This is the eleventh and final post in this series on the 10 Commandments. The previous posts in this series were:
1). Does God Change?
2). The 1st Commandment
3). The 2nd Commandment
4). The 3rd Commandment
5). The 4th Commandment
6). The 5th Commandment
7). The 6th Commandment
8). The 7th Commandment
9). The 8th Commandment
10). The 9th Commandment, and
11). The 10th Commandment
In the 1st four Commandments God teaches us how we are to relate to, honor, obey and respect Him. In the following six Commandments God teaches us how to relate to, honor and respect each other.
So, let’s take a look at the 10th and final Commandment, and consider what it says to us. (All scriptures used are from the Holman Bible unless otherwise stated)
Exodus 20:17
Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
So, what is coveting? Let’s look at couple definitions of coveting and see how it could possibly be affecting our lives.
To Covet
verb (used with object)
1. to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another’s property.
2. to wish for, especially eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted.
verb (used without object)
3. to have an inordinate or wrongful desire.
I don’t believe there is anything wrong with wanting to better your life or to have nice things. It is the attitude in which we seek to better ourselves or accumulate nicer things. I personally would like to have a nicer home with a private gym, library, craft room for my wife, etc. etc. etc. With that said, I am perfectly happy and grateful with what we have, and don’t sit around longing for those things. Every once in a while I purchase a Power Ball ticket and keep it in my wallet for a month or two enjoying the occasional fantasy that I might win and all I will do with those winnings. Then I later check it, and as always it says not a winner; I just smile, crumble it up and throw it away. I really try to follow the example of Paul who says he learned to be content in all situations whether it be feast or famine.
Unfortunately coveting is very difficult to avoid in this world. To watch TV you would think our value is measured by what we possess and how we look in shape, size, style and brand name. Wait, what am I talking about, we are measured and judged by those things in our society. Isn’t it wonderful that God looks upon our hearts, and not what we look like on the outside? Again, I’m not knocking dressing nice or desiring to be in good shape, but what is your motivation for doing so? Is it to feel good, to be healthy and to live a life enriching and blessing the lives of others, or is it to be looked at with admiration from other people? The latter is coveting.
God doesn’t say don’t covet because He doesn’t want us to have nice things or better ourselves, He says it for our benefit. When we covet we don’t just desire something, we lust after it. Lust will cause one to do all sorts of irrational things to get what one wants. When we lust after someone of the opposite sex we will begin telling lies, cheating and coming up with elaborate plans to get what we want. When we lust after a certain image, we will throw responsibility out the window and devote all our time, energy and money to achieving that thing we covet. It reminds me of a skit Billy Crystal used to do on Saturday Night Live playing Fernando Lamas. The two phrases he always said were, “You look marvelous” the other was,” It’s better to look good than to feel good”. It was a very funny skit, but that belief is held by many in our society. It becomes all about how they look to others, and comes at the expense of their true selves.
Coveting something will make us do things that are contrary to good judgement and contrary to what God wants from us. We grow away from God by becoming self-centered as opposed to self-less. We grow away from God when our focus is always on the things we desire instead of the things that are important to God. God doesn’t want to share eternity with selfish and lustful people, he wants to spend it with self-less people who love others and put the needs of others before themselves. You can’t do that if you’re always desiring what others have so you can fit in and be admired. Again, there’s nothing wrong with wanting nice things, it’s your motivation, reasons, and what you’re will to do to get those things that matters.
There is one exception to coveting that I can think God would be alright with. That would be your coveting God, His will, His way, His love, and an eternity in His Kingdom. Now that’s something worthy of our coveting.
Remember, the 10 Commandments weren’t given to keep us from being happy or having fun; they were given to us so that we could live happy, productive and blessed lives.
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