by Thomas Watson, edited and modernised by Rory McClure
"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
This commandment forbids covetousness in general, "You shall not covet;" and in particular, "Your neighbor's house, your neighbor's wife, etc.
I. It forbids covetousness in GENERAL.
"You shall not covet." It is lawful to use the world, yes, and to desire so much of it as may keep us from the temptation of poverty: "Give me not poverty, lest I steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Proverbs 30:8, 9); and as may enable us to honor God with works of mercy. "Honor the Lord with your substance." Proverbs 3:9. But all the danger is, when the world gets into the heart.
Water is useful for the sailing of the ship: all the danger is when the water gets into the ship. So the danger is, when the world gets into the heart. "You shall not covet."
[1] What is it to covet?
There are two words in the Greek New Testament which tell us about the nature of covetousness.
Pleonexia, which signifies an "insatiable desire of getting the world." Augustine defines covetousness, "to desire more than enough;" Coveting means aiming your life at great prosperity, wealth, fame, recognition, admiration, ease or power. It is to be like the daughter of the horse-leech, crying, "Give, give." Proverbs 30:15.
The other word is Philarguria, which means having an "inordinate love of the world." The world has become your idol, and you seek your hope, your happiness, your joy and your peace in the things this world offers more than you do in God.
"What is it to covet?"
(1) You are coveting when your thoughts are wholly taken up with the world. A godly man's thoughts are in heaven; he is thinking of Christ's love and eternal recompense. "When I awake I am still with you..." because you, O God, are the first thing I think about and pray to each morning. Psalm 139:18. A covetous man's thoughts are in the world; his mind is wholly taken up with it; he can think of nothing but his shop or farm. The imagination is like the Royal Mint as it stamps the image of the monarch on each coin, and most of the thoughts in a covetous man's mint are stamped with the world as king rather than Christ as king. “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18–19 ESV)
(2) Covetousness has enslaved you if you are willing to takes more pains for getting the things of this world than you are than for getting heaven. A covetous man will turn every stone, break his sleep, take many a weary journey as he chases the things he most covets; but even the slightest effort of prayer, or Bible reading, or even going to church to learn about for Christ or heaven is too much effort for him. After the Gauls, who were an ancient people of France, had tasted the sweet wine of the Italian grape, they inquired after the country, and never rested until they had arrived at it; so a covetous man, having had a relish of the world, pursues after it, and never ceases until he has got it; but he neglects the things of eternity. He would be content if salvation were to drop into his mouth, as a ripe fig into the mouth of the eater (Nahum 3:12); but he can't be bothered to got to even the slightest inconvenience to obtain Christ or salvation. He hunts for the world—but he spares barely a thought for heaven.
(3) You are covetous when your are more interested in talking is about the the things of this world than you are about Christ. "He who is of the earth, speaks of the earth." John 3:31. It is a sign of godliness to be speaking of heaven, and longing to learn more of the things of God and talk about them. "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious;" he speaks as if he had been already in heaven. Eccl. 10:12. So it is a sign of a man given to covetousness to speak always of worldly things, of his garden or his business or his sports team or what's on TV. "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45
(4) Covetousness has enslaved you if your heart is so set upon worldly things, that for the love of them, you will part with heaven. For the love of a "bar of gold," Achen (Josh 7:1-26) was willing will part with the "pearl of great price." (Matt. 13:45-46). When Christ said to the young man in the gospel, "Sell all, and come and follow me." "He went away sorrowful." Matt 19:22. He would rather part with Christ than with all his earthly possessions. Cardinal Bourbon said, he would forego his part in paradise, if he might keep his cardinalship in Paris. When it comes to the critical point that men must either give up their wealth or Christ, and they would rather part with Christ and a good conscience than with their wealth, it is a clear case that they are possessed with the demon of covetousness! "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." 2 Timothy 4:10
(5) Covetousness has enslaved you if you have so overloaded yourself with worldly business that you have not time for God. If work, or business or sport or hobbies or entertainment have taken up so much of your weed that cannot find time to serve God then you covetousness has enslaved you. If loyalty to your hobby or your garden or your team means more to you than loyalty to keeping the Sabbath out of love for God, then covetousness has enslaved you. If watching TV is more important to you than attending the prayer meetings, or home groups or Sunday evening worship, then covetousness has enslaved you.
