Theology 101 No.14

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.

In these final two Commandments God requires that we be holy and free from every evil lust. These Commandments not only refer actual enacted sins, but the evil promptings of the heart which drive our thoughts along with our words and deeds. Jesus says of the heart and its relation to actual sin, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:18,19). People generally do not think of these lusts or desires of the heart as sin. To “covet” means to lust, to have an inordinate desire and longing for something that either belongs to another or God has not intended for us.

It needs to be kept in mind, however, that desire is not in and of itself wrong. There are things we ought to desire. We should desire spiritual gifts, Godly knowledge, and skill and abilities. There is nothing wrong with wanting a better job, a larger salary, and the “good things” in life. There is nothing wrong with increasing our worldly possessions in a honest manner. Was is wrong is pursuing these things with greed in our hearts and going after them to the point they replace God in our lives.

We covet when we want something at another’s expense (Luke 3:14),when there is discontent in our hearts (Hebrews 13:5), when we envy another’s success (I Samuel 18:6-8) or when we are dissatisfied with what God in His wisdom has given us in this life (Luke 12:15). Covetousness knows no class nor is it peculiar to on type of people (Jeremiah 6:13). Evil desire is at the root of every transgression of each of the Commandments (Matthew 15:18,19; James 1:14).

“Sinful coveting springs from selfishness and is nurtured by the belief that a man is in the world principally for the purpose of acquiring, possessing, and enjoying the things of the world (Keohler, p. 73). Sadly, the covetous many be wealthy by the world’s standards but he is never rich toward God. Covetousness is contrary to the love of Christ and to the love we should have toward our neighbor. And this shows itself in that in order to get what he desires, the covetous with employ deviousness and deception.

As indicated above desire is not in and of itself evil. As the redeemed children of God, we are to desire to be holy and God is holy (Leviticus 19:2 cf. Matthew 5:48). Our delight is to be in the things of God. As the Holy Spirit works in us we will desire to love and serve one another (Galatians 5:13). Out of Christ-like love for our neighbor it will be our desire to help him keep and improve what he has, rejoice in his prosperity, and care for his things as if they were our own.

St. Paul wrote to Timothy, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (I Timothy 6:8-10). What we have has been given to us by God. It has been apportioned to us according to His perfect wisdom and knowledge. He knows our need and has promised to never forsake His children. Therefore “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:33,34).