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Dive into the concept of covetousness, dissecting its implications and exploring its roots in the desire for what others possess. This reflection on the Tenth Commandment sheds light on the dangers of coveting and its impact on our relationships and spiritual well-being.
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Read Exodus 20:17 From the backside, you will rejoice in your neighbor’s having What does covet mean? To desire inordinately or without due respect for the rights of others
The law can judge if we steal or murder, but no one can tell if we covet. In the eyes of today’s law, no one is put in jail for coveting. God and the individual are the only ones who know Covetousness is sometimes called the sin of sins because it can lead to others sins. What things are most tempting to covet? Does the value come into play?
Covet is different from desire. Desire becomes evil when desire violates the rights of others. It is wrong when we want something that belongs to someone else. “Thy neighbor’s” is the important part of this verse. Some ancient Eastern religions seek a goal of non-desire, wanting nothing. The Bible teaches us differently. It teaches that God provides a world full of good things for us to enjoy,but we must make decisions.
This commandment was given when they were mostly nomads or later a life of farming and had very little. Today, there are many areas in the world where the people have very little. Then there are many areas where people have an abundance. Is there any difference in coveting between these two areas?
Coveting really has little or nothing to do with what we have or don’t have or with what we need or don’t need. We will want what the other person has regardless of how much we have or how little that have. Covetousness is a state of mind not a state of economy. How do you feel about these statements?
Money or property may not matter to some, but they might covet a neighbor’s popularity, reputation, etc. Have you ever been in a situation where someone has envied (coveted) you in some non-material way? How do you keep from being envious of someone else?
The book says that coveting springs from poor spiritual vision. What does that mean? If someone covets his neighbor’s wife, does the cost of losing his family come into his mind. If someone covets his neighbor’s house, does the cost of making the payments come into his mind. Covetousness is near sighted and doesn’t take into account the cost of getting there. Does this make sense?
Most material things we covet are available to us if we are willing to pay the price or wait. But many in today’s society want the shortcut, instant gratification. Some want to get rich buying a lottery ticket. What have you wanted that you had to wait to acquire? What do you want now that you may have to wait a while to obtain? If you won the lottery today, what would you do with the money?
Covetousness prevents us from seeing and enjoying what we have. Story of acres of diamonds. Coveting distorts our sense of values. God has provided us with many good gifts for our pleasure, but we sometimes forget that they belong in second place. Covetousness can cause us to put God in second place.
Sometimes we covet, not because we want something but because our neighbor has it. We can get into a competition with our neighbor. Have you ever seen this happen?
Do we love our neighbor enough to enjoy their good fortune? Covetousness can cause damage to our relationship with our neighbor. To covet is to be discontent. People who are truly rich are not the ones with the most possessions, but the ones who are happiest with what they have. Do you think that is true?
When one covets, they become small and petty. The blessing of the 10th commandment is that when one can rejoice in what their neighbor has, they become very rich.
