Apr. 12, 2023

“THE TEN COMMANDMENTS”

“BEING CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE”

EXODUS 20:17

Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

This command has to do with being dissatisfied with what we have been given.

“Coveting”- means an illicit craving which lead to an illicit plotting to possess that which belongs legitimately to someone else or “your neighbor.”

The Categories Listed in this Verse are Pretty Significant:

1. Your Neighbors Possessions- “the coveting of a neighbors house.”
2. People- “…you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant.”
3. Your Neighbors Means of Productivity- “ nor his ox, nor his donkey.” 
4. Your Neighbors Things- “nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”- Anything else they own

Proverbs 21:26 “He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives and does not spare.”

At the heart of covetousness is seeing someone else losing so I can win.

The Concern of Covetousness: Covetousness starts with the desire, even if there is not the fulfillment of the act. When Jesus was teaching, He said if a person says in their heart, it is as if you have already done it.

The covetous, materialistic person will choose gold over God.

Luke 12:15-21

Materialism is putting the physical before the spiritual.

Colossians 3:1-4

The love of money. This commandment was fundamentally given so the people would really see their sinfulness:

Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

Paul says covetousness showed him how sinful he really was.

All kinds of sins are wrapped up in this command: Self-pity, jealousy, envious, greed, pride, strife.

The core of this command is that I trust God with what is mine so I don’t have to look for someone else’s.

Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.”

The Disaster of Covetousness: 

Colossians 3:5 “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

So here is the point- the covetous person is actually blocking God from blessing them.

There is only one answer for this sin- The answer is “contentment.”

Contentment- is inner satisfaction with where  I am and with what I have until God blesses me with more.

Hebrews 13:5-6

Let your character be free from loving money, and don’t put things before God.

Matthew 6:31-34

God will never leave you nor forsake you.

Can you say that God has got it? Are you at rest where you are?

Philippians 4:6-7 

Psalm 27:4