you shall not covet

Exodus 20:1–17 NIV

1 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Several years ago I had a dog—an English Setter. She was not exactly a small dog; and with enough open space she could run like the wind. At the time my family lived in Kalamazoo and we had about an acre of space in the yard. The entire backyard of my house was fenced in, so there was plenty of room for my dog to run. But every once in a while somebody forgot to close the gate, or left the back door to the garage open, or for whatever reason she got out of the yard and had her run of the neighborhood. So when the dog gets out and darts around from house to house up and down my street, what’s my reaction? Do I just let her go? “Well, she left the yard; I guess the dog has left home and she’s not my dog anymore.” Why should I go out there and call her back in? I mean, once the dog decides to leave the fence of my yard, she’s not my dog. She’s only my dog when she stays inside the fence; and once she decides to venture out then that dog doesn’t belong to me anymore. Is that what I do?

Of course that’s not what happens. That sounds ridiculous. The dog does not belong to me only when she stays inside the yard. And she does not stop being my dog when she leaves the yard. So I go out and call her back, because she is my dog. That’s just what I do to take care of my dog; when she gets out I call her back. The dog does not stop being my dog when she goes beyond the fence. But you see, I think many of us tend to view the Ten Commandments something like that. We sort of have this vague idea on our heads that the Ten Commandments are sort of like the fence around the yard. And when we do our best to live according to those commandments it’s kind of like staying inside the fence of the yard. And the thought that goes along with that is that whenever someone wanders outside of the fence and stops trying to live by God’s commandments that it somehow means they are disowned by God and by the church. You know—they left the yard, they don’t belong to God anymore. Of course, though, it doesn’t really work that way. Just like my dog is still my dog whether she’s in the fence or outside of the fence; we still belong to God whether we are inside the boundaries he sets or outside.

I know it’s safest for my dog to stay in the yard—that’s why I call her back when she gets out. But her belonging to me does not depend directly on whether she’s in or out. And God wants us to stay inside his boundaries because it’s the safest and best place for us to live; but we don’t stop belonging to God when we wander over the boundaries from time-to-time. That’s how we should see the Ten Commandments. That’s the kind of framework from which we ought to read and interpret God’s laws for our lives.

Context of Exodus

God first freed the Israelites from slavery, and then he took them to Sinai to receive the law

It would be helpful to explain this better by getting a fuller picture of the context in which Israel originally received the Ten Commandments. So let’s begin by noting that God first freed the Israelites from slavery, and then he took them to Sinai to receive the law. God did not give the law to Moses at the burning bush. God did not say to Moses, “Go give these commandments to the people, and then—if they obey them—then I will come and rescue the people from their bondage.” That’s not how it went. God came and rescued the people first. And after the people were rescued, then God took them to Sinai where the law was given.

Israelites were never too sure about leaving Egypt

And it would be good for us to note in the opening chapters of Exodus that the Israelites were never too sure about leaving Egypt. In chapter five after Moses first confronts Pharaoh; the people are then made to do more work than before. The Israelites complain to Moses that he is only making trouble for them by upsetting the Pharaoh. After God takes them out of Egypt in chapter 14, the people again complain because they think Pharaoh’s army is going to destroy them by the shores of the Red Sea. And in chapter 16—after seeing all the miracles God has done on their behalf to free them from Egypt—the people again complain because they are afraid of running out of food and water.

In the three months that it took Israel to get from Egypt to Sinai we get a very real sense from the Bible that the people were not all that happy about leaving. True enough that they were suffering from their slavery and would have enjoyed some relief from such oppression, but the evidence we see in scripture is that the Israelite people were never completely on board with the idea of leaving Egypt all together. So maybe we need to correct this sort of Charlton Heston view of Exodus that portrays all the people of Israel as eager and ready to follow God’s leading through Moses. It may be more appropriate for us to view the exodus of the people from Egypt as God pulling them out kicking-and-screaming, as it were.

God has to remind the people that they belong to him, not to Pharaoh

In fact the picture that we get in the beginning of Exodus is that God has to remind the people that they belong to him, not to Pharaoh. They seem to have forgotten that. Over the four hundred years of living in Egypt the people lost sight of their relationship to God—that under the covenant with Abraham they all belonged to God as his holy people. When we read in Exodus 2 that the people of Israel cried out because of their slavery, it never says that they cried out to God for help. The Bible only says that the people cried out and that their cry went up to God.

God redeems his people first, then gives the law

Let me bring this back to our discussion of the law. We sometimes slip into thinking that if you want to be a Christian, then you need to do these things. You have to follow certain guidelines set forth by God before he will allow you to be called one of his own. But exodus points us to exactly the opposite. God came and called his people out—even when they didn’t really want to go—and he took those people back to himself. And he did all this before giving them the law.

