Return to Ten Commandments Index Page
Commending The Commandments.
The Tenth Commandment.
Exodus 20 v 17.
A mum gave a young boy two apples and she said, "Be generous with your sister and share, give her the biggest one."
The young boy thought for a moment and said, "Mummy give her the apples and ask her to be generous."
We have come to The Tenth Commandment, "Thou shalt not covet."
As we have studied the first nine on the main they are committed outwardly but of course we stressed, like the Lord did, that the breaking of these commandments begins in our hearts.
The Tenth Commandment confirms this because it condemns a sin that is not outward to begin with. It is a sin of the heart, covetousness.
Lest we think that makes it less important listen to the word of God.
Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
What Is Covetousness?
The Greek word covet is made up of two words, have and more, quite simply to have more.
Watson gives us two Greek words with two meanings.
Ploenexia is the insatiable desire of getting the world.
Philaguria is the inordinate love of the world.
Augustine said, "Covetousness is to desire more than enough."
Proverbs 30:15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
The Hebrew word has its root in the word desire or delight and we can understand why. It is unlikely we would desire anything we do not delight in
Let us summarise what covetousness is.
It is the excessive desire for something you do not have or the envious desire for something someone else has.
All desire is not wrong as the following scriptures show.
1 Cor. 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
1 Cor. 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
All of us would desire peace of mind and happiness. It is not desiring things that is the problem, it is the excessive desire for something. It is when that desire becomes the ruling force in our lives.
Psalm 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
We should desire the word of God.
There are many good desires and many things we delight in that are not forbidden.
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
This is an inward sin. Someone has said the devil is easier to reject than eject. The moment this sin appears in our hearts it needs to be dealt with before it bears fruit.
Fingerprints won’t pick it up, a police radar will not detect this sin. It is between you and the Lord.
We could covet position, power, prestige or possessions.
The word covet means literally to pant after something. Unsatisfied desires will poison every relationship of life. Is there a burning desire or a covetous spirit in your heart?
A desire for something that God never intended you to have.
As Christians we can covet ourselves. Remember it is looking something that doesn’t belong to us.
1 Cor. 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
We can covet our time, our service and our money.
A covetous spirit will cause the work of God to suffer.
A covetous spirit hinders the work of God.
We need to recognise this sin. We need to recognise it if we have it harbouring in our hearts. The best way to stop a man sinning in the act is stop him desiring it in the heart.
How can we recognise covetousness?
Having worldly thoughts, our minds are constantly set on the affairs of the world. Covetousness is manifested in the amount of time spent seeking worldly things.
Covetousness is manifested in the conversation being totally dominated by the things of the world.
John 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
We are like the fish with the money in its mouth.
We give up the pearl of great price for the wedge of gold.
How does it begin?
1.There is that evil though that comes into our minds.
Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
2. Then there is complacency towards the thought.
We rationalise it, accept it and rather than confess and deal with it we assent to it.
3. Then comes the will for the action.
The desire will lead to the deed and then the deception.
Achan is a prime Old Testament example.
Joshua 7:20-21 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: [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,[desire] and took them;[deed] and, behold, they are hid [deception] in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
The rich farmer is the New Testament example.
Luke 12:13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
The family was falling out over the will. Covetousness was setting in but what did Jesus say?
Luke 12:14-15 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? [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.
"Beware of covetousness," then Jesus gave the example of the rich farmer.
Luke 12:17 And he thought within himself[desire] , saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luke 12:18-21 And he said, This will I do: I will [ deed] pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. [20] But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? [21] So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
He deceived himself.
We need to recognise this sin generally and particularly because certain things are mentioned.
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.
The house or the home comes first. Is there envy or jealously in a believer’s heart over someone else’s home? Nothing wrong with desiring a better home but has that desire become covetous?
The wife is mentioned next, this sin covered in The Eight Commandment.
Manservant and maidservant, could this be employers enticing away someone else’s servant with the wrong motives?
Ox or the ass, would this remind us of vehicles? Do you covet someone’s car?
Anything that is thy neighbours this is an all-inclusive commandment.
Every time someone fills in a lottery ticket he breaks this commandment.
Is there that excessive desire in your heart? Is there that envious desire in your heart?
Recognise covetousness when it is only a thought. Recognise it for what it is, don’t rationalise it. Repent and forsake it and continue with the Lord.
The Ruination That Comes From This Sin.
We could look at some Biblical examples.
Spiritually covetousness is dangerous.
1 Tim. 6:9-10 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. [10] For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
I think it was A W Pink who described a covetous person like a hog. You cannot ride a hog like you can a horse. Unlike the ox it is unable to pull anything, unlike a sheep it will not clothe anyone. Unlike the cow it cannot give milk to anyone else and unlike the dog it cannot guard us. It is good for nothing only slaughter.
A covetous person is of no use in the service of the kingdom of God.
A covetous person will not want to carry someone else they will not want to pull anyone out of trouble. They will not share with others they will not feed others. They will not be interested in guarding anyone. They will be self-centred.
It was covetousness that ruined Judas.
Matthew 26:15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Covetousness is listed as one of the sins of the last days.
