do everything that we can to preserve what little wealth that we have for our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren.
#79 | 59:27 to 1:00:11 | cleaned
Theft, by any other name, is still theft. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth, and Lord, help us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, help us to understand where we are, how we got here, and where we're going, and how we need to change, and how we need to apply truth.
#80 | 1:00:13 to 1:00:39 | cleaned
Give us grace, give us mercy, give us wisdom, give us understanding. May we lean upon Thee and trust in Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
#81 | 1:00:40 to 1:01:28 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:38:27Z

Theft By Any Other Name Is Still Theft

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver teaches from Genesis 31 that theft, regardless of who commits it or what form it takes, is a sin against God's law. He identifies three types of theft exemplified in Jacob's experience with Laban: theft by deception, theft by change, and theft by conversion. Weaver applies these principles to modern economic and governmental systems, arguing that fiat currency, fractional reserve banking, and legal plunder are forms of theft that rob people of their labor and lives. He calls believers to recognize these deceptions, prepare practically with tangible assets, and trust in God's ultimate judgment on thieves.

Introduction: Theft Defined as Sin

Scripture Reading — Genesis 31:1-11

"And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:4

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

Therefore, in the book of Exodus, chapter 20 and verse 15, God simply says, "Thou shalt not steal."

Background: Jacob's Deception and Flight to Laban

Scripture Reading — Genesis 27:41

"And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 31:38

"This twenty years have I been with thee."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 35:29

well, of course, he never came back then and she died without ever seeing him again. So he was there 20 years. 20 years is an awful long time, especially if you're being stolen from for 20 years. So I want to just show you three things from the Bible in relationship to theft and Jacob. And at the same time, I want to be able to apply them to where we're living today. So first of all, I want you to understand here is theft by deception. So if you'll go back in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 29, Genesis 29. The deception did not begin with money. The deception did not begin with wages. The deception began with marriage. Because you see, Jacob loved Rachel, and that's who he wanted to marry. So in Genesis chapter 29, beginning there with verse 15: "And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

Theft by Deception: Laban's Marriage Trick and Modern Parallels

Theft by Change: Laban's Wage Manipulation and Currency Devaluation

Theft of Labor Is Theft of Life

Theft by Conversion: Laban's Misuse of the Dowry and Legal Plunder

Let me give you just several verses. Shechem said this to Jacob and his sons in Genesis 34 and verse 12. He said,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 34:12

"Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife."

He wanted to marry Dinah. He said,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 34:12

"I'll give you whatever you ask, ever how much dowry and gift you want, I'll give it to you."

God's Judgment on Theft and Practical Applications

Closing Prayer

Weaver prays for wisdom, mercy, and understanding to apply truth, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, and trust in God.

Theft By Any Other Name Is Still Theft

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	p-jRshRrOno
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Patriarchs, Family, and Providence
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-11-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 075: Genesis — Chapter 19
Source Timed Segments	81

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Theft Defined as Sin: Weaver opens by reading Genesis 31:1-11 and posing the question of whether stealing is a sin, defining sin as transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4) and citing the Eighth Commandment. He extends the question to individuals, families, churches, institutions, rulers, and governments, concluding that theft is always sin and God will judge it.
Background: Jacob's Deception and Flight to Laban: Weaver recounts the story of Jacob obtaining Esau's birthright and blessing through deception, Esau's murderous intent, and Rebekah's plan for Jacob to flee to Laban for 'a few days,' which became 20 years. He notes Rebekah likely died before Jacob returned.
Theft by Deception: Laban's Marriage Trick and Modern Parallels: Weaver details how Laban deceived Jacob by substituting Leah for Rachel after seven years of labor, then demanding another seven years for Rachel. He connects this to modern deceptions in marriage, fraudulent products, and the deception of fiat currency, which is not real money according to the Constitution and historical definition.
Theft by Change: Laban's Wage Manipulation and Currency Devaluation: Weaver explains how Laban changed Jacob's wages ten times, always shifting to the less valuable livestock. He parallels this to the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, which has lost 98% of its purchasing power since 1971, and quotes financial experts on the dangers of fiat money and inflation.
Theft of Labor Is Theft of Life: Weaver argues that Laban's theft of Jacob's labor for 20 years equates to stealing his life, as Jacob could not live as God intended. He applies this to modern workers who must labor incessantly just to survive, losing time for family and rest.
Theft by Conversion: Laban's Misuse of the Dowry and Legal Plunder: Weaver examines Rachel and Leah's complaint that Laban sold them and devoured their money, explaining the biblical dowry system. He connects this to modern legal plunder, where government takes from some to give to others, citing Frédéric Bastiat's 'The Law' and the three forms of plunder.
God's Judgment on Theft and Practical Applications: Weaver reads Genesis 31:38-42, showing Jacob's integrity and God's rebuke of Laban. He warns that God's hammer will fall on all thieves. Applications include not plundering others, learning biblical wealth principles, recognizing theft's forms, and preparing with tangible assets like silver, gold, seeds, and tools.
Closing Prayer: Weaver prays for wisdom, mercy, and understanding to apply truth, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, and trust in God.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Theft is always sin, regardless of the thief's identity or method.

Weaver argues that God's law against stealing applies universally, and no amount of legal or social sanction can make theft acceptable.

Weaver asks, 'Is it a sin for an individual to steal? Is it a sin for a family to steal? Is it a sin for a church to steal?... The answer to those questions, of course, is yes.'

Modern fiat money is a deception that constitutes theft.

Weaver contends that Federal Reserve notes are not real money because they are not backed by gold or silver, and their creation out of thin air devalues existing currency, stealing purchasing power.

