We are born with certain desires that God gave us to sustain our lives; such as eating, drinking, and a need to be loved. These in their proper place are good, but when they control us, the results can be bad and sinful. In Exodus 20:17, God gives us the command to not covet. What does it mean to covet? It is a yearning to possess something. To have your heart set on something to the point that you will think of it often, and seek ways to have it. The base nature of coveting is greed. It may be greed for things, or as mentioned in Exodus 20:17, even greed for people. It is a sinful desire that can consume a person and before long it is the driving force in their life.
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 is your neighbor’s.”
The Bible brings our attention to the weakness of the flesh. It offers solutions and gives direction for living that enables us to break out of our sin. Over and over God shares examples of those who are following him and, yet they fail, and sometimes with great consequences. God never glosses over sin. He tells it like it is!
David was one such life. He was a man that God said was after His own heart, but when it came to the sin of coveting he failed. He went to the rooftop, saw Bathsheba, and wanted her. As the King, all he had to do was make the request, and it was done. I’m sure if David had it to do over, things would have been very different.
God sets up barriers to protect us from ourselves, but it is our choice to obey. The sin of covetousness has been the cause of war, murder, rape, theft, adultery, broken homes, broken friendships, and ultimately, broken lives.
In Joshua chapter 7 we see a great example of this sinful act. Joshua had just led God’s people through the battle of Jericho. There was a tremendous victory and much to be thankful for. Next came the city of Ai. The instructions were very clear they were to kill everything and take no goods for themselves. Israel lost the battle. In a pity party, they begin to question why God would do this to them. God answered, you have sinned and transgressed my covenant.
Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned; ‘they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings.”
Achan did not see anything wrong with taking some of the garments, gold, and silver, and keeping it for himself, but God did! The instructions were clear and as with any other sin, God does not let it slip. When exposed it cost Achan his life and the life of his family! He saw, he wanted, and he took, but he paid a great price for the coveting heart that controlled him. It also affected others and cost them their lives. Achan confessed, but the price still had to be paid.
Joshua 7:20-21 “And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
This commandment is not archaic, but very profitable for us today. Below is a passage in Romans that explains how this, and all God’s commandments, are still to be enforced today.
Romans 7:7-12 “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