(6) Covetousness has enslaved you and will destroy you when you don't care about the fact that you will have to break the law to get what you want. A covetous man will have what he wants by fair means or foul; he will wrong and defraud, and he is willing to raise up his prosperity upon the ruins of another. He has no fear of braking God's laws, and little fear of breaking the laws of the land. Not getting caught means more to him than being honest or having integrity. " Hos 12:7, 8. Pope Sylvester II sold his soul to the devil so he could become Pope.
Understanding the dangers of covetousness. "Take heed and beware of covetousness." Luke 12:15. It is a direct breach of the tenth commandment. It is a moral vice, it infects and pollutes the whole soul.
(1) Covetousness is a SUBTLE sin. It is a sin that most people fail ever to recognise in themselves. This sin can dress itself in the attire of virtue. It is called the "cloak of covetousness." 1 Thess 2:5. It is a sin which wears a cloak, it cloaks itself under the name of frugality and good taste. It has many pleas and excuses for itself; more than any other sin—such as providing for one's family. The more subtle the sin is, the less discernible it is.
(2) Covetousness is a DANGEROUS sin. It defiles everything that is good. It is an enemy to grace. As throwing dirt on a fire will put it out, so covetousness will extinguish the flam of holy desires. The hedgehog, in the fable, came to a rabbit's burrows,in stormy weather, and desired asked if they would give him shelter; but as soon as the rabbits had let him in, he raised his prickles and never stopped attacking them until hed forced them out of their own burrow! In the same way covetousness will enter your hearts by deception and as soon as you have let it in, it will never leave until it has driven out all your desires to know and serve Christ.
Few things hinder the power of the Word of God being preached like covetousness. Many sermons lie dead and buried in earthly hearts. We preach to men to get their hearts in heaven; but where covetousness is predominant, it chains them to earth. Covetousness makes to your soul the woman which Satan had bent down for eighteen years. (Luke 13:11.) All she was able to do was look at the earth and not he sky, and covetousness will force your eyes downwards onto the things of this world so you never see heaven. You will find it easier to get an elephant to fly in the air than you will to get a covetous man to live by faith.
Covetousness makes us ungenerous. We preach to men to give freely to the poor; but covetousness makes them like the man who had "a withered hand." Mark 3:1. They have a withered hand, and cannot stretch it out to the poor. It is impossible to be earthly-minded and charitably-minded.
(3) Covetousness is a MOTHER sin. It is the soil in which all other vices grow. "The love of money is the root of all evil." 1 Tim 6:10. "O accursed lust for gold! what crimes do you not urge upon the human heart!" Virgil. He who has an earthly itch, a greedy desire of getting the world, has in him the root of all sin. Covetousness is a mother sin giving birth to a litter of vices.
Covetousness breaks all of all the ten commandments.
It breaks the first commandment; "You shall have no other gods but one." The covetous man has more gods than one; Mammon is his God. He has a god of gold, therefore he is called an idolater. Col 3:5.
Covetousness will break the second commandment: "You shall not make any graven image, you shall not bow yourself to them." A covetous man may never bows down to the graven image of an idol in a temple—but he will devote his life to worshiping to the image engraved on his banknotes.
Covetousness will break the third commandment; "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." A covetous man will glibly sing; "Take my life and let it be, concerted, Lord to thee... Take my sliver and my gold, not one mite would I with hold.", and then spend the rest of the week in greed and self-interest. Covetousness will make a man pray "Thy will be done," in the Lord's Prayer, then scold God for not giving him what he demanded in prayer.
Covetousness will break the fourth commandment; "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy." A covetous man does not keep the Sabbath holy; he will do his business on a Sabbath. Instead of going to the church he will go shopping. Instead of reading in the Bible, he will do his garden. Instead of going to the evening service he will watch TV.
Covetousness will break the fifth commandment; "Honor your father and your mother." A covetous person will never respect anyone who has responsibility or authority over them, but rather will resent them for this and long to either take this honour for themselves or deny that there is anything worth honouring.
