The 10th Commandment

The Tenth Commandment

"Thou Shall Not Covet"

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Deuteronomy 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Does it still apply today?

Because of the the simple wording of the commandment, and the specific things mentioned, some may feel that it doesn't seem to apply to us today, but the spirit of the law carries through all time. The purpose of this lesson is to show the importance of this commandment today.

Some will say that the law was nailed to the cross at the crucifixion of Jesus. That is true, but only the portion that dealt with His advent and sacrifice for our sins, that is, the laws dealing with sacrifice. He fulfilled that law and it was taken away because it no longer applies, but has the law against murder been cancelled? Or stealing? Or adultery? Of course not.

The tenth commandment is no exception. All of God's law was given for a reason. To make us aware that it is in force and effect just like any other law. The law of gravity for instance. We find out early and quickly about the law of gravity. It doesn't have to be written down for us to learn it well. Some laws have to be revealed to us because they are not as apparent, although the penalty is still there as surely as the one that comes when we violate the law of gravity. The tenth commandment is like that.

So, what's the problem?

The tenth commandment could be called the ignored commandment, because it is the one that is overlooked the most. We are always aware of other commmandments like, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery. We always remember these, don't we? But, we are seldom actively conscious of thou shalt not covet.

The problem is that the effects for disregarding it can be absolutely devastating, and ignoring it is sin. That's the problem.

What is sin?

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law

What a simple definition of sin! Read it again. Sin, in whatever form, is breaking the law and that includes the tenth commandment.

James, our Lord's brother, alludes to this in his letter to us.

James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Why is it important not to sin?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, it is important not to sin for the penalty is ultimately death. But, sin also brings other penalties in this life while we are in the flesh body. We reap what we sow!

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Why is awareness of the spirit of the tenth commandment important?

Okay. So it is sin, but why is the tenth commandment so important? Surely other commandments, like the one that says not to murder are far more important and that is why we remember them.

On the surface that would seem to be true but what causes us to commit murders? Again, James says it best.

James 4:1-3 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Murder is a very serious crime (I John 3:15), but as James points out above, lusting (coveting) is very often what leads to murder. It also leads to fornication and adultery, to stealing, and to bearing false witness. It can even lead to neglecting the needs of our aged parents, which is a gross violation of the commandment to honor thy father and thy mother.

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Jesus sternly warns us.

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

What are some examples of ways we break the spirit of the tenth commandment today without knowing it?

By participating in any fraudulent scheme where someone loses in order for others to win. Here are a couple of the more obvious ones that are popular today.

Pyramid schemes, for instance, where some few benefit but most participants lose. Pyramid schemes would require more than the entire population of the world to continue after just 10 or so levels. The only winners are those at the top while the vast majority at some point in the process lose their investment. Multilevel marketing can be set up like a pyramid scheme, so be careful!

Casino gambling is a similar example. Casinos are everywhere now and still more are being planned and built everyday. What is wrong with them? They are a problem for us because they take advantage of our covetous nature, and they are somewhat similar to pyramid schemes in that the many lose and only the few win. Through their mesmerizing advertising they convince millions of us every day that we are going to win, but remember this there is always a continuing loss by the players. There has to be or the casinos couldn't stay in business, so the deck is stacked against you.

A few years ago I noticed a sign advertising a well known casino which stated "our slots have a 90 percent pay back". "Well gosh and golly", a casino visitor might say,"that's great pay back". I see it differently. What I see is a constant 10 percent loss by the players to the casino. To me that means for every dollar I put in one of their machines, my average return over the long haul is only 90 cents. That is certainly not good business. Think about it.

In pyramid schemes and casinos many always lose for one to win, and their operating platform is based on our desire to get.

What causes us to covet?

James 4:4-5 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

It is part of your human nature to want to get. It is a natural component of our psychological makeup but when it is unbridled it is called greed. It and our hormones can drive us relentlessly.

There are other influences being impressed upon us.