Weaver states, 'The Federal Reserve notes are not real money. They are instruments of debt and deception.'

Wage manipulation and currency devaluation are forms of theft by change.

Just as Laban changed Jacob's wages ten times to his own advantage, modern governments and banks devalue currency, robbing people of the value of their labor.

Weaver explains, 'Laban changed my wages ten times... How often has the value of our money changed?... The Federal Reserve note has lost 98% of its purchasing power.'

Theft of labor equates to theft of life.

When economic systems force people to work constantly just to survive, they are robbed of time for family, rest, and the life God designed, which is a form of theft.

Weaver says, 'Theft of labor is theft of life... you're not able to live the life that God has designed for you.'

Legal plunder is the most dangerous form of theft because it corrupts law and morality.

Weaver uses Bastiat's analysis to show that when government legalizes taking from some to give to others, it destroys the distinction between justice and injustice and leads to societal collapse.

Weaver quotes Bastiat: 'When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law.'

God will ultimately judge all thieves.

Weaver asserts that no matter how powerful or wealthy, those who steal will face God's judgment, as seen in God's rebuke of Laban.

Weaver declares, 'God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight... Sooner or later, God's hammer is going to fall.'

Believers must prepare practically and avoid participating in theft.

Weaver urges Christians to recognize theft, not plunder others, learn biblical wealth principles, and acquire tangible assets for survival and legacy.

Weaver advises, 'If you and I do not wish to be the victims of plunder, we must not plunder others... You need not only silver and gold, you need non-hybrid seeds.'

Scripture References

Genesis 31:1-11: Opening reading; Jacob hears Laban's sons' accusations and God tells him to return home.
Genesis 31:7-8: Jacob recounts Laban's deception and wage changes; God prevented Laban from hurting him.
Genesis 31:12: The angel of God tells Jacob He has seen all Laban's actions.
1 John 3:4: Definition of sin as transgression of the law.
Exodus 20:15: The Eighth Commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal.'
Genesis 27:41: Esau's hatred and plan to kill Jacob after the stolen blessing.
Genesis 27:42-45: Rebekah warns Jacob of Esau's plan and sends him to Laban.
Genesis 31:38: Jacob states he has been with Laban 20 years.
Genesis 35:29: Isaac's death and burial by Esau and Jacob.
Genesis 49:31: Burial of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah in Machpelah.
Genesis 29:15-20: Jacob's agreement to serve seven years for Rachel.
Genesis 29:21-30: Laban's deception: giving Leah instead of Rachel, then requiring another seven years for Rachel.
Genesis 31:14-15: Rachel and Leah say Laban sold them and devoured their money.
Genesis 34:12: Shechem offers any dowry for Dinah.
Exodus 22:17: Law requiring payment of dowry if father refuses marriage.
1 Samuel 18:25: Saul's dowry demand of 100 Philistine foreskins for Michal.
Genesis 31:38-42: Jacob's defense of his faithful service and God's rebuke of Laban.

Historical References

Coinage Act of 1792: Defined the dollar as 371.25 grains of silver; Section 19 made debasement a felony punishable by death.
U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8: Grants Congress power to coin money and regulate its value; Weaver argues this means only gold and silver, not paper.
U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 10: Prohibits states from coining money or making anything but gold and silver coin legal tender.
Coinage Act of 1965: Eliminated silver from circulating U.S. coins, which Weaver calls debasement.
Thomas Jefferson (died 1826): Quoted on the danger of banking institutions and private control of currency.
Reginald McKenna, past chairman of Midland Bank of England: Quoted on banks creating money and controlling governments.
Charles Lindbergh, Republican Representative from Minnesota: Quoted on the Federal Reserve as a private profiteering group.
Lord Josiah Stamp, director of the Bank of England: Quoted on modern banking creating currency out of nothing and enslaving people.
Henry Ford: Quoted on the revolutionary potential if people understood the banking system.
German hyperinflation (Weimar Republic): Anecdote of a woman whose wheelbarrow was stolen while the paper money was dumped, illustrating worthlessness of fiat currency.

Important Quotes

Theft by any other name is still theft.

Central thesis of the sermon, emphasizing that all forms of taking what belongs to another are sin regardless of labels.

Theft of labor is theft of life.

Key argument that economic exploitation robs people of time and the life God intended.

It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.

Bastiat's warning about legal plunder, used to argue that government redistribution is theft.

Sooner or later, God's hammer is going to fall. And it's going to fall with force upon the thieves.

Assurance of divine judgment on all forms of theft.

If you and I do not wish to be the victims of plunder, we must not plunder others.

Application calling for personal integrity and rejection of theft in all forms.

What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?

Adam Smith quote used to summarize the goal of living free from theft and guilt.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does defining theft as 'transgression of God's law' change the way we view economic and governmental practices today?

[Context]

Weaver opens by establishing theft as sin based on 1 John 3:4 and Exodus 20:15.

[Question]

In what ways have we been deceived about the nature of money, and how does that deception constitute theft?

[Context]

Weaver discusses fiat currency and the Coinage Act of 1792.

[Question]

How does the concept 'theft of labor is theft of life' apply to modern work and economic pressures?

[Context]

Weaver argues that constant labor to survive robs people of family and rest.

[Question]

What is the difference between illegal plunder and legal plunder, and why is legal plunder more dangerous?

[Context]

Weaver explains Bastiat's categories of plunder.

[Question]

How should Christians respond to a system that engages in legal plunder?

[Context]

Weaver gives applications about not plundering others and preparing practically.

[Question]

What does Jacob's experience with Laban teach us about trusting God in the midst of theft and deception?

[Context]

Weaver recounts Jacob's 20 years of service and God's eventual intervention.

Applications

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