Covetousness will break the sixth commandment; "You shall not kill." Covetous Ahab killed Naboth to get his vineyard. 1 Kings 21:13. How many have climbed the hill of power on the backs of dead bodies? As covetousness grows, it expresses itself in anger at the wealth, prosperity and blessings of others, grow in bitterness, resentment and take delight in their downfall.
Covetousness will break the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery." All adultery starts because through the coveting of another man's wife or another woman's husband. All sexual immorality is born in a covetous heart that lust for sex out of the bounds that God has set.
Covetousness will break the eighth commandment "You shall not steal." Every thief steals only because he first coveted what someone else has, and wanted it at someone else's expense.
Covetousness will break the ninth commandment; "You shall not bear false witness." A covetous man will lie to himself and say, "The end justifies the means." or "their insurance will cover it." or "her marriage was going to end anyway.", or "God won't mind." A covetous man will lie to others to get what he wants, and then lie to others to get more. A covetous man will lie to God and sing to Him, "My Jesus, I love You, I know you are mine, for You all the pleasures of sin I resign." and then spend the rest of the week chasing those pleasures.
It is plainly a breach of the tenth commandment; "You shall not covet." The mammonist covets his neighbor's house and goods, and endeavors to get them into his own hands. Thus you see how vile a sin covetousness is! It is a mother sin! It is a plain breach of every one of the ten commandments.
(4) Covetousness is a DISHONORABLE sin to Christianity. For men to say their hopes are above—while their hearts are below; to profess to be above the stars—while they "lick the dust" of the serpent; to be born of God—while they are buried in the earth; how dishonorable is this to our faith! The lapwing, wears a little crown on its head, and yet spends its day poking for maggots in the dung. Do you such profess to be crowned a king and a priests unto God, and yet constantly feed on earthly dunghill comforts. When the ship is sinking, are you decorating your cabin? O do not so degrade yourself and soil your priestly garments! "Do you seek you great things for yourself? seek them not!" The higher grace is, the less earthly should Christians be; as the higher the sun is, the shorter is the shadow.
(5) Covetousness is a DAMNING sin. It exposes us to God's abhorrence. "The covetous, whom the Lord abhors." Psalm 10:3. If a king would punish one of his subjects for vandalising his portrait, how much more will God punish man, made in his image, vandalising that image. Who would live in such a sin—as makes him abhorred of God? Whom God abhors he curses, and his curse blasts wherever it comes!
Covetousness brings men to eternal ruin, and shuts them out of heaven. "This you know, that no covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Eph 5:5. What could a covetous man do in heaven? God can no more converse with him—than a king can converse with a swine! "Those who will be rich fall into a snare, and many hurtful lusts, which drown men in perdition." 1 Tim 6:9.
A covetous man is like a bee that gets into a barrel of honey, and there drowns itself. As a ferry—man, to increase his fare, takes in too many passengers, that he sinks his boat; so a covetous man takes in so much gold to increase his estate, that he drowns himself in perdition! How many, to build up an empire, pull down their souls! Oh, then, flee from covetousness!
The CURE for covetousness
(1) Faith. "This is the victory that overcomes the world—even our faith." 1 John 5:4. The root of covetousness is distrust of God's providence, His willingness and ability to provide all that we need, and trust that what we do have comes from His kind and loving hand. Faith believes that God will provide; that he who feeds the birds will feed his children; that he who clothes the lilies will clothe his lambs; and thus faith overcomes the world.
Faith is the the only cure for anxiety. It not only purifies the heart—but satisfies it; it makes God our portion, and in him we have enough. "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, the lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places; yes, I have a goodly heritage." Psalm 16:5, 6. Faith, by a divine chemistry, extracts comfort out of God. A little, with God—is sweet. Thus faith is a remedy against covetousness; it overcomes, not only the fear of the world—but the love of the world, because we have something better in God than anything this world can offer us.
(2) The second remedy is, get things in their right perspective.
