← Back to sermon library

Exodus 20, we're in the 10th 
commandment, so Exodus 20 at verse 17, but I'll read beginning 
in verse 1. And God spoke all these words, 
saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land 
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other 
gods before me. You shall not make for yourself 
a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven 
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water 
under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, 
nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am 
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, 
to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing 
mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. 
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for 
the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember 
the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and 
do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 
your God. In it you shall do no work, you 
nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your 
female servant, nor your cattle. nor your stranger who is within 
your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the 
earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh 
day. Therefore the Lord blessed the 
Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother, 
that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your 
God is giving you. You shall not murder, you shall not commit 
adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness 
against your neighbor, you shall not covet your neighbor's house, 
you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor 
his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything 
that is your neighbor's. Now all the people witnessed 
the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, 
and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they 
trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, You 
speak with us, and we will hear. But let not God speak with us, 
lest we die. And Moses said to the people, 
Do not fear, for God has come to test you, and that his fear 
may be before you, so that you may not sin. So the people stood 
afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God 
was." Amen. So finishing or concluding the 
second table of the law, which is summarized in Leviticus 19.18, 
you shall love your neighbor as yourself, The first table 
is obviously summarized in Deuteronomy 6, 4. Love the Lord your God 
with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Well, as we have 
seen, we move from action in terms of actual acts or activities 
or things that people do, into word, the ninth commandment, 
and now into thought, the tenth commandment. And I think that 
this underscores the spirituality of God's law. It's not just kept 
when we do it or comply externally, but it affects us on the internal 
as well. So I want to look first at the 
prohibition of the commandment, and then secondly, the positive 
aspect of the commandment. In terms of explanation, you 
shall not covet your neighbor's house, and then it goes on to 
underscore other things. Webster's 1828 defines covetousness 
this way, to desire inordinately, to desire that which it is unlawful 
to obtain or possess. One commentator says, illicit 
desire was the root from which all the other sins would spring. 
Now, covet can be used in a more general sense, desiring or wanting 
or craving. We see specifically here, with 
reference to the prohibition, it mentions several things that 
belong to our neighbor, but then it underscores at the end, nor 
anything that is your neighbor. So it's not a condemnation of 
having a legitimate desire for things. It's not wrong to want 
electricity. It's not wrong to want a fan. 
It's not wrong to want a car. These things are not wrong in 
and of themselves, but as the definition says, to desire inordinately, 
to desire that which it is unlawful to obtain or possess. So obviously, 
if something belongs to our neighbor, and we have this inordinate desire 
for it, it's not our property, it is not ours to have, and therefore 
to engage in that sort of desire is wrong, it's condemned. Now, 
in terms of this commandment's relation to the other commandments, 
the 10th commandment deals with the heart and shows that none 
of the previous commandments could be complied with only externally. I think that was the problem 
the Pharisees and the scribes had at the time of Jesus. Insofar 
as you didn't end somebody's life, or insofar as you didn't 
actually go into your neighbor's wife, you were okay. You had 
complied with the law. That's why Jesus clears away 
that fog, clears away that misinterpretation in the Sermon on the Mount and 
says, no, it's wrong for you to engage in character assassination. It's wrong for you to have unwarranted 
anger, unlawful anger. It's wrong for you to look upon 
a woman, to lust after her in your heart. The law isn't complied 
with simply externally, but it affects the internal disposition, 
it affects the mind. Now the sin of covetousness often 
leads to an overt act of transgression. You can turn to the prophet Micah. 
Micah chapter 2. Micah prophesied the same time 
as Isaiah. And remember in the days of Isaiah, 
woe to those who call good evil and evil good. Well you see that 
same sort of thing operative in the prophet Micah. and he 
comes to condemn different types of sins. And in Micah 2 at verse 
1, it says, But it doesn't need to lead to 
an external act of transgression for it to still be the sin of 
covetousness. One commentator on the book of 
Deuteronomy, his name is Craigie, he says it is this dimension 
of the commandments that is taken up in the teaching of Jesus. 
