10th Commandment

Introduction

The Disney Company in its made drive to destroy it’s stock price and drive to even more people away from their movies and decrease park attendance and some how turn Walt into a power station by how fast he is spinning in his grave is releasing a snow white remake.

It’s going to be as politically correct, woke, and all the other Neo-communist phrasing you can imagine.

The lead actress who is Snow white came out and said this about the remake

“It’s no longer 1937 . . . She’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”

Do you hear the problem in that statement? It’s no longer about true love, men being heroes, women being feminine and the glory of men, but about power dynamics. “Leadership” is not what she means, in the modern Leftist worldview which is built on Marxian ideals once again it’s about allegedly ‘readdressing’ power dynamics.

Marx talked about the Factory owner and the worker, the Nobility/royalty and the Peasant, and religion being nothing more then a philosophical mind number to make you accept your circumstances.

This idea is what runs our world today. Every interaction is a power dynamic discussion. From a conversation that says “a few people” to the electoral college, Red and blue states. It colors our relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, White and Black or any ethnic minority group, Christian and non-Christian.

It really is just covetousness and using any means to get what someone else has. It exchanges putting other first for yourself, it is the birthplace of all sin, it truly is the sin looking to devour you like a lion, it is the sin that is destroying families, and it is currently destroying our nation and the western world as a whole.

The Text

Deuteronomy 5:16–22 ESV

16 “ ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 17 “ ‘You shall not murder. 18 “ ‘And you shall not commit adultery. 19 “ ‘And you shall not steal. 20 “ ‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 21 “ ‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’ 22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

What it means to Covet

Definition

Tyndale Bible Dictionary Covet, Covetousness

COVET, COVETOUSNESS* The desire to have something for oneself that belongs to another—a craving or passionate desire. Three Hebrew words are translated “covet” in the OT (see RSV). In one recital of the Ten Commandments (Dt 5:21) the text reads, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.” The same Hebrew word occurs in Proverbs 21:26: “All day long the wicked covets.” Another word implies dishonest gain (Hb 2:9). In the Exodus listing of the Ten Commandments, a third word is used for craving a neighbor’s wife (Ex 20:17). The same word is used of Achan’s coveting of the spoils of Ai (Jos 7:21; cf. Mi 2:2). To covet is to desire inordinately, to place the object of desire before love and devotion to God.

To covet is to desire, to lust after that which is not yours, but someone else’s. In this the other sins are born.

When looking for a succint explanaintion I turned tp tue historic confessions from the reformation to define them a bit closer to home. This is from the Heidelberg confession:

The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) Having Seen What the Scriptures Principally Teach Us to Believe concerning God, It Follows to Consider What They Require as the Duty of Man

147. What are the duties required in the tenth commandment?

The duties required in the tenth commandment are, such a full contentment with our own condition, and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor, as that all our inward motions and affections touching him, tend unto, and further all that good which is his.

148. What are the sins forbidden in the tenth commandment?

The sins forbidden in the tenth commandment are, discontentment with our own estate; envying, and grieving at the good of our neighbor, together with all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.

Truly this is God governing your heart here

What is is with examples (biblical and current)

This is truly wrongly ordered loves as Saint Augustine would put it, and desires

“ ‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. - This is you lusting after a relationship you don’t have with a specific person. This is the sin of David and Uriah’s wife Bathsheba

And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, This is the Sin of Ahab and Naboth’s field 1 Kings 21:1–25

Ahab so wanted the field this mighty king did this

1 Kings 21:4–7 ESV

4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food. 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ” 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

Went home and cried till his tummy hurt in his bed and his wife had to do the task for him. We used to tease kids for acting like such a wimp like this over important things this is the fruit of covetousness.

or his male servant, or his female servant,

his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

What it is not with examples (Biblical and current)

Desire is not a wrong thing In fact many good things can be desired Here is a brief list of desires spoke about in scripture

The Doctrine of the Christian Life (Coveting and Other Desires)

Scripture motivates our obedience by promising rewards, thus legitimizing our desire for God’s blessings. God himself is the chief desire of the believer’s heart (Pss. 42:1–2; 73:25; Phil. 1:23).