2 Tim. 3:1-2 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. [2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, [22] Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: [23] All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Look at the company it keeps. The Lord says this defiles a man, it degrades and devalues.
Matthew 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
When we are choked with the cares of this world. The word of God cannot fall on good ground. It affects our hearing.
We act as if our head is above the stars but we lick the dust of the serpent.
"We are like the lapwing with a cornet on its head but it feeds upon dung." T Watson.
It hinders our testimony. If a covetous spirit is displayed, what must the world think of us? We talk so much about heaven and live as if earth was our final home.
Psalm 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.
The Lord abhors the covetous.
Ephes. 5:4-5 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. [5] For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Our hearts were made to worship the Lord. If we fill our hearts with some covetous desire, the bible says it is idolatry.
1 Thes. 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
We cloak it. We call greed our need and we try and convince ourselves that we deserve something when we don’t-. We believe we need something when we don’t.
We cover this sin with a cloak.
Matthew 19:16-22 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? [17] And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. [18] He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, [19] Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [20] The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
The Tenth Commandment was left out, why?
21] Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. [22] But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
This sin kept this young man out of Heaven.
Paul was like this. He could stand and say as far as nine of the Ten Commandments went I was doing fine but The Tenth condemned me.
Romans 7:7-8 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. [8] But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
If any would dare claim to keep the first nine and I don’t think we would, we certainly would fall at number ten. Was there never a time when we coveted after something?
It is a harmful sin it keeps souls out of heaven.
It is harmful to believers.
Col. 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Put it to death at the first sign of it. A Christian should be filled with the spirit of God and led by the spirit of God. Then he will show forth the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Love, joy and peace are Godward. Covetousness produces hatred, sorrow and unrest
Longsuffering, gentleness and goodness are man ward. Covetousness produces impatience, cruelty and selflessness.
Faith, meekness, temperance are self-ward. Covetousness produces infidelity, anger and self-indulgence.
Covetousness is dangerous for the child of God and spiritually damaging.
Covetousness robs God of servants. His work of support and his people of prayers.
Oh that we could say with Paul.
Acts 20:33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
Oh that we could say with Samuel.
1 Samuel 12:3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
Can we truly say, "Thine Lord would I be?"
Can we truly say, "I count not my life dear to me?"
Saddam Hussein called the war in the desert the mother of all battles. George Bush joked that Mrs bush was the mother of all the Bushes.
This has been described, as the mother of all sins. Covetousness is the root to breaking all other nine.
The First Commandment is broken by making gold our idol.
Col. 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Bowing down to images breaks The Second Commandment. Perhaps the image on a coin.
The Third Commandment is broken through covetousness.
Absalom coveted the crown. What excuse does he use for going to gather the people together?
2 Samuel 15:7 And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron.
He took the name of the Lord in vain. Covetousness led to the breaking of the first three commandments.
How many because of covetousness have broken The Fourth? Look around on the Lord’s day. What greed and covetousness for more. Seven days are not enough for the shops to open.
The Fifth Commandment is broken by covetousness. Remember the prodigal.
Luke 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
How many mums and dads have been neglected through covetous children?
The Sixth Commandment, thou shalt not kill has been broken through covetousness. Remember Ahab, what did he want?
1 Kings 21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
Naboth was killed because of Ahab’s covetousness.
The Seventh Commandment is covered in the wording of the tenth.
The Eight Commandment has been broken through covetousness. Achan is a prime example.
The Ninth Commandment has been broken through covetousness. How many lies have been told in the pursuit of things?
This is the mother of all sins. It is the root cause of breaking many of the commandments.
The Remedy For This Sin.
Remember Eve, she coveted the forbidden fruit.
She listened to the devil who shed doubt upon the word of God.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
She diluted the word of God.
Genesis 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
Eve dropped the word freely.
She enlarged the prohibitions.
Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
God said nothing about touching the tree.
Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
She weakened the judgement of God. She said,"Lest ye die," God had said, "Ye shall surely die."
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
How could this have been prevented?
Eccles. 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
Eccles. 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
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.
Solomon discovered that things do not satisfy. The Lord said there is more to life than things.
Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
Romans 13:8-9 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. [9] For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
When your child succeeds how do you feel?
If your son achieves and does well how do you feel?
We would rejoice and it should be the same among the family of God. Rejoice with those who rejoice.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
If we truly love each other then that will displace and defeat a covetous spirit.
2 Cor. 9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
Paul was in effect saying, "Replace covetousness with generosity."
When we are covetous it shows a lack of faith in God. It displays a lack of trust in God to supply our needs.
1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Matthew 6:26-34 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? [27] Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? [28] And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: [29] And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? [31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? [32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. [33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
We are considering the confidence we should place, think of the following scriptures.
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Philip. 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Psalm 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
1 Tim. 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Philip. 4:11-12 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. [12] I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
When Alexander the Great died he asked for his hands to be left outside the coffin. So that people would be able to see that he could take nothing with him.
A child is born with a grasping hand, but we die with our hands open.
If you want to make a man happy add not to his possessions, but take away from his desires.
Email Pastor Ian Wilson
Return to Ten Commandments Index Page