Not only the act, but also the desire is condemned, partly because 
the desire is what leads to the act, and partly because whether 
or not the desire leads to the act, it betrays the same wrong 
attitude about a neighbor. So the commandment calls upon 
us not to just regulate our external conduct, but to our thought life. The commandments of God in the 
Decalogue extend, yes, to the actions, to the thoughts, as 
well to the words that we see in the 9th commandment. So God 
has total claim over our lives. As well, the 10th commandment 
is linked to the 1st commandment by the Apostle Paul. You can 
turn to Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, where the 
apostle links the 10th commandment to the 1st commandment. Notice 
in Ephesians chapter 5, specifically at verse 5, For this you know, 
that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, 
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. So with reference 
to this covetous man who is an idolater, one commentator says, 
thus the commandments come full circle. To break the tenth is 
to break the first. For covetousness means setting 
our hearts and affections on things that then take the place 
of God. I think at times we underestimate 
the power or the extensiveness or the comprehensiveness of the 
first commandment. You shall have no other gods 
before me. And we reckon, well, I'm not bowing to an idol. I'm 
not bowing to Baal. bowing to Moloch, I'm not bowing 
to my money, but when we give attention or affection or desire 
to that which is not God, we need to make sure that we're 
not making a God out of that thing in and of itself. If we 
seek comfort from it, if we seek safety from it, then it may just 
be taking the place of God Almighty. I think that's a very powerful 
sort of link there between the covetous man who is an idolater, 
a link between the 10th and the first commandment. Now, with 
reference to the prohibition, if you go back to Exodus, you'll 
notice that the neighbor's house comes first, and in Deuteronomy 
5, his wife comes first. I think this is probably just 
stylistic. In Deuteronomy, it mentions his 
field. That may be because they're on the brink of entering into 
the promised land where they'll get their tribal allotments. 
Up until this point, they've been wandering in the wilderness 
and nobody's really had a field for somebody else to covet at 
that particular point. So a little bit later on, that's 
added for further clarity. But here specifically, you shall 
not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's 
wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, 
nor his donkey. But then again, notice the end, 
nor anything that is your neighbor's. with reference to the inordinate 
desire of a neighbor's wife. Remember, when we looked at neighbor 
in terms of other commandments, it doesn't mean somebody who 
lives right next to you. Neighbor, as it's used biblically, 
does not demand proximity, it does not demand closeness. So 
it's not the case, well, I'm not coveting my neighbor's wife, 
I just happen to be coveting the wife that lives over in the 
next neighborhood. That's not the way around this 
particular commandment. Proximity and closeness has nothing 
to do with it, but it's anyone with whom you have contact. So 
the prohibition is against anybody with whom you have contact, and 
even those you don't have contact, it's not okay to covet your neighbor's 
wife if it's somebody that you don't even know. As well, the 
coveting of another man's wife is directly related to the lust 
condemned by Jesus in Matthew 5. We can turn there. Matthew 
chapter 5. Again, we should feel the power 
of Jesus' words that it's not only a condemnation of the external 
act of adultery that's in view, but it's the internal act of 
lust or heart adultery that Jesus condemns. In Matthew 5, 27, you 
have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit 
adultery. Remember, the antithesis here 
is not between Jesus and Moses. That is a misreading of the Sermon 
on the Mount, to believe that Jesus is somehow dissing Moses 
or elevating the law above Moses. When he says, you have heard 
that it was said to those of old by the bad interpreters of 
Moses. by those who misunderstood, by 
those who only focused on the external. There's enough condemnation 
of heart adultery in the Old Testament to send all of us to 
hell for an everlasting amount of eternities. Solomon, throughout 
Proverbs, cautions his son about looking at women in a way that 
is not righteous. And so Jesus does that very same 
thing. You have heard that it was said 
to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. Remember Job 
and Job 31. Job 31.1, he makes a covenant 
with his eyes. Why does Job do that? Because 
Job knows that in order to break that particular law, it doesn't 
just require the actual act of adultery, having to transpired, 
but having that lost in your heart. Job knows that, so he 
makes this covenant with his eyes so that he does not look 
upon a young woman. So here Jesus says, but I say 
to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already 
committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye 
causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. For it 
is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than 
for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right 
hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. For 
it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish 
than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Again, he's not 
actually saying we should gouge out eyes and cut off hands. Origen, the church father, I 
think actually did that. He emasculated himself in order 
to not sin this particular sin. Guess what? He probably still 
sinned this particular sin. Even if a person emasculates 
themselves, they cannot divest their thoughts or minds of the 
sin that intrudes. So Jesus is not suggesting that 
literally we gouge out our own eye or we cut off our own hand, 
but what he is saying is that we deal radically with our sin. 
And in this particular context, the prohibition is against looking 
upon a woman to lust. If you've done that, then you've 
already broken the commandment that prohibits adultery. So back 
to covetousness. You shall not covet your neighbor's 
wife. The coveting of another man's 
wife is an offense to God. It's obviously an offense to 
her and to her husband, and it's an offense to your own wife. 
