TEN COMMANDMENTS
THOU SHALT NOT COVET
DR. JIM. DIXON
JULY 19, 1992
EXODUS 20:1-20
Adam and Eve coveted fruit from the one tree that was forbidden them. Cain coveted the divine approval that was his brother’s. Jacob coveted Esau’s birthright. King Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard. David coveted Uriah’s wife. James and John coveted first place in the kingdom of heaven. The human spirit has always been covetous in this fallen world. Covetousness is endemic in human society. It is a pandemic in the world; and yet, the Bible says, “Thou shalt not covet.” This morning, I would like us to examine the meaning of this word, “covet.”
Biblically, the word covet has two meanings. The first meaning is this: to covet means to desire something that belongs to someone else. There is a popular cartoon that shows an aerial view of four pastures right at the point where the four pastures come together. In each pasture, there is a cow, and each cow has its head stuck through the fence eating grass from another cow’s pasture.
When people look at that cartoon, they smile. They smile not because of what it tells them about cows, but because of what it tells them about people. For many people, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Of course, it has been said, “If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can know that the water bill is higher!” It is the nature of people to want what is in another person’s pasture, and this is at the very root of the meaning of the word covet. In fact, the word “hamad,” which is used in Exodus 20 and is translated “covet” in this particular commandment, means “to desire,” “to crave,” and even “to pursue” that which belongs to somebody else. Of course, covetousness on the national level has produced war, enmity, and strife between nations. It was Adolph Hitler who coveted Europe. Perhaps he coveted the earth. It was more recently that Saddam Hussein coveted Kuwait.
In James chapter 3, the Bible says, “What causes wars? What causes fighting among you? Is it not your passions at war with your members? You want and you do not have, so you kill. You covet and you cannot obtain, so you fight and wage war.” Now our focus this morning is not so much on national covetousness as it is on individual covetousness. Each and every one of us have times when we covet. There’s a strange thing about this sin . . . when we commit this sin, when we covet, it tends to lead to other sins. When you violate the tenth commandment, almost inevitably, you’ll wind up violating other commandments as well.
On November 16, 1930, a woman named Henrietta Garrett died all alone in her home in Philadelphia. She had very few friends. She had virtually no relatives. Amazingly, she left no will. It was amazing because Henrietta Garrett was worth $17 million, a lot of money in 1930. (It’s not bad today. . . .) I know that you are going to find this difficult to believe, but after she died in 1930—in the subsequent months and years—26,000 men and women came forward claiming relationship. Twenty-six thousand people from 47 states and 29 countries, represented by thousands of lawyers and attorneys.
They perjured themselves. They lied. They altered data in church Bibles and family Bibles. They distorted records. Some of them actually changed their names. They concocted incredible tales of illegitimacy. Many of them, because of their perjury, wound up in jail. Some of them, when they failed to acquire any of the money, committed suicide. Three people, in the pursuit of her money, committed murder. Unbelievable. And it all happened because of coveting—the violation of the tenth commandment. Wanting what really did not belong to them, led them into other sin.
In the Bible, we’re told about a man named Naboth. Naboth had a vineyard. You can read about him in 1 Kings 21. Naboth’s vineyard was particularly beautiful. It was an excellent vineyard with excellent quality. This vineyard was in the city of Jezreel, right next to the Royal Palace of King Ahab. King Ahab would look out on this vineyard, and he marveled at it. He wanted it. He had no vineyard like that, and he could not stop himself from thinking about the vineyard. He would think about it all the time. He craved it. He coveted it. It was his preoccupation.
He had sent representatives to Naboth to try to buy the vineyard, but Naboth would not sell the vineyard because the family had strong ties to the land, and there was an emotional link there. So back in his palace, King Ahab was depressed, and he cursed. He was irritable, and he was frustrated. His wife, Jezebel, grew tired of this. She decided to frame Naboth. She forced people to bear false witness against him. Then he was arrested. He was executed, and then Jezebel and Ahab simply took the vineyard that they coveted.
When they coveted, they violated the 10th commandment, which led to other sins. Soon, they had violated the ninth commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Then they violated the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” Of course, they also violated the 8th commandment, “Thou shalt not steal.” All of this grew from the violation of the 10th commandment. All of this grew out of covetousness.
David coveted Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. That sin of coveting led to adultery, a violation of the seventh commandment. It also led to murder. This is how it is with coveting. We have the warning of God not to covet. In fact, God wants us, when we see what our neighbors have . . . when we see their blessings, God wants us to rejoice. God wants us to rejoice in the blessings that other people have. God does not want us to have envy. God does not want us to have jealousy. God does not want us to begrudge other people’s blessings. Certainly, God does not want us to crave their blessings. He does not want us to covet them.
