The Tenth Commandment- Exodus 20:17

The 10th Commandment demonstrates the vileness of the heart, the desperation of the sinner, and the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I. What is covetousness?

We are commanded not to covet, but what is coveting? Coveting has three ways in which it can be expressed, both focusing on others. Before we dive into the three expressions of covetousness, let’s consider the objects of covetousness.

A. What can we covet?

God gives us a fairly detailed list of the potential objects of coveting: neighbor’s house, neighbor’s spouse, neighbor’s servants, neighbor’s animals, “anything.”

The first four are either people or property. The last one covers everything else. Let us consider what we can covet on another person.

We can covet their hair, or hair color. We can covet their eye color. We can covet their voice, or their teeth, or the structure of their face, or their ears.

We can covet their height, or weight, or muscular frame. We can covet their fingers or hands. We can covet the proportions of their bodies. We can covet their feet, the size of them, or the smell of them. We can covet the fact that their appendages work properly. We can cover their lack of pain, or their ability to do things.

We can covet their intelligence, their ability to speak, their ability to think. We can covet their talents.

That is just dealing with our physical bodies. Do you get a feel of how infectious covetousness is? We can covet weather, or times of the year, and so on and so forth. I hope that you have an idea of what we can covet.

Now let’s examine the three ways that covetousness can be expressed.

B. Covetousness is an expression of ingratitude

We have been working through the book of Exodus and we have observed the successes and failures of the Israelites. One of the many points that have stood out to us is the grumbling of the Israelites, their ingratitude.

We look back on them with disdain and wonder, “After seeing all those miracles, how in the world could you ever complain? Besides that, God has delivered you from slavery? How could you complain?!”

If the complaints and ingratitude of the Israelites is appalling, our complaints and ingratitude is even more disgusting. Israel was delivered from physical bondage in this life, we have been delivered from spiritual bondage in this life and the life to come.

Covetousness is expressed through discontentment, ingratitude, ungratefulness.

C. Covetousness is an expression of ill-will to others

One expression of covetousness is looking at others and bearing them ill-will because of their possessions, or abilities, etc. Psalm 112:10 provides a wonderful example of this.

Covetousness sees the good of others and hates them for it.

“I can’t believe she got that promotion!” “The wicked man (or woman) sees it and is angry...” When something good happens to someone and it makes you angry, you are covetous.

By the way, a good tool to examine our hearts is not to consider our heart responses to those whom you love, but to consider our heart responses to those whom we dislike. Covetousness is an expression of ill-will to others. But it is also an inordinate desire for other’s things.

D. Covetousness is an inordinate desire for other’s things

The third expression is probably the one with which we are more familiar. It is the desire for other’s things. We see something they have, and we want it. Now, it is not the idea of seeing their shoes and thinking, “Wow, those would be nice to have!”

It is a focusing on it, a constant obsession with it. The thought that “If I can get that or those, then I can be happy.”

Ahab is a good example of this in 1 Kings chapter 21. A neighbor, Naboth, has a vineyard and Ahab wants it. He offers Naboth a better vineyard or the worth of the vineyard in money. Of course, Ahab’s wife Jezebel murders Naboth, including others in her plot, and gives Ahab the vineyard. Of importance to us is how Ahab is described when Naboth tell him no: he was vexed and sullen.

We can covet anything, and this can be expressed through our ingratitude, and/or an expression of ill-will, and/or that inordinate desire for other’s things.

Now, I mentioned a few weeks ago Dennis Prager, a well-known conservative commentator who also claims to be Jewish. In his radio program he mentioned he had period of envy toward Christians because they did not have to keep the Mosaic Law. After learning more about Christianity, though, Prager no longer was envious. Why? What changed? Because Prager erroneously thought that Christianity was primarily about the heart while Judaism was primarily about actions.

But this commandment destroys that type of thinking. Even if one never acted on their covetousness, it is sin. But why?

II. Why is it sin?- Col. 3:5

Why is covetousness sin? It doesn’t really hurt anyone (unless we act on it). So why is it sin?

Covetousness is sin because it is idolatry.

We think we know better than God.

We are not satisfied with God.

We replace God with things.

We violate the very first commandment when we commit this sin (and truly all those commandments that follow it).

III. How can I “mortify” it?- Romans 8:13

In our passage in Colossians, God commands us through Paul “to put to death what is earthly in you,” our natural response is, How? How do we mortify (or, kill) covetousness?

“The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin.” John Owen

“All other ways of mortification are vain, all helps leave us helpless; it must be done by the Spirit.” John Owen

“Mortification from self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.” John Owen

Colossians 3:9–10 “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

We put out of our minds the disgusting thoughts of covetousness and focus on God! We can follow Asaph’s example in Psalm 73. After bemoaning the successes and apparent freedom from consequences of the wicked (i.e., covetousness) God shatters Asaph’s ingratitude (puts off), and renews Asaph’s mind by reminding Asaph of the end of the wicked and the righteousness, and puts on Asaph the appropriate response of Asaph to God Himself. What was it?

Psalm 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”

We can continually put covetousness to death by exclaiming: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you!”

After expositing Psalm 73, Jonathan Edwards wrote this,

“Hence we may learn, that whatever changes a godly man passes through, he is happy; because God, who is unchangeable, is his chosen portion. Though he meet with temporal losses; and be deprived of many, yea, of all his temporal enjoyments; yet God, whom he prefers before all, still remains, and cannot be lost. While he stays in this changeable, troublesome world, he is happy; because his chosen portion, on which he builds as his main foundation for happiness, is above the world, and above all changes. And when he goes into another world, still he is happy, because that portion yet remains. Whatever he be deprived of, he cannot be deprived of his chief portion.”—Jonathan Edwards

How do we mortify covetousness? We relish God.

IV. How does this point me to Jesus Christ?- Romans 7:1–25, 8:1–8

Covetousness is found in every single human being since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden.

The Law, not only this 10th Commandment but all of them, rips the curtains away and exposes the vile filth of our hearts! Like Paul we cry out, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

But like Paul, we can also rejoice in this truth: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And because Christ has freed us from the Law, we can prayerfully sing Have Thy Own Way, Lord.