Unholy Desire

While the Hebrew word for “covet” can also be translated “to desire,” in the tenth commandment it means an ungoverned and selfish desire that threatens the basic rights of others. Coveting was sinful because it focused greedily on the property of a neighbor that was his share in the land God had promised His people.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 Covetousness

Covetousness is a very grave sin; indeed, so heinous is it that the Scriptures class it among the very gravest and grossest crimes (Eph 5:3). In Col 3:5 it is “idolatry,” while in 1 Cor 6:10 it is set forth as excluding a man from heaven. Its heinousness, doubtless, is accounted for by its being in a very real sense the root of so many other forms of sin, e.g. departure from the faith (1 Tim 6:9, 10); lying (2 K 5:22–25); theft (Josh 7:21); domestic trouble (Prov 15:27); murder (Ezk 22:12); indeed, it leads to “many foolish and hurtful lusts” (1 Tim 6:9)

A country music song by Reba McEntire from the 1980’s titled Why do we want sums up the illogical nature of coveting very well. This is the chorus:

Why do we want What we know we can't have Why don't we want What's in the palm of our hands Why we always looking At what's just out of our grasp Why do we want What we know we can't have

Consider these well-known examples from Scripture of the troubles that arose from the sin of covetousness.

Eve and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil () God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden and gave them free reign. They had access to countless items to enjoy, with the exception of only one tree. God placed the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil off limits - for their own good. But “when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate” () Eve coveted and the world was plunged into sin

Achan & the Devoted Items () God placed a ban of total destruction on Jericho. God decreed that these city was to be totally destroyed; only that which passed through the fire was to go into the Lord’s treasury. Joshua explicitly stated that the Israelites were to “keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction” () Achan sinned by taking and hiding loot from items under the ban. When confronted by Joshua, Achan said, “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.” (). As a result of Achan’s covetousness, 36 Israelites were killed at Ai (), and he and his entire family were stoned and burned ()

Understanding and Avoiding the Dangers of Covetousness

The sin of covetousness is a very serious sin. It is an umbrella sin in the sense that many of the specific sins we can commit start with the sin of covetousness. The Apostle Paul calls the sin of covetousness idolatry in ; and the Apostle James tells us that murders occur due to unholy and unnatural desires (). Our county recently experienced such an event. The murder of Blade occured because he was seeing his old girlfriend. The girlfriend had a baby by another man, and then they broke up. Even though he couldn’t have her, he made sure no one else could either, even if it meant killing another person.

Coveting can lead to stealing, slandering, adultery, gambling, and other sins. Anytime we allow our desires to grow in an unnatural manner, we place ourselves in an unhealthy and dangerous position. We do not to realize there is nothing wrong or sinful with a normal motivation to succeed or accomplish. If we have no desire at all, we will fall into the sin of slothfulness and we will become a drain on society.

The key to a proper understanding of desire is balance. God gives us a work ethic and commands us to work to provide for our families (). God also tells us we are to do our best () because we are doing it in His Name. Christians are to be high achievers in the marketplace, on the farm, in school, and where ever else we go.

The problem comes when we do not accept what we have been given by God. If, at your best, you are a C+ student, then accept that and do not grow an unnatural desire to be an A student (which could lead to cheating). If you are an A student and you do your best and only get a B, accept that you aren’t a failure. Be content with the B and don’t covet the 4.0 status (idolatry, stress, sickness).

God has given you a skill / ability / desire for vocational work. If you are working in that area and are doing your best, but only have modest means, be content with your own home. Don’t covet a larger one or buy beyond your means to impress people. If your cars average between 150K - 200K miles, don’t covet the church member who drives a late-model escalade or a F350.

Strive to be like the Apostle Paul who learned to be content in whatever situation the Lord allowed him to experience (Philippians 4:11-13)

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