THE ONLY COMMANDMENT THAT IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT AGAINST THOUGHTS
God’s commands are to help us live an abundant and happy life. Some thoughts undermine this happiness. Some thoughts HARM contentment. We should never indulge them. Violation of this commandment is the fountain from which almost all other evils spring. Excessive desires for what others have brings on envy, murders, thievery and perjury to cover the crimes. Evil thoughts generate sinful, hurtful behavior.
Mark 7:20-23, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within,out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (NKJV)
Evil exists in our human nature. We never need to add additional wrongful desires in our hearts and minds. Further, we need to understand what coveting means and what it does not mean. Coveting is much more than wanting something. The Hebrew verb, lachmod, meant, “to want to the point of seeking to take it away from the owner.” It is an excessive desire to take away from others. Uncontrolled envy and lust can and often do lead to bad actions.
James 4:1-3, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
It is not wrong to desire good things. If your neighbor has a nice car you can desire to have one as well. It would be a normal and possibly helpful desire if you went about it honesty –– deciding to work hard and save money, build up credit and eventually earn what was desired honestly. This would be constructive ambition. Destructive, greedy ambition and thinking is forbidden by the Tenth Commandment.
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT IS ALL ABOUT CONTENTMENT
TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS COMES FROM THE HEART. How should we think so that we can avoid the dangers that proceed from human nature? Coveting is not just wanting what others have but it can also include wanting far more than we would legitimately deserve or that would be our rightful share.
Philippians 4:11-12, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”
A wonderfully mature believer like Paul could remain happy in any state of materialism because he was thankful for what he had and realizing that these conditional are only temporary.
Verse 13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Further, the Apostle realized that he could ask Jesus for spiritual help. So should all of us.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Paul could rejoice whether he abounded or was abased. His Christian character is in control, not materialism or things or money, because he has spiritual depth. The opposite of coveting is a positive desire to help others. We should rejoice when others are blessed. We should resist the selfish side of human nature.
The selfish approach is the essence of sinful actions. Paul teaches us to be humble, not self-serving and to think of others first. See Phil. 2:2-4.
COVETOUSNESS IS ALSO IDOLATRY
Paul says to put to death those things in our human nature that cause trouble –– like idolatry. Covetousness is idolatry. Because of these evil things, God is bringing wrath to mankind.
Colossians 3:5, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
Ephesians 5:5-6, “For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
We need to combat covetousness. See Luke 12:15. If we have trust that God will provide for us then we can have less worry about material things and focus on God's righteousness. This will help us fight covetousness. LEARN TO TRUST GOD for our material survival! Work hard, be smart, and trust God. Christ, in the book of Matthew, states that we need to be concerned with treasures in heaven, not on earth. Banks in Greece already are holding captive portions of the population’s bank accounts. It could happen anywhere at any time by big governments.
Matthew 6:30-33, “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’... 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Put our trust in God. Put our focus on learning to be more like God. Paul adds that it is better to give than to receive. We need to learn to work and do well and to share and not be a TAKER. We must replace covetousness with service and love for others. However society is trending in the opposite direction.
Jeremiah 6:13, “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely.”
MATERIALISM –– A UNIVERSAL PLAGUE –– is being fed by strong forces.Dark days are gaining on us every year. A newer generation with less and less care for the elderly or for others is coming to power gradually and being fed by big media and big music with these feelings and other dangerous concepts. This happened to Israel before its fall. Resist! Some are rejecting rampant materialism but are going in the another wrong direction, asceticism. This is a pagan, self-righteous form of will worship. It could be used as part of earth worship and global warming.
Colossians 2:21-23, “‘Do not handle this;’ ‘Do not taste that;’ ‘Do not touch that other thing’...obedience to mere human injunctions and teachings? 23 These rules have indeed an appearance of wisdom where self-imposed worship exists, and an affectation of humility and an ascetic severity. But not one of them is of any value in combating the indulgence of our lower natures.” (WNT)