The underpinning of our western twentieth century culture is the economic system we call capitalism. It might better be called consumerism, because we are a consumerist society and the mechanism employed to encourage us to consume is the constant manipulation of the lust and greed components of our emotions.

A great American died recently, his name was Vance Packard. In the late 1950's he wrote a book called The Hidden Persuaders. It caused quite a stir because it exposed how we are persuaded by the advertising industry to buy, buy, buy, and how they have profoundly shaped the way we think. I recommend that you read this book if you can still find a copy of it. It is a strong testimony of how the greed component of our human nature has been carefully molded by those who are smarter than we without our knowledge.

Day in and day out, we are under constant bombardment from every side with information (mostly advertising) that is designed to shape our thinking and trigger our basic impulses to get. When you walk or drive down the street you may pass hundreds of signs and billboards everyday each of which is designed to catch your attention and activate your desire. When we listen to the radio, watch the television, read the newspaper, or possibly worst of all, peruse our favorite magazine, we are being seduced by the ads. All too often, the pressure to comply becomes overwhelming and the seduction is complete.

A new word has recently been added to our vocabulary. It is edutainment. Television, movies, books and other forms of entertainment are tailored to shape our thinking as well as entertain. The word is new but the practice has been going on for a long time and increases in intensity every day that goes by.

As a consequence, most of us in who have been reared under the influence of western civilization suffer from a chronic psychological disease. I call it chronic shoppers syndrome. When we get bored, we shop. Shop till you drop we say, as if its expected of us, that it is normal. We have let ourselves be totally programmed to shop.

So what, I like to shop! Well, that's okay to some degree but the problem is that we don't pay with cash anymore. We pay with plastic, and that means debt with usury and that leads to problems.

Enticement is everywhere!

Today the compulsion to get is very strong. Prosperity preachers use it against us all the time. They promise you wealth if you will send them money. They are modern day Balaams coveting your money while passing themselves off as servants of God. Ever notice how much time they spend in the moneychanger end of the temple? Ever notice how little meat is in their teaching and how much showmanship? They put out a lot of puffery and hoopla along with a little milk and pablum.

Jude 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

I don't know any place in the scriptures where God promises you physical wealth in return for giving your substance to other men. Be very careful who you support. Ask our Father for wisdom in this area so that you won't be deceived.

What is the effect today?

Incredible debt is the main thing, with all the attendant problems. The stress level is very high. It seems that half the population of America is on Prozac, or something similar. Unnatural stress affects our health adversely over time, both mentally and physically. Stress can literally kill you.

It can also cause you to act strangely. The pressure that comes from being deeply in debt causes us to do things that we ordinarily wouldn't do. White collar crime mostly, but the need for cash due to debt also results in crimes of violence, muggings, robberies, and even murder. It also results in heavy taxation, fees, tolls, fines, higher interest rates and prices.

But, more importantly, what about the staggering traumatic effects of broken marriages, broken homes, broken hearts and broken lives?

What can we do?

Once again, James says it best.

James 4:7-8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

You say, But the devil didn't make me do it. You said my own nature and smart people did
That is true, but the smart people are the children of the devil.

The devil has offspring?

Yes he does! They came as a result of his seduction of Eve in the form of Cain, son of the Devil himself.

1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Jesus was speaking to some of the very descendents of Lucifer. They are the tares mentioned in Matt. 13. They do exist and are scattered among us and they have been given the upper hand temporarily

Conclusion.

We live under the influence of Satan's children and they have done a number on us with regards to coveting. Through their programs they have taken advantage of our weaknesses as stated above and they are guilty, but we are the more guilty because we let them do it to us by ignoring the Tenth Commandment.

He that has an ear to hear, let him hear.

I hope by now that you are more aware of the spirit of the Tenth Commandment, and that our disregard for it has resulted in serious consequences. Look around you and consider how many of the problems we have today come as a result of our habitual coveting. We all, every one of us, need to remember the 10th commandment and begin to apply it in our lives. God gave it to us for our benefit.

by an anonymous bible student of S.C.