You ought to be content with the one whom God has given you. 
If you turn to Proverbs chapter 5, that is specifically Solomon's 
counsel. When it comes to the three R's 
of sexual purity, the first is, remove your way far from her, 
and do not go near the door of her house. But then the second 
is to rejoice with the wife of your youth. Notice in verse 18, 
let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of 
your youth. As a loving dear and a graceful 
doe, let her breast satisfy you at all times, and always be enraptured 
with her love. For why should you, my son, be 
enraptured by an immoral woman and be embraced in the arms of 
a seductress?" So it's a sin not only against the person you're 
coveting, but it's a sin against your own bride or against your 
own husband. This isn't just a man's sin, 
it's a woman's sin as well. Now secondly, in terms of the 
inordinate desire of a neighbor's goods, Again, this does not preclude 
us from saying, boy, that's a nice car. But it does preclude us 
from having an inordinate desire for something that does not belong 
to us. The prohibition covers specific 
items mentioned in verse 17. You shall not covet your neighbor's 
house. You shall not covet his male servants, his female servants, 
nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's. 
The Lord does not condemn the physical world, He does not condemn 
owning possessions, and He does not condemn hard work as a means 
by which you buy those goods. He condemns this inordinate desire 
of your brother's or your neighbor's stuff. You're not supposed to 
do that. He condemns the unlawful desire 
of something that does not belong to you. And then ultimately, 
the presence of covetousness, as we've seen earlier, oftentimes 
leads to the actual act of transgression. Again, make sure that we understand 
covetousness in and of itself, whether we act upon it or not, 
is sin. Jesus says that in terms of sexual unfaithfulness in Matthew 
chapter 5, but whether or not we act upon this covetousness, 
it's a sin. But when we look at covetousness 
in the Bible, we see that it often does lead to external acts 
of transgression. Turn back to the book of Genesis 
in Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3, we see this 
in the first temptation, specifically at verse 6. So when the woman 
saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to 
the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of 
its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband 
with her, and he ate. So she saw it, it was tantalizing, 
it was appealing, there was something about it that she certainly wanted, 
and so she reached out and she took that fruit. Turn over to 
Joshua chapter seven. Joshua chapter 7, the case of 
Achan at Ai. Joshua chapter 7, specifically 
at verses 20 and 21. Again, covetousness in and of 
itself is sin, but that covetousness oftentimes is the prelude to 
an external act of transgression that brings even greater sin 
and condemnation. Notice in Joshua 7 at verse 19, 
Joshua said to Achan, my son, I beg you, give glory to the 
Lord God of Israel, make confession to him, and tell me now what 
you have done. Do not hide it from me. And Achan 
answered Joshua and said, indeed, I have sinned against the Lord 
God of Israel, and this is what I have done. When I saw among 
the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver 
and a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and 
took them. And there they are, hidden in 
the earth, in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it." 
Now, if he had only coveted it but didn't act upon it, it would 
have been a sin before God, and God, of course, deals with sin. 
But when he actually acted upon that, he brought great judgment 
to bear, not only upon himself, but upon his family. They were 
executed for that transgression, for that rebellion. Turn over 
to 2 Samuel 11. If you go through these particular 
passages, you might be inclined to say, Jesus is right. I better 
gouge out my eyes, because when I look upon a thing, I may engage 
in covetousness, which may lead me on to further sin. But that's 
not necessary. Make a covenant with your eyes 
the way that Job says. Notice in 2 Samuel 11, verse 
1, it happened in the spring of the year, at the time when 
kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants 
with him and all Israel. I've heard this moralized before, 
and I don't actually approve of moralization, but I think 
that there is something to be said here. David should have 
gone to battle. When we do what we're supposed 
to do, we're at least not as prone to sinning, right? If we 
are busily engaged in the act of killing Canaanites, then we 
won't be going into Bathsheba, or rather Philistines. So this 
was not a good step in terms of David. He sent Joab and his 
servants with him, and all Israel. They destroyed the people of 
Ammon and besieged Rabbah, but David remained at Jerusalem. 
Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed 
and walked on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof 
he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 
So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, 
Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the 
Hittite? Then David sent messengers and 
took her. And she came to him, and he lay 
with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity, and she returned 
to her house. And the woman conceived, so she 
sent and told David, and said, I am with child." When he's on 
that rooftop, had he seen, had he lusted, had he coveted, that 
would have been sin, that would have been wrong. But if he stopped 
at that point, it wouldn't have brought the sort of consequences 
that it brought to him and his household from this vantage point. 1 Kings chapter 21. When Ahab 
wants to extend his own property line, he wants to take what is 
Naboth's. Of course, Ahab doesn't have 
the chutzpah to do this, so Jezebel, that mother of the year, comes 
along and pushes him into the ring so that he goes and he engages 
in this activity. And then turn to Proverbs chapter 
6. Proverbs chapter 6. Again, the whole idea behind 
lust or covetousness, and then the act of transgression. Again, 
not that it's not transgression, but it's in a different category. 
Notice in 625, Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor 
let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot, a man 
is reduced to a crust of bread, and an adulteress will prey upon 
his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom 
and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals and 
his feet not be seared? So is he who goes into his neighbor's 
wife. Whoever touches her shall not 
be innocent. Again, notice the fact that Solomon 
doesn't begin with the act, he begins with the prelude. Verse 
25, Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure 
you with her eyelids. And then turn to the book of 
James. James 1. James chapter 1, to see how covetousness 
often is a precursor to even more serious and vile sin. James 1, verses 14 and 15. Well, verse 12, blessed is the 
man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he 
will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to 
those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, 
I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor 
does he himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when 
he is drawn away. excuse me, by his own desires 
and enticed, then when desire has conceived, it gives birth 
to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." So there's 
the anatomy of sin. There's how you want to throw 
it under the microscope and see how it all fleshes itself out. 
That's precisely how it goes. Each one is tempted when he is 
drawn away by his own desires and enticed. I think the language 
there, it's been some time since I looked at it in detail, I think 
the language has to do with fishing. The hook is set in the mouth 
of the fish, and it's easy to land in. The same sort of thing. 
Each one is tempted when he is drawn away, is drawing away by 
his own desires, and he's enticed. Once this takes place, when desire 
is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full 
grown, brings forth death. So you've got the inordinate 
desire of a neighbor's wife, the inordinate desire of a neighbor's 
goods, but it's also an expression of discontent, an expression 
of discontentedness. When we are covetous people, 
the desire for anything that is our neighbor's reveals a heart 
of discontentedness at what God has given or not given to us. And very often, we can exacerbate 
that sin by making comparisons. Sometimes husbands or wives will 
say, why aren't you more like so and so? Why aren't you more 
like so and so? Now, I'm not the best marriage 
counselor in the world, brethren, but I guarantee you, That is 
never calculated to help a marriage. When you compare your spouse, 
the horrible one, to the upright specimen of godly virtue and 
masculinity or femininity that happens to live close to you, 
you're doing great disservice to your spouse. Don't do this, 
okay? Again, Not Mr. Guru on marriage 
here, but I have learned that much along the way that it's 
never helpful to make such comparisons. But this idea of discontentedness, 
that's what covetousness ultimately betrays. We need to be a content 
people with what God has blessed us. Hodge says it includes the 
positive command to be contented with the allotments of providence 
and the negative injunction not to repine or complain on account 
of the dealings of God with us or to envy the lot and possessions 
of others. That is absolutely unholy. God doesn't owe us anything. Actually, what he does owe us 
is his wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is 
to come. If we got what we deserved, we would have been in hell a 
long time ago. So to have this covetous mindset, 
which expresses discontent with reference to God, is a great 
abomination. Again, this doesn't mean, wow, 
that's a nice car, that's the worst thing in the world. No, 
viewing a nice car is not the same as covetousness, that inordinate 
desire. And then closely related to this 
is the expression of envy. So we've got this desire for 
the neighbor's wife, the desire for the neighbor's goods, the 
expression of discontent, and then the expression of envy. 
Now, envy is similar with jealousy, only with jealousy, I really 
want what you have. Envy, I really want what you 
have, and I don't want you to have it. Envy is especially pernicious, 
it's especially wicked, and it could even be the case that I 
don't even really want it, but I don't want you to have it. 
