Commandment 10 - Never Satisfied

COMMANDMENT 10 - NEVER SATISFIED

Whilst thinking about the final commandment the other day, I came across this rather amusing ditty:

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, his ox thou shall not slaughter, but thank the Lord it is not a crime, to covet thy neighbour's daughter."

True, in the list of things one should not covet "thy neighbour's daughter" is not specifically included.

However, we do well to recall that the actual commandment says "You shall not covet anything which belongs to your neighbour" and that must include his daughter.

And this is probably the commandment we find hardest to observe.

The word 'covet' according to the Oxford Dictionary means "to desire greatly."

And this, I want to suggest, is dangerous.

Firstly, "coveting" encourages materialism. A covetous person is one whose mind is set on this world or, to use St. Paul's rather blunt words, "his god is his belly". Such people cannot see further than things - food, drink, money, possessions, pleasure.

The story is told of a rich banker who was given a lavish funeral. Unfortunately there was a printing error in the service paper. Instead of the line in the hymn reading "land me safe on Canaan's side" it read, "land my safe on Canaan's side". But that is the one thing we cannot do. We cannot land our safe on Canaan’s side. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Secondly, "covetousness" encourages a discontented spirit. If we are always wanting, we call never be satisfied. It's like having an everlasting itch.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews advises us: Keep yourself free from the love of money, and be content with what you have for He has said ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’”.(Hebrews 13.5)

The one and only possession Christians should want above all others is Jesus. Then we can say with St. Paul: "I have learned to be content with whatever I have”. (Phil 4.11)

Thirdly, covetousness encourages a selfish spirit. A covetous person very quickly becomes interested only in him or herself, and what they can get out of life, rather than what they can put in it.

Fourthly, covetousness encourages debt. In one's attempt to acquire what other people also have, it is very easy to get into debt in order to satisfy one’s craving.

I am reminded of a very immoral advertisement of some years ago which claimed "Access takes the waiting out of wanting."

In other words, you can satisfy your hunger today by building up debt for tomorrow.

Finally, covetousness encourages idolatry. Eventually if we "desire things greatly", they can become more important than God in our lives. Things take first place and God second place.

And this is where we came in when we considered the first commandment with the question, "Who or what comes first in your life”?

A Christian puts God at all times first in his or her life and expresses his/her love of God above love for other people.

So the Old Testament says “You shall not covet”; and the New Testament says “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, it is more blessed to give than to receive. Love your neighbour as yourself for love is the fulfilling of the Law."