The Dangerous Commandment

Verse of the day: 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 belongs to your neighbor.”

Here we find another sin that is often overlooked, just like gossip; but is a sin that is very dangerous, as it takes us down the path to other sins. I will first remind us that the writer of Hebrews wrote in chapter 13, verse 5-6, to avoid a life of covetousness, being satisfied with what we have, and reminding us, that God will never leave us nor forsake us. We should be completely satisfied with having the Lord in our lives; even if that is the only thing we have. Having the Lord as our Helper is the greatest thing we can possess in this lifetime. The word “covet” used here means “to delight greatly” “to lust after with great desire”. In other words, we are not to desire after anything that belongs to our neighbor, whether it be his/her property, belongings, or relationships in their lives. James made it very clear that it is our lustful desires that leads us to sin (James 1:15). Covetousness leads to discontentment and envy. When we put our eyes on what others have, we begin to take inventory of what we do not have. However, what we do not have is what God has chosen not to give us, and He has chosen that for a reason. As born again believers we are called to be content (Philippians 4:10-13). We are called to be thankful at all times, regardless of our circumstances, and what we have or do not have (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The Apostle Paul, in Colossians 3:5, tells us that covetousness is equal to idolatry. When we covet, we allow our lustful desires to drive us to go after what we are coveting, regardless of whether or not God wants it for us. Whatever we covet becomes our god. Hence, why it equals idolatry. A life of covetousness can cause us to take the Lord’s Name in vain, as we proclaim our Christianity, but show everyone, by the way we live, that what we worship money, material things, and those things that are more important to the world. We can treasure our earthly belongings to the extent that we would fail to take care of our parents because we do not want to spend our resources to help them in their old age. We saw from yesterday’s devotional that King Ahab’s covetousness, in 1 Kings 21, led to Naboth’s death when Queen Jezebel hired a couple of false witness in order to obtain Naboth’s land for the king. Covetousness can lead to lying, murder, and robbery, as Naboth was not only murdered for his land, but in essence, he was falsely accused, and robbed of both his reputation and his land. When we covet our neighbor’s relationships, it leads us down the path to adultery. When we covet his wife, and desire her, imagining ourselves in his place and lusting after her, Jesus said, in Matthew 5:28, that we have committed adultery with her in our heart already. Many of us have probably heard the term “keeping up with the Joneses”. A term used for people who try to outdo their neighbors (because of covetousness and pride) by upgrading what they have (even though what they have may already be functional), such as cars, gadgets, interior and exterior “home improvements”. This is not a term that should describe the Christian’s lifestyle; instead, we should be known for a lifestyle as describe by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:6-8. These verses read as follows, “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” The Apostle Paul learned how to be content in whatever state he was in, because it was Christ who strengthened him in his ability to be content (Philippians 4:10-13). If we have Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, and therefore, we too can learn to be content with whatever God chooses to give us or not give us. To indulge in covetous behavior is to set ourselves up to violate God’s commands, especially the most important commandments we have been given by Jesus Himself in Matthew 22:37-40, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’”

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).