10. Covetousness

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17

Coveting. Old-fashioned word. Who uses this word anymore? Perhaps we don’t use it because it’s too biblical. People nowadays aren’t too keen on quoting bibleisms. Leave that the pastors. Now we use jealous. Or even that word has become a bit too graphic and distasteful so we have shortened it to jelly. Yep, that’s sweet, isn’t it.

So is to covet something the same as being jealous? Well, yes, to some degree but it entails so much more. Let’s look at the definition first.

Covet is a verb so it’s an action. It’s something that one does. According to Webster’s Dictionary online, It means: to wish for earnestly; to desire (what belongs to another) inordinately or culpable; or to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another.

Jealousy is based in fear: fear of losing something or someone or of being inferior to someone. To covet means I want what you have so much that I am willing to do anything in order to get it. This is the problem and the reason for many problems we see in society. I think the terms get a bit mixed up in our current culture and both have their ills, but God thought it important call out covetousness because it causes great harm to the community, as well as the individuals involved.

Have you ever covets anything? Wanted it so bad that you would do anything to get it. Have you?

I have never been much of a coveter because I am a worker and fairly clear in my desires, but I have for many years wanted my own backyard oasis. This isn’t something that I’m willing to hock myself up for, but whenever I see one by either someone I know or on tv or driving down the street, or just anywhere I am jealous (feeling inferior without it) and covet it (wish for it earnestly), but I am not willing to do anything to have it.

I wait on God. He has always provided what I need so I do not get bent out of shape for things that He hasn’t provided. I really, really want a pool, And I believe that I will have that someday. But it’s just not now. Sometimes it takes a long time, we grow impatient in the waiting. When I bought the house I live in, I pasted a picture on the window of the pool oasis I wanted to see out the window. It is the perfect spot for my dream. It has been nearly a decade and the picture has been distorted by the sun. I have thought about taking it down but each time I consider it, I find myself feeling like that is giving up. I won’t give up.

God has shown me in the past that if I keep the faith and my dream doesn’t fade, He is good to provide in the right time. I have come to accept that the pool out my current window may not come to fruition, but that oasis lurks waiting somewhere in my future. I can depend on that.

This is why I believe that coveting is something God thought so strongly about including in the Big Ten. Coveting destroys because it may not be the blessing He has for us. It creates discontent and dissension in the individuals it affects and in the community. Crime’s of passion and desperation occur and even if the coveter gets what they take, they are not content in the receipt of it.

God is good. He knows what He is doing. If we wait we get just what we need, even if it takes a while.

Next week we look at lies.

Have a good week! May God bless your desires.