Chapter 19
Understanding
The Tenth Commandment
219. WHAT IS THE TENTH COMMANDMENT?
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his or, or his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s (Exodus 20:17 KJV)
You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (Exodus 20:17 NIV)
220. WHAT DOES COVET MEAN?
To covet means to desire or long for something so strongly that a feeling of discontentment overcomes us to the point of attempting to obtain that which is coveted by illegal means. This is usually accompanied by ill will at seeing another’s superiority or advantages of success. It is a gross form of selfishness that is highly offensive to God.
(Luke 12:15-21 NIV) Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." {16} And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. {17} He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' {18} "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. {19} And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' {20} "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' {21} "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
221. WHAT ARE WE COMMANDED BY THE TENTH COMMANDMENT?
We are commanded to trust God to direct our lives according to His choosing.
(Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; {6} in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
222. WHAT DOES THE TENTH COMMANDMENT FORBID?
It forbids all desire to take or to keep unjustly anything that belongs to another. Coveting another man’s goods and securing them by unlawful means and not by honest labor is breaking the tenth commandment.
(Isaiah 5:8 NIV) Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.
(Matthew 23:14 NIV) Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! [You devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Therefore you will be punished more severely.] You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do no enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
(1 Timothy 6:8-10 NIV) But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. {9} People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. {10} For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
223. WHY DOES GOD FORBID COVETOUSNESS IN CHURCH LEADERS ESPECIALLY?
Covetous people will not work within the limits of their calling and as a result, will bring division within the Church and will stop the flow of God’s blessing and anointing.
(Ephesians 5:5 NIV) For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
(1 Timothy 3:2-3 NIV) Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, {3} not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
(Acts 6:3 NIV) Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
(1 Corinthians 7:20 NIV) Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.
224. WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE OF US IN THE TENTH COMMANDMENT?
God requires that we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, God’s way of doing and being, first and foremost.
(Matthew 6:33 NIV) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(1 Timothy 6:6 NIV) But godliness with contentment is great gain.
225. WHAT RE THE BENEFITS OF AVOIDING COVETOUSNESS?
We are given an inward peace and security knowing that our heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will take care of us.
(Matthew 6:25-32 NIV) "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? {26} Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? {27} Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? {28} "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. {29} Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. {30} If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? {31} So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' {32} For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
226. WHY IS DOES GOD SAY “THOU SHALT NOT” IN ALL THE COMMANDMENTS.
Our heavenly Father desires our welfare and has lovingly listed the ten most dangerous traps Satan has set for us. He admonishes us . . . you shall not do these things if you want to be blessed with love, peace and happiness.