Coveting sometimes means, “to desire that which belongs to somebody else,” but there’s another meaning as well. There’s another meaning that I think is perhaps more alarming, particularly in our culture and in our society. You see, this word, “covet,” also means, “to desire excessively.” It refers to inordinate desire—to want more than you should want. That’s coveting.
The Greek word used in the New Testament for coveting is “pleonexia,” which comes from two words and simply means “to have more.” The person who covets always wants to have more. Another word in the Bible for coveting is the word “epithumia,” which literally means “passion upon passion.” There’s an insatiable desire for more.
Jesus understood this definition of coveting in Luke 13. A man came to Him and said, “Bid my older brother divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus responded by saying, “Beware of all covetousness. For a man’s life does not exist in the sum of his possessions.” Jesus went on to tell a story to illustrate covetousness. Jesus said, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully. And he said to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place in which to store my goods and my grains.’ He said, ‘I’ll do this. I’ll tear down my barns and build larger barns. There I will store my grains and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Take your ease. Eat, drink, and be merry.’ And God will say to him, ‘You fool, this very day your life is required of you. And the things that you have accumulated, who’s shall they be?’” “So shall it be,” Christ said, “with those who are rich towards themselves and not rich towards God.” “Beware,” He said, “of all covetousness.”
Coveting means wanting too much. And that’s difficult, isn’t it? I mean, I know I struggle with this. Perhaps, you do too. How do you know when you’re wanting too much? The Bible speaks of contentment. There comes a point at which we are to be content.
The city of Pompeii was a Greek city. Like all Greek cities, it became a Roman city with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The Romans made the city of Pompeii into a luxury resort. The wealthy, rich, and famous of Rome loved to go to the city of Pompeii. They loved the Mediterranean climate. The sun was almost always out. Many of the rich and famous in the Roman Empire built second homes in Pompeii. Some of them just lived in Pompeii.
The city of Pompeii was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in the year AD 79 when Mt. Vesuvius exploded and a shower of fire just fell on the city. Eighteen thousand people escaped Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted. There had been warnings. There was a brief period of time when you could make your escape. People made their way to the harbor. They got on ships, and they made their way out into the Mediterranean Sea.
But 2,000 people died in the city of Pompeii. One woman had stayed behind to acquire her wealth. She stuck rings on her fingers. In fact, she stuck multiple rings on each finger of her hands. She grabbed rubies, sapphires, diamonds, gold, and silver. She stuffed her pockets. Then, she took whatever she could hold in her hands. She made her way out into the courtyard, and there she died. She was permanently encased in a shell of volcanic ash. Archeologists tell us that the 2,000 people who died in the City of Pompeii . . . almost every one of them died in the midst of pursuing wealth. Their bodies have been perfectly preserved by the encasement of volcanic ash. The very position they died in was the position that the volcanic ash preserved them in. Almost every one of them stayed back just to get a little more. In the Greek world, they spoke of those who died at Pompeii as those who were guilty of “pleonexia”—covetousness. They were not content to escape with their lives. They had to have a little bit more.
Now, obviously, circumstance in life determines, to some extent, what you should be content with . . . whether it’s wrong to desire more. God doesn’t have the same plan for all of us. Nevertheless, if you really believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you’ve got to ask yourself the question, “Am I desiring too much? Am I seeking too much?”
The biblical message is that we should find contentment in every circumstance in life. There’s a type of contentment that should always be ours. The Apostle Paul said, “I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content. I’ve learned the secret of facing plenty and want, abundance and hunger. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The Bible says that, and, certainly, it is a great warning regarding pursuing more and more wealth, pursuing more and more in the way of material things.
The Bible says, “There is great gain in godliness with contentment. We brought nothing into the world. We can take nothing out of the world. If we have food and clothing, with these we should be content. For those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all evil. It is through this craving that many have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.” These are the warnings of Scripture. God wants us to learn contentment. He does not want us to be a people that are always wanting more in the way of material things.
Of course, some of you might be thinking, “Well, it doesn’t seem like we should always be content.” I mean, some of you might be thinking, “What about a sense of industriousness? What about setting goals? What about pursuing goals? Shouldn’t there be some sense of ambition in life?” I think the Bible’s response to this would be, “It depends on your motive.” If we are guilty of covetousness, then our motive is always going to be self. Whatever we seek, we seek it for ourselves if our motive is covetousness.
