Ten Commandments: Healthy Ambition Series

COVET GODLINESS—Exodus 20:17, 1 Timothy 6:6-11

Would it be good if everyone lived by the Ten Commandments? The answer seems obvious: Almost everyone agrees that life is better if people don’t murder, steal, or lie in a court of law. Maintaining marriage and honoring parents supports a healthy society, and the first four commandments about avoiding false gods and respecting the true God provide a solid foundation for morality and justice.

But what about the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet…”? Do we really need that? Coveting or desiring nice things doesn’t seem so bad. In fact, roughly two-thirds of the American economy depends upon consumer spending, and if people stopped wanting nice things, the economy would be plunged into recession.

The tenth commandment prohibits a particular kind of coveting—coveting what we cannot have: “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.” (Exodus 20:17)

But why does God put this commandment in his “top ten list” of commands? We already know our neighbor’s wife is off-limits; that was covered in the seventh commandment about adultery. We already know we must not steal our neighbor’s stuff; that was covered in the eighth commandment. Why is it wrong even to desire those things?

COVETING WRONGLY IS HARMFUL.

It robs us of contentment, disrupts relationships, and leads to evil actions.

1. COVETING WRONGLY ROBS US OF CONTENTMENT.

***I spent a year in seminary serving as an intern in a very small church. As it happened, one of my classmates in high school and college had finished medical school, and he was doing a residency in a nearby city. He invited me to come for dinner, and I was impressed by his nice home, his lovely wife and kids, and his impressive wages as an emergency room doctor. I had none of that, and my envy did not help me!**

As Proverbs 14:30 says, “…envy rots the bones.”

Worldwide studies on happiness have shown that, as long as people have enough to get by, money does not buy happiness. There is, however, a correlation between happiness and how people feel about their lives in comparison to others around them. Dissatisfaction and comparisons lead to discontent and unhappiness.

If contentment depends on keeping up with the Joneses, the Joneses keep getting farther ahead. For example, in 1950, the average new home was about 950 square feet. The average new home in 2018 was about 2600 sq. ft. A 1950s palace of 1500 square feet might be a little disappointing today, even as a starter home.

Of course, people covet more than money. The tenth commandment mentions the neighbor’s wife, house servants, and animals. Today, we might think about an attractive partner, good looks, a great job, along with the success and the acclaim that comes with them. When we covet, we want to be like “that guy,” or “that woman.” What is wrong with just being ourselves?

God commands us not to covet, because coveting robs us of contentment.

2. COVETING WRONGLY DESTROYS RELATIONSHIPS

James 4:1-3 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Coveting can be deadly for relationships. Families split over an inheritance. Competitors can’t stand the sight of each other. Teenage girls grow claws. Gossip destroys people. The workplace becomes a cutthroat jungle. Power struggles erupt, even in churches.

3. COVETING WRONGLY LEADS TO EVIL ACTIONS.

For King David, coveting his neighbor’s wife, Bathsheba, led to adultery and even murder. For King Ahab (1 Kings 21), coveting Naboth’s vineyard led to a scheme involving false witness, murder, and finally stealing the vineyard from Naboth’s family.

1 Timothy 6:10 warns, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Money is not evil in itself, but the love of money can replace love for God with selfish desires. Instead of passionately seeking God, people who love money focus their passions on acquiring bank accounts, toys to enjoy the weekend, or the excitement of bawdy entertainment, gambling, or extravagant vacations.

Coveting wrongly goes beyond money. Deuteronomy 7:25 warns against coveting the gold on pagan idols. The allure of the idols went beyond the gold, for the gold represented prosperity and wealth. In today’s world, the gold might be the gold watch of a TV minister who flaunts his cars, airplane, and mansion. Many of today’s idols have little to do with religion, however. Coveting the lifestyle of a pop idol or sports star might ensnare a person in immoral behavior, while coveting the lifestyle of a rich investor might lead to shady business dealings.