Coveting

           Sometime back I made reference to a statement by Ravi Zacharias that mankind had over 200,000 pages in law books because they couldn't keep ten laws written on a tablet of stone. Since then, I have tried to come up with just how many pages there are in those law books and how many different laws there are in existence. The search really went to extremes as there are major divisions of laws such as constitutional laws and laws of possession and the list goes on and on. The idea popped into my head about how many laws could be related to the Ten Commandments. We know that the Ten Commandments can be found in both Exodus and Deuteronomy and we pretty well know what they said. The Lord Jesus Christ even summed them up into two commandments dealing with our relationship to God and our relationships with other people. Exodus 20:17 says, “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 Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Colosse in chapter 3 verse 5, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” When you look at the three avenues of temptation, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, you soon realize that many of man's problems are in the area of covetousness. Achan saw the gold, wanted the gold and took the gold and then hid it in his tent. He coveted something that was not his but he decided to take it anyway. The Ten Commandments deal specifically with the issue of wanting something that is not yours but you are going to try to get it anyway. That is pretty much our problem. We have come up with a saying that goes, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” That often applies to coveting. It is also connected with not being content with what you have and so you are continually seeking to get something bigger, better, more expensive and newer just because you want it. It not only applies to things but can also apply to people. That is why there are so many divorces in the world today. Partners lose interest with each other and begin looking for a “later model.” The law of coveting as found in the Ten Commandments, begins with the “wife” of another and then goes through each possession of the neighbor including the neighbor's animals, the neighbor's servants and the neighbor's possessions which can include any item that is owned by the neighbor. Is this an issue to consider today? The answer is, “yes.” It is probably one of the root sins that is found in mankind. It starts in the inner most being of desiring something that is not yours and slowly evolves into taking possession of it no matter the cost. The writer of Hebrews says in the 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.” The answer to covetousness is found in contentment with such things that you have. This is where the rubber meets the road. Contentment is often hard to find especially in a world of material possessions. You may find that even after you possess the biggest and best of something, that you are still not content. Hebrews reminds us to focus our attention upon the fact that we actually possess the best of all, God Himself or rather, He possess us and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Praise God today for His promises.