If you want to be a millionaire, which perhaps some of you do, that is not necessarily wrong. My guess is that God would like a few of you to be millionaires. I am sure you’re hoping that you’re one of those. But if your desire is to have a million dollars for you, that’s the essence of covetousness. I mean, if it’s for self that you want to make money . . . if it’s for self that you want wealth and riches, that’s covetousness. But if your desire is to make a million dollars so you can have money to serve people, to serve the kingdom of Jesus Christ, the church of Christ, and the cause of Christ, that’s different.
The biblical message to each and every one of us who believe in Christ is this: the only thing we should ever covet is the kingdom of Christ and His righteousness. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” All other coveting is wrong. The Bible does not tell us that material things are evil. I mean, God created the material world, and God said it is good. The problem is, material things were never meant to take the place of spiritual things. But we live in a world where people are devoted to the pursuit of material things. We live in a culture where people have as their highest devotion, the pursuit of money, power, and beauty.
God would tell us that this highest devotion was meant to be directed toward Him and His kingdom. It becomes idolatry when we participate in covetousness, when we begin to live for material things. This nation will be judged for its covetousness. Don’t let it be true of you.
Barb and I were on vacation recently, and we went to the beach a number of times. At the beach, you often see children making sand castles. It is kind of fun to watch children make sand castles. They really get into it. It’s fun to see the expressions on their face as they work so hard to build these things. The sand kind of tends to crumble when you have to do anything delicate or when you’re trying to make a corner. They work so hard at trying to keep that together. Inevitably, the tide comes in and the waves begin to approach, and then the sea just washes the sand castle away. It is interesting to see how children react when that happens. Most of the time, when they see their sand castle that they worked so hard on approached by the waves, they’re not sad. Most of them are not angry. They are not mad. They are not bitter. In fact, if you look at most kids when that happens, they are kind of excited. They begin to jump up and down. As the first wave runs up against their castle, they start to laugh. It’s kind of fun for them. You see, children understand what sand castles are all about. They understand that they are temporary. They understand that ultimately their castles are subject to the rising and falling of the tide.
God wants us to understand that all the stuff of this world is like sand castles. How crazy that some people make such a big deal out of it. Some people devote their entire lives to the building of sand castles. Yet, it all washes away. This is a priority issue that has to do with your values. If you have ears to hear, eyes to see, let God speak to you today. God wants to ask you, “What are you living for? Do you seek the things that are eternal, or is your life given over to the pursuit of that which is transitory?” “Do not lay up treasure on earth,” the Bible says, “where rust consumes and moths destroy, but lay up treasures in heaven.”
God did not create you for wealth, power, or beauty. God created you for love. God created you for relationship. God created you for righteousness. God did not create you for earth. If you’re truly a Christian, if you believe in Christ, then God wants you to know that your destiny is heaven. As has so often been said, “This world is not our home. We’re just passing through.” God wants us, as Christians, to pursue the things that are above, the things that are eternal. He wants you to live lives that reflect that priority—where you view all the stuff of this world as necessary to meet your needs; but beyond that, the stuff of this world is meant to be used in the service of Christ’s kingdom.
Last week, I was watching a television program. Some people called me up and said, “You’ve got to watch this.” It was called “Prime Time with Diane Sawyer.” It was an exposé of televangelists, who were involved, allegedly, in hypocrisy. I do not know whether the allegations are true. The show was an hour long, and it focused on three televangelists. When it was done, I was just sick in my stomach. It was repulsive. The expose concerned three men—W.V. Grant, Larry Lea, and Robert Tilton. These are highly successful men in Christian televangelist ministries. Robert Tilton takes in more money than Michael Jackson and Madonna combined. He takes in more than $80 million a year, some say $100 million a year.
“Prime Time with Diane Sawyer” and their investigative teams claimed to have proven that these men have lied. They have deceived. One of them had gone on television and said that he had lost everything in a fire. Prime Time found out that he had four palatial residences. They showed an aerial view of one mansion. You could not even see the end of the estate. It was so opulent that the king of any nation would be proud to live in it. They showed how another one of the televangelists solicited contributions by showing pictures of poor children, allegedly from one of their 26 orphanages. The Prime Time investigative team found that this ministry did not have any orphanages. They showed how, in the healing ministry, some had used distortion and deception. It is so tragic when those who claim to be Christians fall prey to covetousness. So tragic, when those who claim to represent the kingdom of Christ adopt the values and ethics of the kingdom of Satan.
Yet, I think it’s easy to take a look at those who are in the limelight and almost feel better about ourselves. It’s hard to do introspection and take a look at ourselves, to ask ourselves what we’re really living for. I think God wants each and every one of us to do that, to ask, “Am I really seeking first His kingdom? Am I seeking first His righteousness?” I have no doubt that the kingdom of Christ will prosper and His gospel will cover the earth if His sons and daughters seek those things that are eternal. Let’s close with a word of prayer.