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Post by Sparrow on Sept 14, 2004 21:53:17 GMT -6
By the time the barrels are roped together on the river's banks and Bilbo wades ashore, he has reached a point where he "no longer thought twice about picking up a supper uninvited if he got the chance." Has Bilbo become a common thief? A hardened criminal? Is he now comfortable with acts of theft? Is it ok to steal food when you are starving? What about Jean Valjean's lengthy sentence for stealing a few apples in Les Miserables? Can you reconcile the eighth commandment in Exodus 20, "Thou shalt not steal," with Proverbs 6:30, "Thieves are not despised who steal only to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry."?
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Post by Stormrider on Sept 9, 2012 19:41:38 GMT -6
As a "proper" hobbit back in The Shire, stealing a meal would have been abhorant to Bilbo; but when it came to having to survive, it became a logical necessity. After weeks of grabbing meals to keep himself alive, by the time the barrels were roped together it had just become a way of life to him. I am sure he would not have kept it up once their situation was straightened out and I don't believe he had been comfortable with it at all while he was doing it.
The 8th Commandment in Exodus 20, "Thou shalt not steal," was God's law and He expected His people to follow His laws. All 10 of the Commandments were sensible laws to keep the peace so His people could live and survive together.
Proverbs 6:30, "Thieves are not despised who steal only to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry." This is an example of God's ability to forgive when there is a very good reason for it and a way for others to judge fairly for breaking a law and forgive.
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