The Great Equalizer

Introduction

Good Morning.

John D. Rockefeller was one of the richest men in modern history; Forbes magazine estimates that at the pinnacle of his career the oil man controlled assets that if translated to the present day would total approximately $340 billion USD. To give that some perspective, the GDP of New Zealand is roughly half that amount, and Bill Gates regarded as the wealthiest man alive is worth less than one quarter Rockefeller’s projected total. A reporter once asked John Rockefeller, “How much money is enough?” his response was, “Just a little bit more.”

was once asked when ‘enough money was enough?’ After a break of some length, we will resume our study through the Ten Commandments this morning.

After a break of some length, we will resume our study through the Ten Commandments this morning.

This response summarized the feelings of many in Rockefeller’s time, and we may be inclined to think that if it was true at the turn of the twentieth century then it is even more relevant in our own day. Granted, there does seem to be a unique dissatisfaction of one’s position in life, combined with a pursuit of wealth today which was previously unseen, but as we will see through an examination of the tenth commandment, it is not a modern issue only.

This response summarized the feelings of many in Rockefeller’s time, and we may be inclined to think that if it was true at the turn of the twentieth century then it is even more relevant in our own day. Granted, there does seem to be a unique but as we will see through an examination of the tenth commandment this is not a modern issue only.

Please turn with me in your Bibles to . It has been some time since our last study in the series on the Ten Commandments and I will conclude the series with a sermon on the seventh commandment sometime in term 1 of the upcoming school year.

Exodus chapter 20, and I will begin reading in verse 1.

2 b“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

 And God spoke all these words, saying,

3 c“You shall have no other gods before1 me.

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 d“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 eYou shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am fa jealous God, gvisiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands2 of those who love me and keep my commandments.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 h“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

8 i“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 jSix days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the kseventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the lsojourner who is within your gates. 11 For min six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 n“Honor your father and your mother, othat your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

12 “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 p“You shall not murder.3

13 “You shall not murder.

14 q“You shall not commit adultery.

15 r“You shall not steal.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 s“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

17 t“You shall not covet uyour neighbor’s house; vyou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

17 “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour’s.”

z For ver. 1–17, see

a

Let us turn to the author of these words to ask his guidance in our study this morning.

b ; ;

Prayer

The Commandment Explained

c ; ;

Defining the word covet

Before going any further it is necessary to understand what is meant by the word covet. The Hebrew word, repeated twice is similar to our own english word in that in and of itself it is a morally neutral word. The commandment does not say, ‘You shall not covet,’ the object of the coveting is what makes something a sin or not. Our English definition of covet matches the Hebrew root word extremely closely, the idea of earnest desire, craving or hanker after something.

1 Or besides

Some of you when asking for prayer may utilize the phrase ‘I covet your prayers.’ In the Apostle Paul exhorts the believers to ‘earnestly desire the spiritual gifts’ earlier translations have used the word covet instead.

Some of you when asking for prayer may utilize the phrase ‘I covet your prayers.’ In the Apostle Paul exhorts the believers to ‘earnestly desire the spiritual gifts’ earlier translations have used the word covet instead.

d ; ; ; []

Some of you when asking for prayer may utilize the phrase ‘I covet your prayers.’ More significantly, Paul in 1 Corinthians

e ch. 23:24;

f ch. 34:14; ; ; ;

Desire is the core idea communicated here, and again it is not as though we are commanded to rid ourselves of all desire, that would be pseudo-Buddhist and thoroughly unChristian. Rather, improper desire is forbidden by the tenth commandment.

g ch. 34:7; ; [; ; , ; ]

Augustine explains what is prohibited as: ‘desire more than enough.’ Thomas Watson defines the word as an ‘insatiable desire of getting the world.’ Another commentator said that coveting is ‘an inordinate, ungoverned, selfish desire for something that belongs to someone else.’

Unique in its form

Unlike the other commandments, this one appears in a unique form compared with the others. It is the only command to have a dual prohibition: “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house, You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.” This has led some to split the commandment in two, a position which does not hold up upon examination. records the repitition of the commanment and there the order is reversed, and coveting of another’s wife i forbiddne first. Surely if these were actually separate commandments the order would not be altered, as the order of the commandments is maintained without the slightest change from to . The repetition demonstrates that the commandment against coveting is one and comprehensive.

