You Shall Not Covet

Wednesday Bible Study

Exodus 20:17

Jim Davis

As we study this 10th and final commandment we will discover that we will learn a great deal about coveting. In fact, we may learn a great deal more about coveting than we really wish to know.

It has been said, "selfishness is the parent of all sins." Our English word "covet" comes from a Greek word meaning "grasping for more." Dictionaries define "covet" as "grasping, greedy, greed of wealth with a view of hoarding it." Covetousness springs from a selfish nature. Because a man is selfish, he covets. Because he covets he steals, lies, commits adultery, murders, disregards others. Jesus said, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consist not in the abundance of the things which he possesses" (Luke 12:15).

We are not unlike our mother Eve, when she lived in Eden and felt deprived. Although we live in the richest country in the world much of our focus is on what we want that we don't already have. This attitude makes it difficult and all but impossible to enjoy the riches we do have. We have a rampant desire for what we don't have or can't have.

Americans, though rich, can be some of the most dissatisfied people on earth! Our whole prosperity is built on encouraging greed and need - to get something we don't have, and probably don't need, but we must have. Advertisers are always sending messages of "You won't be happy until you get our product", etc.

In Hank Ketcham's comic strip "Dennis the Menace," Dennis is looking through a catalog saying, "This catalog's got a lot of toys I didn't even know I wanted." -- Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).

As Christians we really need to evaluate our sense of happiness. In our culture we are inundated with messages that says we MUST have more, or newer, or something we don't already have … and it is the foundation for the vast amount of dissatisfaction our people have though we live in a land of great plenty!

Ecclesiastes 4:8
There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless-- a miserable business! (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 5:10-11
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? (NIV)

We should heed Solomon's warning

Proverbs 23:1-8
When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments. (NIV)

Too often, we spend our lives comparing ourselves to others as we covet where they are and what they have. Paul writes, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise" (2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV).

Bob James of Paint Rock, Texas, had a problem with stinging ants in his yard. He laid a small circle of poison around their mound. Thinking the tiny granules of poison were food, the ants began to pick them up and carry them throughout the colony.

Bob returned later to see how well the poison was working. Hundreds of the stinging ants were carrying the poison down into their mound. Then he noticed a hole in the circle of poison. Some of the poison was moving the opposite way away from the mound.

Some smaller, nonstinging ants had found this "food" and were stealing it from their ant neighbors. Thinking they were getting the other ants’ treasure, they unwittingly poisoned themselves.

When we see someone with more than we have, we must beware. The hunger to beg, borrow, or steal our way into what is theirs may poison us spiritually.

God is Concerned with Our Hearts Desires

All other commandments forbid overt sin, but this one reaches to the inner motives, condemning as evil the entertaining of the thoughts of wrongdoing. Jeremiah 17:9 describes the heart: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). And then in Psalm 94:11, "The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity."

Genesis 6:5
The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 5:21
"You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (NIV)

Deuteronomy 15:7-10
If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. (NIV)

What we covet, whether good or bad always becomes our goal in life. If we covet the wrong things, we will have the wrong goals, and we may thus sacrifice things of great value in our effort to attain what has little ultimate and eternal value.

Rich Young Ruler Matthew 19:16-26

Matthew 6:19-24
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (NIV)

Covetousness brings disharmony and friction.

Achan in the destruction of Jericho Joshua 7:8-26

Covetousness wreck interpersonal relationships. The coveting spirit is the root cause of war. More than one friendship has ceased to be because of the greed of one man to have what another man has. This extends not only to material possessions but to positions as well.

Ahab and Jezebel 1 Kings 21

Jeremiah 22:13-16
"Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor. He says, 'I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.' So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red. "Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD. (NIV)

Covetousness is the source of oppression. It causes the rich to oppress the poor, and prompts the poor to team up to destroy the rich. Ezekiel 22:12 speaks forthrightly concerning this matter: "In you men accept bribes to shed blood; you take usury and excessive interest and make unjust gain from your neighbors by extortion. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign LORD."

We must have leaders who are not covetous. Moses' father-in-law advised Moses to pick leaders from Israel who hated dishonest gain.

Exodus 18:21
But select capable men from all the people-- men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain-- and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. (NIV)

Luke 16:14-15
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. (NIV)

Paul admonished Timothy to choose church leaders who weren't in love with dishonest gain.