He promises prosperity to those who keep his covenant, and we should desire that. These blessings are earthly as well as heavenly (Mark 10:29–31), material as well as spiritual.

It is not wrong for us to desire food (Matt. 4:2),

drink (John 19:28–29), sleep (Luke 8:23),

sex (Gen. 2:22–23; Song),

children (Gen. 30:22–23; 1 Sam. 1:17; Ps. 127:3–5),

or a better dwelling (Prov. 24:27).

As we taught in SS we are not Buddhists we believe desire is good we just want it rightly ordered.

The Original Covet-er

Satan, how he covets, what he wanted

The Moody Handbook of Theology (Origin and Nature of Satan)

Satan’s original state. Ezekiel 28:12–15

12 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.

describes Satan prior to his fall.15 He enjoyed an exalted position in the presence of God; the brilliance of heaven was his surrounding (28:13).

He was called the “anointed … covering cherub” who enjoyed the position of highest honor before God (28:14, 16).

Isaiah refers to this supreme angel as “star of the morning (KJV Lucifer; NIV morning star), son of the dawn” (14:12). After he became God’s chief adversary (Heb. Satan) he is never again called by any of these honorable titles. But in his prefall splendor he was filled with wisdom and beauty, and he was blameless (Ezek. 28:12, 15).Satan’s fall. Satan’s fall is described in both Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. Because of his sin Satan was cast from the presence of God (Ezek. 28:16). The reason for Satan’s downfall was his pride; his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, and his wisdom became corrupt (28:17). The statement indicates Satan must have had extraordinarily high rank that led to his pride. Isaiah 14:12–14 further describes the sin that led to his downfall. Five “I will’s” emphasize his sin (Isaiah 14:13–14 ).

13You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

He desired to enter the very presence of God and establish his throne on God’s throne above the other angels. He wanted to be like the “Most High.” For that reason God thrust him down out of heaven.Satan’s moral responsibility. Satan is a morally responsible person, accountable to God (Job 1:7). He does not have freedom in an unrestricted sense but is subordinate to and restricted by God.

He covets that of God, he thought himself the most beautiful, but God was more beautiful, he wants to rule but God rules, he wants to be worshipped but God is to be worshipped

How to give up being a Covet-er, be like Christ

Jesus When being tempted on the temple by satan, Jesus used scripture to withstand coveting

Matthew 4:1–11 (ESV)

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Jesus at this moment was tempted by things that any man could want, being fully human he was able to see the value of those things and while it is right for a man to desire food and so on as we established. Jesus resists coveting by relying on the truth of God’s word. This is a model for us when we are tempted to covet call onto the word of the Lord his word is a minster balm for you and can protect you from coveting.

Applications

Coveting in the family

This is a hard one to address.

Now to get into real trouble today. If almost all relationships are culturally enveloped by power struggles then this is the problem we have in current marriages. Women are told they are oppressed by men and they need to be their own boss or make their own way, like in our illustration. These are lies from Feminism, that we men are meeting to oppress you. This is a lie of the devil, are their wicked men, sure but that doesn’t make Marx and his followers correct

What this does is inflame conflict between us.

When your interacting with one another, or really anyone you are not going into a fight. When it comes to your family your not their to one up. If you are your in the wrong. The scripture gives us a new way to interact with one another that isn’t defined by sneaky communist thinking.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 ESV

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

This is more then a great marriage scripture, it’s a guide from God to us.

1 Corinthians (2. The Excellence of Love (13:4–7))

is patient, that is, it is long-tempered, not quick to take offense or to inflict punishment.

Love is kind .... The Greek word, found only in Christian writings, conveys the thought of being loving and merciful. Its position in relation to “is patient” suggests that the disposition of kindness is the positive counterpart of patience.

Love does good to those who do harm. Love does not envy. C. B. Williams renders it, “Love never boils with jealousy.” The Greek word may express any wrong feeling, particularly jealousy and envy, “excited in view of the good of others” (Hodge).