Unique in its Internal nature

Second, the tenth commandment is unique in that it forbids something internal rather than external. Lying, stealing, adultery, murder these are all things that can be seen and witnessed. Coveting, however, can be done in secret unlike any other sin. Due to its nature it is the only one of the Ten Commandments without a punishment attached elsewhere in the law of God.

2 Or to the thousandth generation

h ; [, ; ]

Now you may be saying to yourself, ‘Wait a minute, I thought that throughout this series you have preached that each of the commandments has an internal aspect?’ This is true, but each of the other commandments begin externally and then penetrate to our core, the tenth commandment begins with our affections. It is the tenth commandment that is the basis for the extended application of the other nine commandments; it assures us that God is not merely concerned with our behaviour but that he demands holiness that springs forth from the heart, something we cannot produce or manufacture by ourselves.

Unlike the other commandments, this one appears in a unique form compared with the others. It is the only command to have a dual prohibition: “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house, You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.” This has led some to split the commandment in two, a position which does not hold up upon examination. records the repetition of the commandment and there the order is reversed, and coveting of another’s wife is forbidden first. Surely if these were actually separate commandments the order would not be altered, as the order of the commandments is maintained without the slightest change from to . The repetition demonstrates that the commandment against coveting is one and comprehensive.

The Extent of the Commandment

Martin Luther wrote this concerning the command, “This 
last
 commandment 
therefore 
is
given
 not 
for 
rogues 
in 
the 
eyes 
of 
the
 world,
 but
 just 
for
 the 
most 
pious,
 who 
wish 
to 
be
praised 
and 
be 
called 
honest 
and 
upright 
people,
 since
 they 
have 
not 
offended 
against 
the
former 
commandments,
 as 
especially 
the 
Jews
 claimed 
to 
be,
 and
 even
 now 
many
 great
noblemen, 
gentlemen, 
and
 princes.”

i , ; ; See ch. 31:13–17

Another observation that follows from the previous one is that this commandment is extremely specific in its application. The first five commandments are all rather lengthy, but commandments six through nine are very short and require little explanation. God gives the command not to covet the six most valuable things a person could be in possession of: house, wife, male servant, female servant, ox, and donkey.

What happens next is even more striking, after making the commandment more explicit than nearly any commandment preceding, God adds a final phrase that erases any remaining loophole: “You shall not covet anything that is your neighbour’s.” This application of the command, given by God himself, gives us legal precedence for how we are to apply the command to our own day. There is no room for one to simply say, “It’s a good thing that my neighbour doesn’t have an ox or a donkey.” Whether it be your neighbour’s donkey, or his family, or his job, or his reputation, or his athletic ability, or his education, or his looks or whatever belongs to your neighbour do not covet it.

j ch. 23:12; 34:21; 35:2; ;

How true would Luther’s statement be if applied to the church today? According to George Barna, most evangelical Christians today do not think they tolerate other gods (76 percent) or fail in their obligation to obey their parents (77 percent); they are guiltless of murder (93 percent), adultery (82 percent), and theft (86 percent). Nearly half do not even think they have fallen short of God’s glory by lying (48 percent). The tenth commandment lays us low before a holy God, for no one can possibly free themselves from the condemnation of the command.

Why is Coveting forbidden?

Such a statement needs more than just repetition. To insist that nothing material or immaterial that belongs to our neighbour is to be coveted needs an explanation, why is coveting sinful? Why cannot we desire the things of others?

It is upon asking the ‘why?’ question of the commandments that we are rushed into another arena, the arena of the revelation of the character of God. This commandment, like the others, demonstrates an aspect of God’s perfect character even as it forbids the opposite.

The Providence of God

First, to covet is to deny the Providence of God. Is it not God who causes “his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” ()

The Westminster Confession of Faith says that:

For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

God, the great Creator of all things, does uphold, direct, dispose and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

Nothing takes place by accident, there is no luck in this world. To covet something that another has is to show displeasure for the things God has given you.

Furthermore, God promises never to leave believers in his care for his children.

says: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God has promised to provide for his children, and through covetousness we call into question the situation of life in which he has placed us.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

It is at this point that we see the positive command attached to the negative: You shall not covet. The positive command is: Be content. Whatever your job, whoever you are married to, whatever the balance in the bank account, be content. We can be content whether abounding in wealth or struggling to pay the bills because we know that God has promised to provide for his children. This command does not negate the issue of stewardship or hard work, but it does address our tendency to doubt God in the midst of trials, or to wish ourselves out of our current situation.

Not only does coveting attack the providence and the goodness of God, but it also is called idolatry.