1 Timothy 3:1-3
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. (NIV)

Paul exemplified this attitude.

Acts 20:33-35
I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (NIV)

Philippians 3:17-21
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (NIV)

Coveting fuels our discontent.

Philippians 4:11-13
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (NIV)

The Hope Health Letter (10/95) included this story: Once upon a time, there was a man who lived with his wife, two small children, and his elderly parents in a tiny hut. He tried to be patient and gracious, but the noise and crowded conditions wore him down. In desperation, he consulted the village wise man. "Do you have a rooster?" asked the wise man. "Yes," he replied. "Keep the rooster in the hut with your family, and come see me again next week." The next week, the man returned and told the wise elder that living conditions were worse than ever, with the rooster crowing and making a mess of the hut. "Do you have a cow?" asked the wise elder. The man nodded fearfully. "Take your cow into the hut as well, and come see me in a week." Over the next several weeks, the man--on the advice of the wise elder--made room for a goat, two dogs, and his brother's children. Finally, he could take no more, and in a fit of anger, kicked out all the animals and guests, leaving only his wife, his children, and his parents. The home suddenly became spacious and quiet, and everyone lived happily ever after. (Leadership, Vol. 17, no. 1.)

Covetous men must be the sport of Satan, for their grasping avarice neither lets them enjoy life nor escape from the second death. James writes, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:13-15 NIV).

Covetous persons are held by their own greed as surely as beasts with cords, or fish with nets, or men with chains. Coveting captivates our minds and tears down our convictions. A covetous person becomes "me-centered." They begin to neglect their life with God, and find no time for service, Bible reading, and prayer. Covetousness consumes us. Proverbs 27:20 says, "People will never stop dying and being destroyed, and they will never stop wanting more than they have."

Sin is bondage. Solomon writes, "A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him." (Proverbs 28:21-22 NIV) The devil lies to you when he tells you a different story. Any of us who have experienced the shackles of sin in our own lives know what a complicated web of despair we can become entangled in. The Law of the Lord liberates. It puts us on a straight path. It simplifies life, and gives us clarity of vision and freedom in spirit.

The covetous heart is never satisfied. Covetousness unmasks the greatest dissatisfaction of all when it unmasks our dissatisfaction with God’s provision for our lives. Bill Hybels comments that when we covet someone else’s job, spouse, income, house, or car, we are saying, "You’ve not been fair with me God, I deserve a nicer job, or a more lucrative income, or a bigger house, or a nicer wife. You’ve short-changed me. You owe me something better, God!" You may not say those things directly. But a covetous heart is filled with those thoughts.

Discovering Freedom In God's Will

The beginning of contentment starts in God and ends in God. When Ernest Hemingway took his life, he concluded that a hole in the ground was better than living life. He said, "Life is 'just a dirty trick, a short journey from nothingness to nothingness." How said that one dies not knowing the source of life.

Psalms 119:41-48
May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. (NIV)

We must covet God's will for our lives. The psalmist writes, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25-26).

Proverbs 30:7-10
"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. "Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will pay for it. (NIV)

Psalms 119:33-40
Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness. (NIV)

Focusing on God's will brings deliverance.

Habakkuk 2:4-5
"See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright-- but the righteous will live by his faith--indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. (NIV)

Proverbs 11:6-7
The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power comes to nothing. (NIV)

We must covet the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 13:44-48
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. (NIV)

Colossians 3:1-7
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. (NIV)

Conclusion:

Who could speak more realistically about the illusion of a yuppie value system than Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who suffered deprivation of all that money can buy? In "The Prison Chronicle" he says, as few of us can, "Don't be afraid of misfortune and do not yearn after happiness. It is, after all, all the same. The bitter doesn't last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing. It is enough if you don't freeze in the cold, and if hunger and thirst don't claw at your sides. If your back isn't broken, if your feet can walk, if both arms work, if both eyes can see, and if both ears can hear, then whom should you envy? And why? Our envy of others devours us most of all. Rub your eyes and purify your heart and prize above all else in the world those who love you and wish you well." (As reported in Christianity Today, submitted by Rich Hardison, Tabernacle Church of Norfolk, Virginia.)