Rule of Gratitude

When we wander outside the fence, when we stray from God’s guidelines, we don’t stop belonging to God. Keeping and following a set of rules is not the standard for being a Christian. But that leaves us with a gaping question, doesn’t it? If the laws are not required for us to belong to Christ, then what do we need them for? Why do we still have the Ten Commandments? If that’s not required, then why do we still do it?

That question has been around since the time of Jesus. Paul talks in Galatians about living as those who have freedom in Christ. The reformers tackled this question five hundred years ago when they wrote the Catechism and other confessions. It still remains a relevant question for us to ask and consider today.

J. Calvin — three uses of the law (1) instruct sin (2) restrain evil (3) rule of gratitude

The Protestant reformer John Calvin first addresses the law in his book Institutes of the Christian Religion within a discussion of Christ as our redeemer. Calvin concludes that the moral principles of the Ten Commandments lead us to the awareness that we all need a redeemer because no one is able to keep the moral standards of the law perfectly. In this light, the law serves a purpose of teaching us. It is through the law that we know that we are sinful. It is also, then, through the law that we come to know our need for a savior.

“the effects proceeding from grace”

But Calvin doesn’t stop there. Much later in his Institutes he comes back to the law again when discussing “the effects proceeding from grace.” Or in other words, the law gives us a proper direction for how to respond to God. Calvin is saying that God’s grace in our lives should have such a strong impact upon us that it produces some sort of effect, or result. And that result which grace produces in us is a desire to live in humble and grateful obedience to our savior and Lord. And it is the law, then, that provides for us a guide for how to do this. According to Calvin, striving to live in obedience to the moral principles of the law is our way of saying, “thank-you” to God for the gift of salvation he has given us.

H.C. — law comes at the end (gratitude) section

That makes perfect sense when we examine the law as explained in our confessions. The Heidelberg Catechism discusses the Ten Commandments in Lord’s Days 34-44. That comes towards the end of the Catechism. Now do you all remember from your Sunday school days how the Catechism is divided? There are three sections in the Catechism; do you remember what they are? We have a couple different alliterations we use to help us remember this. Sin – salvation – service. Guilt – grace – gratitude. Remember how that goes? And the authors of this confession put the Ten Commandments in the final section of the Catechism. They are not in the “sin” part of the catechism—although Calvin would allow for us to discuss them there as a teacher of our sin. They are not in the “salvation” part of the catechism—because keeping the law doesn’t gain us anything with God. They are in the “service” (or gratitude) part of the catechism—because the commandments provide us with a way to appropriately respond to God in obedience.

God’s Top Ten List

Now we have said a lot about the law up to this point without paying much attention, or looking very closely at what the commandments actually tell us. We will work though them in upcoming sermons by taking them one at a time. But I want us to see today how the book of Exodus sets up a context for us to see and understand what these laws meant to Old Testament Israel. And it is good for us to be reminded of what our own doctrines and creeds have to say about the law for us today as well.

1-4: living in relation to God — 5-10: living in relation to others

begin at the end and work our way backward to the beginning

Here is how we will proceed then. Just to give us a little different point of view—a fresh look at something that many of us have probably heard many times over. We’re going to begin at the end and work our way backward to the beginning. Do you remember years ago the David Letterman show that would air nightly? Maybe you remember the way that David Letterman included a top 10 countdown every night on his late night TV show. Well, we are going to take an approach something like that and count down the commandments from number ten to number one.

Coveting

only commandment that prohibits an inward sin

So now that we have spent some time setting up the background, let’s take the time we have left here today and consider the final commandment for a bit. You shall not covet. Why should we start here? Why begin at the end? Notice with me how this commandment is different than all the rest. This is the only commandment that prohibits an inward sin. The other nine commandments address some kind of behavior that is expressed outwardly through some type of actions. But the final commandment which speaks about coveting is unique from the others. This commandment specifically cuts right to the attitude of the heart. Question 113 of the Catechism says that, “with all my heart I should always hate sin and take pleasure in whatever is right.”

covet: Hebrew = “desire”

The final commandment in God’s top 10 list beckons us to take a look at our desires. And the Catechism rightly points us in two directions with this command: to hate sin, and to take Pleasure in what is right. Or to say it another way, this commandment implies that we have the ability to control our desires. And that God has decreed a range of appropriateness for our desires.

Catechism points us in two directions with this command: to hate sin, and to take Pleasure in what is right

What do I mean by appropriateness of desires? When we desire something that is not good for us more than we should, then we break the tenth commandment. And at the same time—what the catechism is telling us—is that when we fail to desire the right things as much as we should, then we are also breaking the tenth commandment. You see what I’m getting at. For every desire that we have, there is a range of appropriateness. We should not desire it too little, but neither should we desire it too much.

examples: food, alcohol

Let me give some examples to show how this works. We all need food. We all need to eat in order to live. But our desire for food has an appropriate range. When we desire food too little and starve our bodies of the nutrition we need to live, we do not live in a healthy way. But when we desire food too much and eat more than what we need to be healthy, then we also do not live in a healthy way. And we should not think of this range of appropriate desire as a razor thin line that we need to balance upon. Rather, we understand that the freedom we have in Christ allows us some room to move within this range of appropriate desire and still live in a healthy way.