Coveting is Idolatry

and use similar language to help give an understanding of the word coveting.

, But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints… For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

The very fact that covetousness is listed among such visible sins ought to get our attention, but if that weren’t enough, the apostle Paul writes that the covetous person is an idolater. One commentator writes that it is to the covetous person alone that Paul singularly points to as an idolater. (Hoehner, Ephesians)

He goes on to say, “To covet is idolatry. That which is coveted becomes the centre of one’s life and is worshipped instead of the Creator. The greedy person is willing to exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for a corruptible idol.” (Ibid.)

You may recognize some of the language used there as a quotation from , where coveters are listed amongst those who are under God’s wrath.

Coveting is a violation of God’s holy law, it is a denial of his providential care, indeed it is idolatry, but that doesn’t erase completely the question of “Why include it in the Ten Commandments?”

Commandment Defended Why Coveting?

How quick are we to say that we have obeyed all the commandments? The tenth commandment lays us low before a holy God, for no one can possibly free themselves from the condemnation of the command.

If you had just ten laws to serve as the foundational code for a nation what would those ten laws be? Undoubtedly a law forbidding murder would appear on the list, as would several others from the Ten Commandments, in fact, as we look at the Decalogue the laws given by our God demonstrate his infinite wisdom in addition to revealing his righteousness and holiness. Our topic of study this morning, the tenth commandment, appears out of place, or at least unique among the previous nine listed in .

Horton, Michael. The Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments (Kindle Locations 3704-3707). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. How quick are we to say that we have obeyed all the commandments? The tenth commandment lays us low before a holy God, for no one can possibly free themselves from the condemnation of the command.

k ch. 16:26; 31:15; , ; ; See

Unique in its Internal nature

Unique in its form

Unique in its Internal nature

The tenth commandment is unique in that it forbids something internal rather than external. Lying, stealing, adultery, murder these are all things that can be seen and witnessed. Coveting, however, can be done in secret unlike any other sin. Due to its nature it is the only one of the Ten Commandments without a punishment attached elsewhere in the law of God.

Now you may be saying to yourself, ‘Wait a minute, I thought that throughout this series you have preached that each of the commandments has an internal aspect?’ This is true, but each of the other commandments begin externally and then penetrate to our core, the tenth commandment begins with our affections. It is the tenth commandment that is the basis for the extended application of the other nine commandments; it assures us that God is not merely concerned with our behaviour but that he demands holiness that springs forth from the heart, something we cannot produce or manufacture by ourselves.

Martin Luther wrote this concerning the command, “This 
last
 commandment 
therefore 
is
given
 not 
for 
rogues 
in 
the 
eyes 
of 
the
 world,
 but
 just 
for
 the 
most 
pious,
 who 
wish 
to 
be
praised 
and 
be 
called 
honest 
and 
upright 
people,
 since
 they 
have 
not 
offended 
against 
the
former 
commandments,
 as 
especially 
the 
Jews
 claimed 
to 
be,
 and
 even
 now 
many
 great
noblemen, 
gentlemen, 
and
 princes.”

How true would Luther’s statement be if applied to the church today? According to George Barna, most evangelical Christians today do not think they tolerate other gods (76 percent) or fail in their obligation to obey their parents (77 percent); they are guiltless of murder (93 percent), adultery (82 percent), and theft (86 percent). Nearly half do not even think they have fallen short of God’s glory by lying (48 percent). The tenth commandment lays us low before a holy God, for no one can possibly free themselves from the condemnation of the command.

This is what Paul records by way of personal testimony in .

Coveting and

Preaching the Word: Exodus—Saved for God's Glory The Heart of the Matter

“Thou shalt not covet” is the internal commandment which shows the man who thinks himself to be moral that he really needs a Savior. The average such “moral” man, who has lived comparing himself to other men and comparing himself to a rather easy list of rules, can feel, like Paul, that he is getting along all right. But suddenly, when he is confronted with the inward command not to covet, he is brought to his knees.9

Turn with me to Romans chapter 7. In verses 7-8 of this chapter Paul reveals the conviction he felt pre-conversion.

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.

As a zealous Jew, Paul would have thought that his obedience to the law was flawless. He did not have any idols, he kept the sabbath, he did not murder etc. The tenth commandment, however, levelled him.

