The Ten Commandments Part 10

The Ten Commandments, Part 10

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17)

The word ‘covet’ describes the characteristic of desiring the possessions of others. How does the Bible view coveting? “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:5) Coveting is a desire to satisfy our self ahead of the true God who forbids this practice. Coveting violates both the tenth and the first commandment.

To covet is to desire anything that does not belong to us. Moneylenders, along with advertising, have taken advantage of this human weakness. One who cannot control his emotions and continually covets, more than likely, will soon find himself heavily in debt, all because he allows his desires to dictate his life. Thousands of homes have been ruined and marriages wrecked by the sin of coveting. We must not allow our thoughts to determine how we react when we want something that we cannot afford. Coveting leads to unhappiness, not to happiness, as the advertisers would have you believe. Excessive desire is lust run uncontrolled, and can only be cured by fleeing to God.

Gambling, a form of lust, has led to untold harm. When the few do win, they promptly lose the money they have gained. Gambling should be avoided like the plague. Gambling is so appealing to those who covet other people’s assets that it has become a multi-billion dollar industry. You have a much better chance of winning the heart of a lost person for Jesus Christ than winning lotto, and what is more important? But then again, a lottery ticket is something that can be bought, while Salvation is free.

When we exchange our mental ability and our physical efforts for money that will fade away, but do not do the same for the Kingdom of Heaven that will never fade away, we desire money more than God’s will. Martin Luther once said, “I have held many things in my hands, and have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”

There is the continual tendency in almost all of us to be dissatisfied with what we have. People seem to want something better. Or as the farmer says, “The cow always thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.” Why can’t you use outmoded technology as long as possible? Sure, you can buy a new digital VCR with stereophonic sound. But if you have an old standard model that still works, why not use it? You thought it was wonderful three years ago when you bought it. Isn’t it good enough until it wears out completely? When we see our neighbor buy a new TV, car, carpet, furniture, or new clothes, we may think we have to buy that new stuff too. But instead of coveting what others have, including the store’s stuff, we should develop gratitude and thankfulness for what we already have, and that’s freedom in Christ.

But what does all this stuff mean anyway? Things like the movies, radio, hours and hours of television, and countless days searching the net are not good enough, are they? Stuff just lacks that special something. But what is that something special? Life! You can hear the sound of rain from a CD, see it on TV, read about it on the net, drink it out of your faucet, and bathe in it with a shower, but you can’t smell it. Nor would you be able to see the promise of a rainbow, hear other sounds like frogs croaking, or have the full vision of it all. Why do we covet a better TV when God’s creation has so much more to offer?

We covet things on the Internet too. We save pictures we find, and suck up all the computer’s memory storing all that clutter. A more rewarding option is to find a suitable partner and discover just what you’ve been missing out on while you were surfing. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without them! After all, who needs chat rooms when you can speak to others in real-time, in full-motion video with millions of colors, and sound exceeding CD quality? Do you want a real life? Simply unplug everything, walk outside, breathe in deeply, and say, “Hello”.

Coveting (lust) is the motivation behind most wars. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:1-3) The origin of war is the desire to obtain the possessions of others instead of asking God to bless us, as He desires. Violence and war are based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not a gift to be shared. When God calls a war, I will be in it. He has called many wars and I am in them. They, however, are not of this earth. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

We are tempted to worship money because it mimics everything promised in God’s New Jerusalem such as happiness, health, peace, and prosperity…but it provides only temporary imaginary versions of eternal blessings. “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1 Timothy 6:7-8)

“Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (Matthew 19:21) After this Christ gave a life-changing message in Matthew 19:23-30 that I pray you will read.

“What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.’” (Romans 7:7) Desires, wants, yearning, craving, wishing, wanting, hungering after, or coveting something gains you absolutely nothing, but the Word is a whole other story. Please read Luke 12:15, Romans 8:4, Isaiah 55:7-9, Jeremiah 10:23 and 6:13, Proverbs 22:7, 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Luke 12:15, Hebrews 13:5, Mark 7:20-22, 2 Timothy 3:1-2, James 2:2-4, Matthew 6:24, and Acts 5:3 to continue your study.