Covet: May 30, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY MAY 30, 2013.

COVET

DEFINITION:

Desire enviously; long for; crave; want or wish for.

SCRIPTURE:

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20:17.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

This verse from Exodus is well known to all of us as the Tenth Commandment. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments to give as guidelines for living to the Children of Israel and also to us. Down through the ages these Ten Commandments have been the cornerstone of the law of the Old Testament.

God knows every evil thing we do. The thoughts and desires of our heart do not escape His attention. To covet means to desire. A strong longing to have what another person has is wrong. This commandment makes this very clear to us. This tenth commandment from God suggests that none of the previous nine commandments are only external acts with no relation to internal thoughts. Our internal thoughts determine our actions.

Both the lusting after a neighbor’s wife and a strong desire for a neighbor’s property are prohibited by the Tenth Commandment.

In Acts 20:33 the elders at the church of Ephesus were reminded not to covet another’s silver, gold or clothes. The love of money is a hallmark for false teachers to get to the heart of a believer. Stop for a moment and think how many times you have seen another person’s personal items and quietly wished that it was yours. This Commandment makes it clear that as believers in Jesus we are not to have those desires, and we must not covet what others have been blessed with.

Just desiring something we do not have and want may seem like a minor thing. When God commands us not to do something it is serious. When we covet something we show we are discontent with what we have and the desire for more leads to envy of others. Envy leads to jealousy of others. Jealousy can lead to hate and hate will motivate us to do sinful things.

Covetousness leads to disaster. This was evidenced in the sin of covetousness in the life of David and in the life of Ahab. David coveted Bathsheba so much that he sent her husband, Uriah into the battle where he was sure that he would be killed (II Samuel 2:16-17). As a result of his sin God brought calamity upon David. He lost his wives and his son born to Bathsheba II Samuel 12:11-12.

King Ahab coveted the vineyard that belonged to Naboth. Ahab’s wicked wife Jezebel plotted the murder of Naboth so Ahab could have what he coveted. The judgment God pronounced on Ahab is given in I Kings 21:21. “I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume your descendents.” Yes, covetousness leads to sin and sin leads to disaster.   

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:165:

Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

PRAYER:

Help me to obey all Your commandments. Keep my eyes on You and not what others have. May I understand the damage that coveting “things” can do to not only destroy my spiritual life but my relationships with others. Fill me with love for others with a desire to honor You so that others will see Christ in me.