I don't want you to have the good thing that you have. That's 
what envy is. Gary North made the observation. Envy is the desire to see a successful 
person brought low. Even when, should the person 
be brought low, the envious person does not benefit directly. So 
I might be jealous of what you have and not envious. I might be jealous of what you 
have I can be envious, or I might just be envious. I don't want 
you to have it. You, in my mind, don't deserve 
such a good thing. Because I'm now in the position 
of God, and I'm the one who doles out the good gifts. And I think 
that you shouldn't have that particular good gift. It's very 
pernicious, it is very wicked, and it is condemned throughout 
Scripture. Look at Romans chapter 1. This is one of the sins in 
the vice list in Romans chapter 1. I mean, this idea where he 
speaks very specifically and pointedly against homosexuality. He speaks of a whole host of 
other sins, and in chapter 1 at verse 29, he mentions envy, being 
filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, 
covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, 
deceit, Evil-mindedness, they are whisperers. 1 Corinthians 
3, verse 3. He says, verse 3, I fed you, 
oh, for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, 
and divisions among you, are you not carnal in behaving like 
mere men? Again, brethren, when you contemplate 
or ponder or think about envy, There's nothing good about envy. 
There's not a lot great about jealousy, but at some certain 
level, you kind of see it, right? I mean, somebody has something 
that you really want. Man, I'm jealous. I kind of wish 
I had that. Envy wants the deprivation of that object from that person. 
There's only malice involved in such a mindset. Galatians 
5.21. It's indicated to be one of the 
fruits or lust of the flesh. Galatians 5.21. envy, murders, 
drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, 
just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice 
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Now, praise 
God, he says, practice such things, because there's always remaining 
corruption. We have that sort of on-board 
sort of a situation where the good we wish to do, we don't 
do, and the evil we don't want to do, we find ourselves doing. 
We praise God that though this is a problem to be sure, it's 
not practicing, it's not reigning, it is not something that rules 
over us. And then 1 Timothy 6, a very 
powerful passage which I think we'll end up at later in terms 
of being content with the things that God has given to us. Notice 
in 1 Timothy 6, verse 3, Notice these New Testament passages. Where do you think these New 
Testament authors got the data which they are producing? They 
got it from the Old Testament. They got it from the Decalogue. 
They got it from the Law of Moses. They're not brand new in terms 
of, hey, you shouldn't be envious wretches. We see that all throughout 
the Old Testament as well. We see these emphases throughout 
Scripture. James chapter 3. James chapter 
3, another emphasis on the sin of envy. James 3, 14. But if you have bitter envy and 
self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against 
the truth. This wisdom does not descend 
from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking 
exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. So the condemnation 
against envy is robust in Scripture. And then turn back to one final 
passage in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians 
chapter 13. This idea of envy is the antithesis 
of love. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13 at 
verse 4, love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. That should be, that's tautological. That means it's the, you know, 
it's something obvious. Love does not envy. How could 
you possibly think that you're a loving person when you're keen 
on the deprivation of a good from somebody that you supposedly 
love? Now, you could say, well, I know 
it will prove to be harmful for them and they shouldn't have 
that. Okay, you know, you're in the arena of the divine now. But for the most part, with reference 
to envy, we're like that because we don't want them to have a 
benefit. We don't want them to have something 
that's good. Should I give my illustration, 
Leslie, on envy? You guys are over there waiting 
for it. When I was a young kid, we were fishing, and my cousin 
caught a bunch of fish, and he had them on a stringer, and I 
was envious. I had caught nothing, and so 
when my cousin turned to go, you know, a few feet down the 
river, And my dad wasn't watching. I pulled out the stringer and 
I let his fish go. That was envious as it could 
be. I deprived him. I wanted the 
deprivation of his good because I did not have it. It's a shame. I hate to have to admit it. And 
I hate to have to admit that's not the only incident of envy 
that has ever marked me in my life. But it is a vicious and 
vile thing, and it is contrary to what we find in terms of love. 
Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does 
not parade itself, is not puffed up. Hodge says, as envy is the 
antithesis of love, it is of all sins the most opposed to 
the nature of God, and more effectually than any other excludes us from 
His fellowship. It's a pretty powerful statement. 
