Thou Shalt Not Covet
By Jim Murriner
Exodus 20:17
" Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s."
This commandment is perhaps a summary of these last six. This verse amplifies itself.
Strong defines the word covet "to delight greatly, desire greatly"
Covetousness then is an attitude which orientates itself to a longing or a desiring for that which belongs to another. We could even say that it is even an extension of the commandment which tells us "thou shalt not steal"
We could restate this commandment as follows, "Thou shalt not delight in , that which belongs to another."
In fact that is just about what we are told in Duet. 5:21
Deuteronomy 5:21
" Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s."
Jeremiah 6:13
" For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely."
We are not to delight in our neighbor's wife, but in our own wife.
Genesis 2:24
" Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
The man here is not so much told that he is to depart from his family, as he is told that he is to depart from all others and give his attention unto his wife.
There in Jeremiah 6:13 where we are told that the greatest of tem is given unto covetousness, the thought here is that they are greedy.
Constantly throughout the Old Testament those who are said to be covetous are shown to be delighting in something, or wishing for something, or to be greedy towards something.
We can see this same thought in the New Testament , that we are not to covet.
Romans 7:7
" What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."
Romans 1:24
" Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:"
Romans 1:27
" And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."
The word "covet" In Rom. 7:7 and the word "lusts" in Rom. 1:24 have the same meaning and come from the same root word in the Greek.
The word "lust" in Romans 1:27 means "a reaching out desperately for, a crying out for, an intense passion.
Romans 1:29
" Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,"
Colossians 3:1-5
" If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"
Here the terms inordinate affection, evil concupiscence are parallel terms with those words that we looked at in Romans.
Covetousness, here in Colossians 3:5 means "eager for profit, eager for gain, always after money.
1 Timothy 6:9
" But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."
The word "will" here means "wishing for, longing for lust, fond of silver. This refers to one who has a strong will to become rich. One who longs , whishes for riches , one who lusts after more and more money.
God's word gives us an example of what will happen when we covet.
Numbers 11:1-6
" And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes."
Numbers 11:18-20
" And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?"
Numbers 11:31
" And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth."
They had coveted for the leaks and the cucumbers, and melons, so God gave them manna then they coveted for flesh to eat, and God gave them more flesh than they could ever think of eating.
Notice how Israel was just like us, in that they received the things they coveted for, and then did not really want them, but coveted for more. This is explained for us in Psalms 78.
Psalms 78:23-32
" Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works."
We can see by these Israelites that covetousness is an addictive sin, in spite of the judgement of God being brought on us because of covetousness we continue to covet.
Psalms 78:33-36
" Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues."
Psalms 106:13-15
" They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul."
Covetousness is such an addictive sin that it begins to deprive you of the ability to think, and the ability to understand the word of God.
When Achan coveted he was not concerned for himself or his family or even the whole nation of Israel.
Joshua 7:21
" When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it."
Ezekiel 33:30-31
" Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."
They could not serve the Lord, except by putting on a show , and pretending to be serving Him, when their heart was on covetousness.
This is the same reason that we have so much religion and so much spiritualism today and yet so few today that want to be faithful to the Lord in and through His Church, or even be faithful to His Word in any other way. When we come together today in a church service and our minds are on everything else, we are just like those Israelites, our hearts have become addicted to covetousness.
This is just the opposite of what God commands us to do.
Mark 12:30
" And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."
We need to seek after more than that which is dilightful, or that which brings us pleasure, or fun or that which is neat.
Luke 12:15
" And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."
We who are saved by the grace of God need to beware of that which is delightful.
1 John 2:15
" Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
The statement by Jesus in Luke 12:15 goes against the grain of the way we live in the world today. We think that the only way to have life is to have lots and lots of every thing. Our whole society is driven to desiring more and more things .
Luke 8:14
" And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."
If you have covetousness in your heart you will never be used as a Christian, but will only be like those that Paul wrote to the church or Corinth about who were not ready for meat, but only lived on milk.
Rather than being willing to just claim the name of Jesus, we should be desiring to serve and be faithful to Him, and be desiring the best gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:31
" But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way."