Alcohol has a range of appropriate desire. Jesus used wine as one of the elements of communion when he instituted the Lord’s Supper. The Bible never tells us that alcohol itself is wrong. But when a desire for alcohol leads to drunkenness, then we desire it beyond the appropriate range. I say this as an example because what we begin to see here now is that every single one of us may have a different range of appropriate desire with something like alcohol. What may be an appropriate range for you may not be an appropriate range for others. It is up to each one of us to know the limits of the desires of our hearts.

Having a commandment that deals specifically with our desires and our hearts also implies that we can do something about it. God would not give the command if there was nothing we were able to do about controlling our desires. So the tenth commandment also instructs us that it is God’s will that we each take responsibility for our desires. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to place our desires within appropriate ranges.

Tenth Commandment – Frame for the Other Nine

tenth commandment is a frame for the other nine

H.C. 113: “not even the slightest thought or desire contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in my heart”

In closing, let’s make one final observation about the tenth commandment. In the examples I gave tonight, did you notice how this final commandment concerning our desires overlaps with the other nine commandments? The tenth commandment gives us a frame for interpreting the other nine. That’s the real reason I wanted us to begin our study of the commandments at the end. Again, question 113 of our catechism affirms this for us by saying that, “not even the slightest thought or desire contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in my heart.” Understanding God’s command about coveting gives us perspective on every other command—that these are about more than outward actions; but each one cuts right to the heart of our desires.

desire itself is not a bad thing

Where to begin? I think this commandment teaches us to acknowledge that God has created all of us with desires. Desire itself is not a bad thing. The tenth commandment gives us an appropriate direction for the desires that are a part of our world. Each of us will have desires in our lives; God created us that way. So, any attempt to live a desire-less life leaves us short. Early on in Christian tradition there were monks who tried to pull away from all civilization and embrace an ascetic lifestyle that would deprive themselves of all worldly attachments. Saint Augustine tried to pursue this kind of life. But in his book, Confessions, Augustine comes to the realization that he cannot completely let go of all desires.

letting go of bad desires is a great thing, but will ultimately leave us short if we are not actively replacing those bad inappropriate desires with good appropriate desires

Here is what I am getting at; letting go of bad desires is a great thing, but will ultimately leave us short if we are not actively replacing those bad inappropriate desires with good appropriate desires. The desires of our hearts do not just happen by themselves. We feed those desires; we nurture those desires; we build them. Consider how we see this expressed in the Bible. Let me give you one example from the Old Testament and one example from the New Testament. In Micah 5 the prophet instructs the people of God,

Micah 6:6–8 NIV

6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Seek justice; love mercy. We take a step away from coveting the wrong things in life when we actively take steps towards desiring the right things in life. Is there something you can place in the routine of your life this week that will actively feed and nurture a desire for justice and mercy? Here are a few examples we have in place right here at this church. The ministry of Backpack Buddies and Kids’ Food Basket are opportunities to actively take a step towards desiring justice and mercy. Volunteering with our food pantry or to mentor someone in our Life Skills class is a step towards desiring justice and mercy. These are activities which actively help align your heart with the desires of God’s heart.

golf, softball

The apostle Paul closes his letter to the Philippians with this,

Philippians 4:8 NIV

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Think about these things? The Greek word Paul uses implies pondering. Fill your head and your heart with the desires of God. There is no better way to do this than to spend time in the Word of God. It is through scripture that we see God revealed and learn of God’s heart for this world. We cannot become people who desire the things of God if we never spend any time filling our own hearts and minds with the desires of God.

2019 a Barna research group survey | 5% Bible is significant in “shaping their choices”

In 2019 a Barna research group survey found that 48% of Americans who identified themselves as Christian never read the Bible on their own apart from hearing it in church. And many of the people in this category also report church attendance as seldom-to-never. In this same survey only 5% of respondents reported that the Bible is significant in “shaping their choices.” Meaning the Bible has an impact upon the kind of person they are, the choices they make, the way they choose to live. 19 out of every 20 Americans who claim to be Christian find no direction at all for the way they live from the Bible.

In these Ten Commandments we receive from God as a blueprint of gratitude, we see a thread that ties them all together in the command to properly order the desires of our heart so that we may love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. We see in this commandment a word of direction which instructs the motives of our hearts. Set aside the time you need this week to be fed and nurtured by the Word of God so that we may become people who embrace the heart of God in our own hearts.