As envy is the antithesis of love, it is of all sins the most 
opposed to the nature of God and more effectually than any 
other excludes us from his fellowship. Turn to Jeremiah 32 for just 
a moment. Jeremiah chapter 32. This underscores 
at least or at least elucidates or illustrates Hodges' point 
here. It's a promise, a new covenant 
blessing. Pick up in verse 38, then they shall be my people 
and I will be their God. Then I will give them one heart, 
one way, that they may fear me forever for the good of them 
and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting 
covenant with them that I will not turn away from doing them 
good. God does not turn away from doing us good. That is His 
intention. That is His purpose. That is 
His design. I will make an everlasting covenant 
with them that I will not turn away from doing them good, but 
I will put my fear in their hearts so that they will not depart 
from me. Now notice, yes, I will rejoice over them, to do them 
good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land with all my 
heart and with all my soul." So there's no spirit of envy, 
no deprivation of good, there's no withholding on the part of 
God in order to teach us a lesson. But rather God rejoices over 
us to do us good, and He uses that language of planting them 
in this land with all my heart and with all my soul. and then 
turn over to Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12, very familiar 
passage of scripture that again we see that this idea of envy 
is just not consistent, not congruent with this sort of emphasis of 
Paul in Romans 12. Look at verse 14, bless those 
who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those 
who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Notice, not rejoice 
with those who weep, and weep with those who rejoice. You don't 
weep over their fortune or their blessing or their acquisition 
of some wonderful thing. And you don't rejoice over their 
deprivation of that thing. You don't rejoice in the fact 
that they lost that. So it is to betray or it is to 
evidence a lack of love in the heart when we engage in this 
kind of spirit of envy. So those are some of the prohibitions 
of the commandment. Westminster Catechism says, what 
are the sins forbidden in the 10th commandment? The sins forbidden 
in the 10th commandment are discontentment with our own estate, envying 
and grieving at the good of our neighbor, together with all inordinate 
motions and affections to anything that is his. Now, in terms of 
the positive, Westminster Catechism again says, what are the duties 
required in the Tenth Commandment? The duties required in the Tenth 
Commandment are such a full contentment with our own condition and such 
a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor as that 
all our inward motions and affections touching him tend unto and further 
all that good which is his." In other words, being happy for 
people that they have been blessed by God. It just seems so obvious, 
right? You mean we should be happy with 
people that are blessed? Yeah, we should be happy. We 
should rejoice with those who rejoice, and we should weep with 
those who weep. We ought not to get that backwards, 
rejoice over their weeping or weep over their rejoicing. If 
that's our connection with the brethren, we need to repent because 
we are violating the spirit of Romans 12, 15, which I think 
is an extended version of the 10th commandment, you shall not 
covet. Well, again, some things in terms of positives. I'd suggest, 
first of all, the recognition of God's sovereign ownership 
over all things. You can turn to Psalm 24. Psalm 
24 is a great call to worship because it speaks concerning 
the King of glory, speaks concerning the might of the King of glory. 
But the first statement in Psalm 24, Psalm of David, the earth 
is the Lord's and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell 
therein. For he has founded upon the seas 
and established it upon the waters. What is the psalmist saying? 
Everything that is belongs to God. So it's certainly God's 
will to give as God determines to His people. To some He gives 
great wealth. To others, not so much. To some 
He gives less. To some He gives more. That's 
God's prerogative. And again, that does not diminish 
the lawful use of means to work hard, to try to get promotions, 
to try to make more money. Do you see a man who excels in 
his work, he shall stand before kings, Proverbs makes that a 
good thing. So this is not, you know, I just, 
you know, this is my lot. You can always work harder. You 
can always be more diligent. You can always seek to be more 
faithful. But in terms of ultimate commitment, 
God gives as He wills, as He determines, as He decrees. God owns everything and allots 
to men as He sees fit. You have the wife and you have 
the goods that God has given to you. So again, if we complain 
about that, if we're upset about that, then our problem isn't 
with our neighbor and his goods or his wife. Our problem is ultimately 
with God. Secondly, we ought to recognize 
God's promise and provision. You can turn to the book of Hebrews. 
Recognize God's promise and provision. The Apostle quotes a passage 
in Hebrews 13 that we oftentimes, and rightly so, apply in the 
spiritual realm. But in this particular context, 
he applies it in the temporal realm, in the physical. Notice 
in Hebrews 13 at verse 5, let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as 
you have. For He Himself has said, I will 
never leave you, nor forsake you." Again, that's a rock-solid 
promise in terms of our salvation. When God saves a sinner, they're 
saved. He'll never leave us, and He'll 
never forsake us. But in this particular context, 
it has to do with temporal goods. Why? For He Himself has said, 
Now when God promises that, He doesn't mean an endless banquet 
of steak and lobster. There may be some beans and rice, 
there may be some tortillas, there may be some simple fare 
in there along the way. So the promise of God to not 
leave us or forsake us doesn't mean a keg dinner every single 
night. It could mean Taco Bell many, 
many nights. So the fact is that God calls 
us not to be covetous, but rather to be content with such things 
as you have. So recognize God's promise and 
provision. Thirdly, the recognition of the 
surpassing importance of eternity to come. Now brethren, I'm not 
suggesting that we don't think about the here and now. We don't 
think about 223 in terms of a liter of gasoline. We don't think about 
increasing costs at the grocery store. I mean, that's obvious. 