P

Francis Schaeffer wrote:

Francis Schaeffer wrote:

“Thou shalt not covet” is the internal commandment which shows the man who thinks himself to be moral that he really needs a Savior. The average such “moral” man, who has lived comparing himself to other men and comparing himself to a rather easy list of rules, can feel, like Paul, that he is getting along all right. But suddenly, when he is confronted with the inward command not to covet, he is brought to his knees.

“Thou shalt not covet” is the internal commandment which shows the man who thinks himself to be moral that he really needs a Savior. The average such “moral” man, who has lived comparing himself to other men and comparing himself to a rather easy list of rules, can feel, like Paul, that he is getting along all right. But suddenly, when he is confronted with the inward command not to covet, he is brought to his knees.9

This is the commandment that prevents us from ever saying that we have kept the whole law, and the commandment that works its way back into all of the other commandments before it.

We have already seen that covetousness is something that underlies a great many sins; this is no mere theological abstract but it is something we see repeatedly throughout the pages of Scripture.

Ryken, P. G., & Hughes, R. K. (2005). Exodus: saved for God’s glory (p. 670). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books. We have already seen that covetousness is something that underlies a great many sins; this is no mere theological abstract but it is something we see repeatedly throughout the pages of Scripture.

The Commandment Illustrated

The Covetousness of Satan

In a period which we are given little information, before the temptation and sin of Adam and Eve we are told something of the sins of Satan and his followers against the Most High God.

 You 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; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

 You 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; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

‘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;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.’

The sin of Satan, before insurrection was realized, and cosmic treason committed, covetousness reigned in his heart. He desired the glory which belonged to the Most High alone.

It was this fallen angel who deceived our first parents into committing the same grave sin in the garden.

The Covetousness of Adam & Eve

The sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden was ultimately one of Covetousness. Following in the footsteps of their tempter Eve, and then Adam desired to be like God in a way that he had forbidden.

Geneses 3: 4-6

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

The word translated desired in verse 6 is the same word that is translated covet in . Eve desired to be like God, she wanted to be wise. She coveted something that belonged to another, in this case: God.

The Covetousness of Cain

The Covetousness of Cain

The account of Cain and Able is a tragedy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is the record of the first murder in human history, but it is significant also that the sin that resulted in Adam and Eve’s dismissal from the garden was the root of Cain’s sin against his brother. Cain coveted the regard that the Lord had for Abel’s offering, and this envy drove him to murder. Before Cain delivered the fatal blow, he hated his brother in his heart, but even before this he envied the praise his brother received.

The Covetousness of Joseph’s Brothers

Later in the book of Genesis Joseph’s brothers sought to kill him and eventually sold him into slavery because they envied him and the esteemed place he held in their father’s heart.

The Covetousness of Achan

In the conquest of Canaan a man named Achan coveted some of the spoils that were to be wholly devoted to the Lord. Eventually, he stole and hid some of the treasure, and as a result of his sin the Israelites were defeated at Ai, and Achan and his family were sentenced to death. Achan’s own confession in reads:

“Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did:  when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

English Standard Version Chapter 7

20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

We may remember Achan more for his theft, but first, he had a covetous heart.

The Covetousness of David

Like Achan, the sins of David, namely his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah, are famous, but how often do we think about his sin of covetousness, indeed his direct coveting of another man’s wife?

The Covetousness of Ahab

The incident involving Naboth, Ahab and Jezebel was relevant in the sermon I preached on the ninth commandment but it is also one of the clearest violations of the tenth commandment in all of Scripture. Allow me to refresh your memory, in an Israelite is introduced and his name is Naboth. There is seemingly little significance to Naboth other than the fact that he owns a vineyard located beside King Ahab’s palace in Samaria. Ahab desires the vineyard for himself and even attempts to buy it from Naboth. This is already a problem, if you recall, in the repetition of the commandment in , there is an addition to the list of things which ought not be coveted: land. The reason for this addition is simple, the context of the book is immediately preceding the conquest of Canaan and the division of the land. Unlike in our modern time, an Israelite could not choose for himself a plot of land to live, rather regions of the country were assigned to the twelve tribes etc. The land was intimately tied to inheritance, and so we shouldn’t read Ahab’s first attempt to get the vineyard as a simple business transaction. Naboth immediately sees the problem with Ahab’s proposition and says to him in -

“The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” Naboth here is quoting from .

From this point in the narrative, Ahab’s sins only escalate. He goes from coveting masked by a generous buyout, to an eventual conspiracy organized by his wife Jezebel against Naboth that results in his death.