1. Ah, what poor things, are these earthly things—that we should covet them! They are far below the worth of the soul, which carries in it a semblance of God. The world is but the workmanship of God, the soul is his image. We covet that which will not satisfy us. "He who loves silver, shall not be satisfied with silver." Eccl 5:10. Solomon had put all the creatures in a scale, and distilled out their essence, and behold—"All was vanity." Eccl 2:11. The more an alcoholic drinks, the more he craves and the more a covetous man has of the world, the more he longs for more. Worldly things cannot remove trouble of mind. When King Saul was perplexed in conscience, his crown jewels could not comfort him. 1 Sam 28:15. The things of the world can no more ease a troubled spirit—than a hat made of gold can cure a headache! The things of the world cannot continue with you. The things of this world may fly to you with has a little honey in its mouth—but it has wings to fly away too. The pleasures of this world will either leave us—or we leave them! What poor things are they to covet!
2. The second consideration is the posture of the human body. God has made the human face look upward towards heaven. "He gave man an uplifted face, with the order to gaze up to Heaven." Ovid. As the posture of the body teaches us to look to things above, so especially the soul is planted in the body, as a divine spark, to ascend upwards. Can it be imagined that God gave us intellectual and immortal souls—to covet earthly things only? Sure our souls are made for a higher end; to aspire after the enjoyment of God in glory.
3. The third consideration is the examples of those who have been despisers of the world. The Christians of the early Church were willing to loose their properties, their families, their reputation and their wealth for the sake of following Christ. Instead they gave their lives and their entire future to God. They lived in the world—yet above the world. They were like the swifts which soar above in the air, and seldom touch the earth with their feet. Luther says that he was never tempted to the sin of covetousness. Though the saints of old lived in the world—they traded in heaven. "Our conversation is in heaven." Phil 3:20. The Greek word signifies our commerce or citizenship, is in heaven. "Enoch walked with God." Gen 5:24. His affections were sublime; he took a turn in heaven every day.
(3) The third remedy for covetousness is to covet spiritual things more. God crated our nature to covet something, but sin has hijacked this and twisted it to only covet the things of this world. Since we cannot stop coveting, we must instead covet the things that God created us to covet. Covet grace, for it is the best blessing, it is the seed of God. 1 John 3:9. Covet heaven, which is the region of perfect happiness—the most pleasant climate. If we covet heaven more—we shall covet earth less! To those who stand on the top of the Alps, the great cities of Campania seem but as small villages; so if our hearts were more fixed upon the Jerusalem above, all worldly things would disappear, would diminish, and be as nothing in our eyes. We read of an angel coming down from heaven, and setting his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the earth. Rev 10:2, since the things of this earth are so minor in comparison to the importance of heaven. Had we been in heaven, and viewed its superlative glory, how would we, with holy scorn, trample with one foot upon the earth and with the other foot upon the sea! O covet after heavenly things! There is the tree of life, the mountains of spices, the rivers of pleasure, the honeycomb of God's love dropping, the delights of angels, and the flower of joy, fully ripe and blown. There is the pure air to breathe in; no smog of sin is to pollute that air—but the Sun of Righteousness lights up the whole horizon continually with his glorious radiance. O let your thoughts and delights be always taken up with the city of pearls, the paradise of God! Were our hearts raised by the power of the Holy Spirit up to heaven, we would not be much absorbed with earthly things.
(4) The fourth remedy is to pray for a heavenly mind. "Lord, let the magnet of your Spirit draw my heart upward. Lord, dig the earth out of my heart! Teach me how to possess the world, and not love it; how to hold it in my hand, and not let it get into my heart!"
II. Having spoken of the command in general, I proceed to speak of it more PARTICULARLY.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife," etc. Observe the holiness and perfection of God's law, which forbids the first motions and risings of sin in the heart. The laws of men take hold of actions; but the law of God goes further—it forbids not only sinful actions—but sinful desires. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house." It is not said, "You shall not take away his house;" but "You shall not covet it." These lusts and desires after the forbidden fruit are sinful. The law has said, "You shall not covet." Rom 7:7. Though the tree bears no bad fruit, it may be faulty at the root; so though a man does not commit any gross sin, he cannot say his heart is pure. There may be faultiness at the root: there may be sinful covetings and lustings in the soul.