prudent men and women. We need to think in terms of 
these things. We need to budget wisely. We need to be creative 
and innovative to make sure we don't end up, you know, out on 
the streets destitute and that sort of thing. But we should 
always keep in mind the ultimacy of heaven to come. And in Mark 
chapter 8, the Lord Jesus deals with that. Mark chapter 8, specifically 
at verse 34. He says, "...when He had called 
the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, 
whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and 
take up his cross and follow Me. Whoever desires to save his 
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake in 
the Gospels will save it. For what will it profit a man 
if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will 
a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed 
of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him 
the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of 
his Father with the holy angels. Look at that, verse 36, what 
will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his 
own soul? So again, I'm not suggesting 
it's even possible that we as physical, temporal, time-bound 
creatures, limited by space and finitude and dependent upon food 
and water and clothing and shelter and all those, it would be impossible 
to divest our minds of any thought concerning the temporal. But 
as we think concerning the temporal, let us never lose sight of the 
eternal and the exceeding weight of glory that awaits us. And so that should hopefully 
temper any lack of stuff in our lives, anything that we might 
have this covetous desire for. In the final analysis, what will 
it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? This desire in the Western world 
to have, you know, ten of everything. I mean, to go into a grocery 
store in North America, how many possible options could there 
be for breakfast cereal? I mean, how many different types 
of coffee can, you know, one group of people need? There's, 
well, coffee, sorry about that, I know coffee is a is a sacred 
cow, at least in the Pacific Northwest. But this emphasis 
on just getting, getting, getting is contrary to the tenor of the 
10th commandment. And then look over at Luke chapter 
12. Luke chapter 12, same sort of emphasis. Notice in verse 
13. Then one from the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother 
to divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him, Man, 
who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you? And he said to them, 
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist 
in the abundance of the things he possesses. A simple and basic 
truth. Your life is not measured by 
how much stuff you have crammed into your garage. Your life is 
measured based on your relationships with God, your relationships 
with family, the peace, the happiness. How many times does Solomon tell 
us, it's better to have just a handful of herbs at dinner 
with peace than a fatted calf with strife. Who wants that? 
And then Jesus goes on to tell them a parable. It says, He spoke 
a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man 
yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, 
saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? 
So he said, I will do this. I will pull down my barns and 
build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 
And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for 
many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God 
said to him, Fool, this night your soul will be required of 
you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided? So 
is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward 
God. So again, the recognition of 
the surpassing importance of eternity to come. We're not going 
to be able to not ever think about the temporal. We're not 
going to be able to never think about where we're going to get 
our next meal, the next drink of water. We have to have those 
things. But we don't have to have a billion 
of them in order to be happy. And then the next is the appreciation 
for the happiness of others. The appreciation for the happiness 
of others. Be genuinely content that your 
brothers and or sisters are benefiting under the hand of God's mercy. 
Again, it's got to be something foul in the heart where we begrudge 
somebody having been blessed by God. It's quite arrogant. You know, I don't get those kind 
of blessings. I don't get that sort of thing. Well, maybe God's 
trying to teach you that you're a whining mope, and that's why 
He's going to give you all these good things to bring out this 
sin so that you'll repent. It is a horrible thing to not 
rejoice or to not be appreciative of the happiness of others. Fifth, 
the cultivation of biblical contentment. You can turn back to 1 Timothy 
6. The cultivation of biblical contentment. Now, the Apostle 
Paul tells us in Philippians 4, he knew how to abound and 
he knew how to be abased. So it wasn't the case that his 
lot was always one of abasement. It wasn't always drudgery. It wasn't always, you know, a 
bowl full of gruel. He made tents. He was a leather 
worker. He probably got paid handsomely, 
at least at some times in his career. He knew what it was like 
to abound, but he also knew what it was to be abased, but he learned 
the lesson that God had for him. Look at 1 Timothy 6 at verse 
6. He says, now godliness with contentment 
is great gain. For we brought nothing into this 
world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. You've seen 
that adage where you don't throw all your stuff from 
the garage into the hearse. They don't bury that with you. 
