10th Commandment
Notes
Transcript
THOU SHALL NOT COVET
We need not covet money, for we shall always have our God, and God is better than gold, his favour is better than fortune.
Charles Spurgeon
King James Version Chapter 20
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
*Open Prayer*
Exodus Tenth Word/Commandment: You Must Not Covet Another’s Possessions (20:17)
20:17 Coveting (ḥmd) is desiring—wanting or craving something. The commandment does not say “do not covet,” which would make no sense since much coveting is permissible or even commendable as long as the thing being coveted is something a person should desire and not something that already belongs to someone else exclusively
“You must not covet” is the tenth of the Ten Commandments, the only one that goes directly beyond one’s actions to the state of one’s heart.
Craig Keener
Question: Why is ‘ thou shall not covet’ in the ten commandments?
Answer: The key to understanding this commandment is in the definition of the word “covet”.
Two different Hebrew words are used in the passage condemning coveting’ what we read in Exodus20:17 , and in Deuteronomy.
21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
Exodus says do not “covet” your neighbors wife, while Deuteronomy says do not “desire” your neighbors wife.
The only commandment that addresses the desires of the heart is the tenth, where the Lord prohibits coveting (20:17). The first and tenth commandments address the same issue. Whatever one covets or desires in one’s heart represents what one worships. Nothing and no one should capture one’s affections above the Lord.
Thomas Schreiner
Both words mean “ to lust after or to long for with great desire.”
Since the commandments are given as “thou shall not’s” the desire in this case is for something that is not the property of the desirer and not rightfully his to long after. In this commandment, the Israelites are told not to lust after their neighbor’s possessions- his house, land, ox, donkey or the people in his life- his wife or servants both male and female.
[ today’s standard would be his car or truck or even an airplane] The Israelites were not to desire, long for or set their hearts on anything that belonged to anyone else.
Whereas several of the commandments prohibit certain action, such as murder and theft, this is one of the commandments that address the inner person, his heart and mind,such as James1:15.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James tells us, the inner person is where sin originates, and in this case, covetousness is the forerunner of all manners of sin, among them theft, burglary and embezzlement. At it’s root, coveting is the result of envy, a sin which, once it takes root in the heart, leads to worse sins. Jesus reiterated this very thought in the sermon on the mount
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
As we looked at before, Jesus said that lust in the heart is every bit as sinful as committing adultery.
Envy goes beyond casting a longing glance at the neighbor’s new car.
Once dwelled upon, envy of the neighbor’s possessions can turn to feelings of resentment and hatred for the neighbor himself.
Your neighbor is your brother and John tells us how to treat a brother
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Now this resentment can be used to turn against God and questioning Him.
“ why can’t I have what he has, Lord? Don’t you love me enough to give me what I want?”
Love is not manifested in mere possessions....
Jesus clearly loves us, and tells us this....
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
But we are also told in John16:24
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
God’s reasons for condemning covetousness are good ones. At it’s very core, envy is love of self.
Envious, selfish citizens are unhappy and discontented citizens. A society built of such people is a weak one because envious malcontents, as stated before, will be more likely to commit crimes against one another, further weakening the societal structure.
Furthermore, the New Testament identifies covetousness as a form of idolatry, a sin God detests.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
That word concupiscence simple means this....
Concupiscence: A strong sexual desire, lust.
In the end, envy and covetousness are Satan’s tools to distract us from pursuing the only thing that will ever make us happy and content- God Himself
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
In summary, this commandment applies to other people’s belongings directly.
It is not a sin to desire a new truck like the one your neighbor just got.
It is a sin to desire your neighbor’s truck....
or think of it this way...
Growing up in church I met many great “men of the faith”. Not perfect, but showed a strong desire to serve the Lord.
Often times, they would have a strong “women of the faith” as their wife.
It is not a sin for me to want to grow up and desire a wife like that....
Strong in the faith, caring, loving, wise.
It would be a sin for me to desire their wives...
This commandment is all about those that desire worshiping “things” or even “ taken people”.
True happiness is not attained by things, but by a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. By this alone do we gain that which is worthy, true, solid, satisfying and durable- the unsearchable riches of God’s grace.
Holy joy will also be a great preventive. The man who feels the joy of the Lord will not covet worldly joy.
Charles Spurgeon
*closing prayer*