Love does not boast. This suggests that there is no ostentation about love. {May be understood} ...verb to mean “does not play the braggart”;

Is not proud, is the translation of a Greek verb used frequently in 1 Corinthians (4:6, 18–19; 5:2; 8:1), and means that love is not conceited or arrogant. ... “does not put on airs”; ...“cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.”

Verse 5. The statement that love is not rude may mean that love “does not treat anybody unfairly” (Barrett) or “does nothing of which one ought to be ashamed” (Hodge). ... “is never rude”; .... “unmannerly.” Robertson and Plummer explain it to mean that “Love is tactful, and does nothing that would raise a blush.”

It is not self-seeking means that “Love does not insist on its own way” (RSV). Is not easily angered means love is not irritable or touchy, is not quick to take offense. Robertson and Plummer interpret it to mean that love “is not embittered by injuries.”

Keeps no record of wrongs means that love does not harbor resentment, does not bear malice.

Verse 6. Love does not delight in evil. That is to say, it does not take pleasure in the wrongdoing committed by others, “is never glad when others go wrong” (Moffatt). On the contrary, love rejoices with the truth. ..... “joyfully sides with the truth”; '....., “always glad when truth prevails.” The thought is that love does not sympathize with evil but with goodness.

Verse 7. Love always protects (ASV: “beareth all things”). Hodge takes this to mean that love “bears in silence all annoyances and troubles.” Barrett observes that the Greek verb normally means “to endure,” but prefers to understand it here in the sense of “support.” “Love,” he explains, “is the support of the world.”

The statement that love always trusts (ASV: “believeth all things”) may mean that love is not suspicious, that is, it “readily credits what men say in their own defence” (Hodge). This does not mean that the loving person is gullible, but “in doubtful cases he will prefer being too generous in his conclusions to suspecting another unjustly” (Robertson and Plummer). Barrett sees a different idea in Paul’s words, interpreting them to mean that love “never loses faith.”

Love always hopes, that is, “hopes under all circumstances” (MLB). That love always perseveres means that love perseveres under the assaults of persecution, suffering, and other adversities. Barrett comments that “no hardship or rebuff ever makes love cease to be love.”

With this as guidance (Thank God literally men AMIRITE?!)

You are to do the best and seek the best and assume the best of each other that is what God has told you to do. This applies for parents and children, at work.

So ladies don’t assume the worst of your husbands even if the women on TV are, on social media, or in your friends group! And men, be mindful of your actions. your called to be a leader These things are trying to lead your wife like Satan lead Eve, you are responsible before God and you get to protect your family don’t be detracted from your calling. If your wife is really into something take time to learn about it, you may see dangers in it she doesn’t, your designed to fight after all. You may also see goodness and then find ways to bless her, it makes gift buying a LOT easier.

For our single ladies and gentlemen that is what I and the deacons are for, to help you navigate through spiritual issues as to the best of our abilities. Spoiler alert my gifting is discernment I’ll just tell you to stop paying for cable!

Christian you’re in a world that has an agenda for you those around you are breathing this covetous air we live in. We see perfect everything and are told we are supposed to have that, what God wants for you is to live queitly and peacably, to work hard, to love your family, to grow in your knowledge of him, to teach of his promise to you family, friends and loved ones.

Coveting in America

The spirit of covetousness is destroying us, we are one major political crisis away from the sin of covetousness from ripping us apart. Americans are already at odds with each other not scene sense the civil war, people pitted against people seeing the other as the oppressor, power holders, villians. stoked up covetousness. It’s used on us for marketing, the love of more has driven the illegal immigration, into our country those in charge want cheap labor for more money, those outside look at the city on the hill and want it for themselves. We on the inside get hammered for saying anything and that leads to anger as well for the power and positions of others.

The streets are getting worse, the homeless rate is up, the middle class is shrinking, inflation is like unseen in America our government is to busy talking about Aliens, which are really just demons, and our media is showing off what we don’t have. People are going to want to take it for themselves and in parts of the country they are.

Those who have coveted the power have finally taken it and we all feel the effects

Give the gospel.