Coveting and Other Sin – The Tenth Commandment

Coveting and Other Sin

The Tenth Commandment

Exodus 20:17

“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 is your neighbor’s.”

Deuteronomy 5:21

“‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’”

Luke 12:13-21; Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Coveting will issue in other sins. It’s just a matter of time. James explains how coveting leads to strife, quarreling, and worse (Jas. 4:2, 3). In Scripture we see many examples of this. Cain coveted Abel’s blessing, leading to murder. Abraham coveted safety above trust in the Lord and nearly compromised his wife’s purity. Achan coveted the spoil of Jericho and stole from the Lord, to the harm of his neighbors. David coveted Bathsheba, leading to conspiracy and murder. Judas coveted silver, and he betrayed the Lord.

Thus it is crucial to a growing walk with the Lord that believers learn to recognize covetousness and to take it before the Lord in prayer, seeking grace to help in our time of need.

In this series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

–

In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.