Lesson 9: The 10th Commandment

Thou Shalt Not Covet

THE 10th COMMANDMENT-(coveting)
Exodus 20:17 “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour’s.”

update:

1.     No other Gods

2.     No graven images

3.     Honor his name

4.     Remember the Sabbath

5.     Honor your parents

6.     Don’t kill

7.     No adultery

8.     Don’t steal

9.     No false witness

10.                        No coveting

Remember that some commands are vertical (our relationship with God) then there are horizontal commands (relationship with others) — This command is the greatest of the horizontal commands for sure!

It becomes a “catch all” at the end of this awesome law. Other philosophies deal with basic don’ts. But NONE of them list this one!

*** WE NEED VICTORY OVER COVETOUSNESS *** or we will stomp on others for our own end

#10 IS VERY COMPREHENSIVE… it gets at the root of why we do things!
WHAT IS COVETING? = Desire? (NO) There is a place for desire in our life
Without proper desire, we would not accomplish much: Everything we call success stems from desire!

Desire causes: capitalism, work, eat, drink, social etiquette
I Corinthians 9:10 “Or saith he [it] altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, [this] is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.”

DESIRE causes you to work hard with a dream!
Desire is not a bad thing…
“DESIRE SPIRITUAL GIFTS”
“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER & THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS”

BUDDHA : “if we could eliminate all desire, we could eliminate evil” ——> So Nirvana is just glorified nothingness?
John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly. “ (( WHAT A DIFFERENCE ))

COVETNESS = “is when DESIRE becomes INORDINATE or UNLAWFUL”
It’s NOT WRONG for a man to desire a HOUSE, WIFE, CAR, PET, JOB etc… But it’s wrong to desire your neighbors… house, wife etc…
THIS LEVEL OF DESIRE PLANTS THE SEEDS OF WILLINGNESS TO: hurt, steal, kill Coveting it desire run rampant w/o control.
It will injure, hurt, even destroy to get what it wants!

COVETING IS NORMAL DESIRE GONE WRONG! — God help us find balance.
THIS UNBALANCED AREA OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS WHAT WE CALL ORIGINAL SIN. Coveting is at the root of the carnal mind – inner principal of sin
Ephesians 2:2-3 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

COVETING is a “defect in our power steering” = pulls us toward wrong a misalignment.
The inner carnal nature that pulls us (I want, I will, Whatever the cost)

Another practical word for coveting is GREED = Money, sex, power, praise, approval, status, authority
THIS IS A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM

Every culture has a proverb of sort about covetousness:
ENGLISH: Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
AESOPE : Man killed the goose that laid the golden egg – “MUCH WANTS MORE AND LOSSES ALL”
SCOTTISH: “Covetous man never has enough until his mouth is filled with mold”
HINDU : “Mention money, even a corpse opens it mouth”
BUSINESS: “Follow the money trail”

THIS SUBJECT HITS EVERY LEVEL OF LIFE WE HAVE: even the church!
Remember the story of David and the Lamb?
II Samuel 12:1-13 “And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich [man] had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor [man] had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, [As] the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this [thing] shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if [that had been] too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife [to be] thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give [them] unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst [it] secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. “

We even see this concept in a young child: They are happy with their toy UNTIL they see another kid’s toy!
Colossians 3:5 “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” —> GREED BECOMES IDOLATRY:

Our heart was created to be satisfied by Him! This allow things to take the place of God in our hearts!
God says “seek ye first the kingdom” = GREED seeks the “kingdom of things”

Most Commandments are practical Do’s & Don’ts ====> But #10 deals strictly with the heart! It deals with our attitudes!

HOW DO WE STOP IT?
#1. The first key to balancing your heart is to surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ: —-> We need the New Birth Exp. / produces new outlooks & values
PAUL HAD SURRENDERED: Ambition, Education, Ability, his keen mind…then declared… Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. “

DID THIS MEAN PAUL HAD LAID DOWN ALL AMBITION FOR GROWTH? NO! —> “I press toward the mark”
HE WAS A REVIVALIST!
Romans 10:1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
Galatians 4:19 “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,”

HE WAS CONTENT WITH THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF LIFE – (Life in the Vine!)<
This is really the only cure for discontentment

BOTTOM LINE:

WHO IS THE BOSS OF YOUR LIFE? ( you or your desires? )
I Corinthians 9:25 “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
We must be MASTERED by Jesus Christ!

Paul was mastered by Christ…
Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain.”

THIS IS THE ANSWER TO THE MIND OF THE FLESH
Total surrender & infilling of the Holy Ghost… Surrender your will!
Psalms 37:1-8 “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.”

The New Testament affirms the 10th Commandment
I Timothy 6:5-10 “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. “

THE BIBLE TEACHES US TO HAVE DESIRES THAT ARE TEMPERED BY CONTENTMENT