Use. Let us be humbled for the sin of our nature, the risings of evil thoughts, coveting that which we ought not. Our nature is a seed-plot of iniquity; like charcoal which is ever sparkling, the sparks of pride, envy, covetousness, arise in the mind. How should this humble us! If there is not sinful acting, there are sinful covetings. Let us pray for mortifying grace, which like the water of jealousy, may make the thigh of sin to rot!
[1] "You shall not covet your neighbor's HOUSE." How depraved is man since the fall! He knows not how to keep within bounds—but covets more than his own. Ahab, one would think, had enough: he was a king; and we would suppose that his crown-revenues would have contented him; but he was coveting more. Naboth's vineyard was in his eye, and he could not rest, until he had it in possession. Were there not so much coveting, there would not be so much bribing. One man takes away another's house from him. It is only the prisoner, who lives in such a tenement that he may be sure none will seek to take it from him!
[2] "You shall not covet your neighbor's WIFE." This is a bridle to check the uncontrolled and animal lusts. It was the devil that sowed another man's ground. Matt 13:25. But how is the hedge of this commandment trodden down in our times! There are many who do more than covet their neighbors' wives, they take them! "Cursed be he who lies with his father's wife; and all the people shall say, Amen." Deut 27:20. If it were to be proclaimed, "Cursed be he who lies with his neighbor's wife," and all that were guilty should say, "Amen," how many would curse themselves!
[3] "You shall not covet your neighbor's man-servant, nor his maidservant." Servants, when faithful, are a treasure. What a true and trusty servant Abraham had! He was his right hand. How prudent and faithful he was in the matter entrusted with him, of getting a wife for his master's son! Gen 24:9. It would surely have grieved Abraham if any one had enticed away his servant from him. But this sin of coveting servants is common. Many watched Downton Abbey, fantasising about the luxury of having so many servants to feed them, clean for them and dress them and many went on to resent the rich who still can afford servants. This is a sin against the tenth commandment.
[4] "You shall not covet your neighbor's ox, nor his donkey, nor anything which belongs to your neighbor." Today we would say, "you shall not covet your neighbour's BWM, nor his Porsche ..." Were there no coveting of these things, there would not be so much stealing. First men break the tenth commandment by coveting, and then the eighth commandment by stealing, and those who cannot steal the car will express the bitterness their covetousness has created by scratching the paintwork of his neighbour's Porsche with a key. It was an excellent appeal that Samuel made to the people when he said, "Witness against me before the Lord, whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey, or whom have I defrauded?" 1 Sam 12:3. It was a brave speech of Paul, when he said, "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel." Acts 20:33.
What MEANS should we use to keep us from coveting that which is our neighbour's?
The best remedy for covetousness is contentment. “...godliness with contentment is great gain,” 1 Timothy 6:6. If we are content with our own, we shall not covet that which is another's. Paul could say, "I have coveted no man's gold or silver." Whence was this? It was from contentment. "I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content." Phil 4:11. Contentment says, as Jacob did, "I have enough." Gen 33:11. I have a promise of heaven, and have sufficient to bear my charges there; I have enough. He who has enough, will not covet that which is another's. Be content! "In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need." Philippians 4:12
(1) The best way to be contented, is, to believe that condition to be best, which God by his providence carves out to you. If he had seen fit for us to have more—we would have had it. Perhaps we could not manage a great estate. It is hard to carry a full cup without spilling—and a full estate without sinning! Great estates may be snares. A boat may be overturned by having too much sail. Believing that estate to be best which God appoints us, makes us content; and being contented, we shall not covet that which is another's.
(2) The way to be content with such things as we have, and not to covet another's, is to consider the less we have, the less account we shall have to give at the last day. Every person is a steward, and must be accountable to God. “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” Luke 12:48. God will say, "What good have you done with your with all I have given you? Have you honoured me with your wealth? Where are the poor you have fed and clothed?" If you cannot give a good account, it will be sad. If God has given us less than others it should make us contented , to consider—the less riches, the less reckoning we will have to give for it. This is the way to have contentment. There is no better antidote against coveting that which is another's than being content with that which is our own.
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