The Covetousness of the Disciples

Even our Lord’s first disciples were not immune to the sin of covetousness though they lived for three years with the example of contentment and one who lived in acknowledgement to the Providence of God. In , James and John coveted the glory that would be given to them if they should be seated at Christ’s side in his glory.

The Covetousness of Ananias and Sapphira

The early church demonstrated great selflessness as they shared their belongings among themselves assuring that no one would be lacking, but even here covetousness was not absent. Ananias and Sapphira coveted the praise that would be given to them if they were known to have given the profits from a property sale to the church. records Barnabas’ selfless giving to the church and the selfish gift of Ananias and Sapphira who eventually lied to save face and were killed as a result of their covetousness. I could go on, nearly every sin can be traced in some way to a violation of the tenth commandment. From Adam our representative head, to those in Scripture we classify as villains such as Cain, Achan, Ahab and Ananias and Sapphira, to those who are an example to us of godliness like King David, and James and John they are coveters all the same. We have moved through the Scriptures, but we must not end there, to search the scriptures must move us to search our own hearts. Where can covetousness be found in your heart?

Commandment Applied

What are some of the ways that you covet? Do you covet another’s job, or relationship with the boss? Are you able to rejoice when God blesses someone else, or are you filled with a covetous spirit? Do you desire the spiritual gifts of another? Are you the proverbial hand that says to God, “I wanted to be an eye!” Maybe you trust God with his providential care for you financial needs, but do you trust him in his making you who you are as a person? Do you trust his infinite wisdom in giving you the parents you have, the spouse you have, the children you have? Do you trust him still when you are not in the life situation you want to be in, whether you are single and you want to be married or whatever it may be?

Or perhaps you are one who covets that which belongs not to our neighbour but that which belongs to God himself.

Coveting glory, fame, or honour that belongs to God alone is an afront to his lordship. Do you shirk God’s reign in your life? Are you slow to relinquish control over part of your life because you covet the throne only he has right to?

l See

The Giving of Christ

What are we to do with our covetous heart? Where can hope be found for our broken desires? I want to give you two helps found in the person and work of Christ.

First, think with me for a moment to the incarnation of the Son of God. Perhaps it is a subject fresh on your mind after the celebration of Christmas. As we see examples throughout the Bible of men and women displaying the evil hidden in their hearts through the breaking of the tenth commandment it is easy to look to Paul and his testimony towards the end of his letter to the church at Philippi and hold him up as the epitome of contentedness and the opposite of a covetous heart, but there is one still greater to whom we ought look to see the perfect fulfillment of the final commandment.

In Paul quotes what is thought to be an ancient Hymn, the Carmen Christi, or Hymn to Christ, and he says

Philippians 2:5-11 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

While Lucifer desired glory like that of Yahweh God, our Lord possessed that glory because he was worthy of it in every way. The Son would not have violated a single moral law should he have held onto his glory, it was his rightful and proper possession; and yet Paul writes that Christ Jesus emptied himself. On one hand you have the original sinner, the one who plotted to take that which he had no right to, and on the other you have the glorious Lord, the one who had singular right to his glory and he made himself of no reputation so that he might redeem those who held to redemption and glorify those who did not deserve glory.

Throughout his earthly ministry our Lord was the picture of Contentment, he was in perfect submission to the plan of God, and un

Second, it was Christ, who through his work on earth has now given to believers a great multitude of spiritual blessings. says that in Christ we possess every spiritual blessing, meaning we lack nothing in him!

Think of the blessings that Paul goes on to list in the verses that follow in , the glorious truths of salvation applied to the believer.

Michael Horton writes: “It is not poverty or wealth that leads us to contentment and trust in the Lord, but the confidence that if God provided so richly for our salvation by choosing, redeeming, calling, adopting, and justifying us, and by sending His Spirit to cause us to grow up into Christ’s likeness, then surely we can count on Him for the less essential matters of daily existence.”

Preaching the Word: Exodus—Saved for God's Glory The Secret of Being Content

Michael Horton writes: “It is not poverty or wealth that leads us to contentment and trust in the Lord, but the confidence that if God provided so richly for our salvation by choosing, redeeming, calling, adopting, and justifying us, and by sending His Spirit to cause us to grow up into Christ’s likeness, then surely we can count on Him for the less essential matters of daily existence.”

This is the place that Asaph came to in the 73rd Psalm where he writes:

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25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

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And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

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26 My flesh and my heart may fail,

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but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

3 The Hebrew word also covers causing human death through carelessness or negligence

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The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.