It stays in the garage or it ends up at a thrift store. The 
stuff that you highly prize and value now is most likely going 
to end up in a thrift store or in the garbage heap. It's going 
to be in a dump somewhere. I read of a guy, I think he was 
a pastor, and he would take his son to the dump and just kind 
of look at the dump and that would be the lesson. This is 
kind of the end of all the things that we have and everything that 
you value and prize now. It's going to end up in the dump. 
So he says, we brought nothing into this world. It is certain 
we can carry nothing out. And he says, having food and 
clothing, with these we shall be content. Again, brethren, 
if our contentment is tied up in only steak and lobster, we 
need to readjust that contentment level. We need to readjust our 
expectations. Having food and clothing, with 
these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich 
fall into temptation and to snare and into many foolish and harmful 
lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of 
money, don't miss that, it's not money. Money is not the bad 
thing out there, you know, doing horrible things. It's the love 
of money. which is a root of all kinds 
of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their 
greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Now 
lest we think that Paul is imposing monkery or recommending the monastic 
life, look at verse 17. Command those who are rich in 
this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, 
but in the living God. If Paul was anti-money, he would 
have said, command those who are rich in this present age 
to get rid of their riches, to give it all to the poor, to go 
join a cult, or go join a monastery, go join whatever. He doesn't 
say that. He gives them counsel, and He 
gives them encouragement, and He gives them exhortation on 
how they're supposed to manage their wealth. They're not supposed 
to be haughty. They're not supposed to trust 
in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly 
all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be 
rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing 
up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they 
may lay hold on eternal life. I also think embedded in here 
is the underscoring of God's goodness. Why does God give you 
a steak and lobster from time to time? Because he rejoices 
to do you good. Look at the text. It says, who 
gives us richly all things to what? To enjoy. It's not godly 
to grimace while you're eating that steak and lobster. Well, 
I guess if I have to. Rejoice in the Lord. Praise Him 
for this. Look back at 1 Timothy 4. Verse 
1, the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will 
depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and 
doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy. having their 
own conscience seared with hot iron, forbidding to marry, and 
commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received 
with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Brethren, 
if I were to ask you, if you'd never seen 1 Timothy 4 in your 
entire life, and I said to you, Now the Spirit expressly says 
that in the latter times, some will depart from the faith, giving 
heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking 
lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a 
hot iron. And I said, what sin particularly do you think he's 
on about? He'd say, I don't know, but it's 
got to be epic. It has got to be horrific. It 
has got to be monumental. What is it? forbidding marriage 
and forbidding good food from people that have God's blessing 
upon them that they can eat it and enjoy it. See, we have this 
idea that God is just angry with us when we're enjoying the good 
gifts that he gives us. Brethren, I haven't been the 
best father in my life either, but when I gave a gift to my 
children, it was for the purpose of making them happy. I didn't 
get mad at them when they got happy. That was the point of 
the exercise. Here's the gift. Get happy. God, through Moses, tells them 
you're going to get into the land, and instead of being thankful, 
you're not going to be thankful. That's going to be one of the 
reasons why you're jettisoned from the land. God is good. He rejoices over us to do us 
good. He plants Israel with all his 
heart and with all his soul in the land. So there is this happiness 
that God enjoins upon people, and then there is this contentment 
that we ought to have. And then finally, the exercise 
of a charitable spirit. I mean, we see that in 1 Timothy 
6. We just read it. Let them do good, that they be 
rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share. There 
ought to be that spirit of charity. Notice in 2 Corinthians 9. 2 
Corinthians 9, verse 6, this I say, he who sows sparingly 
will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will 
also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes 
in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves 
a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace 
abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency 
in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is 
written, he is dispersed abroad, he is given to the poor, his 
righteousness endures forever. So a charitable spirit, Ephesians 
4, Ephesians 4, same emphasis, verse 28. Well, verse 28, let him who stole 
steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands 
what is good, that he may have something to give him who has 
need. So notice the corrective to this 
idea or to this attitude of a breach of the Eighth Commandment. Let 
him who stole steal no longer. The tense suggests that it was 
still going on. The idea being that those to 
whom the apostle is writing need to be admonished to stop stealing, 
okay? You're believers now, you're 
Christians, you're new men and women in Christ Jesus. So let 
him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor. Isn't 
that the corrective to theft? It's to work hard, to be industrious, 
to make the money that you need to buy the goods and services 
that are required to keep you alive. But not only labor with 
his hands what is good, but with the end result that he may have 
something to give him who has need. It's a great way to help 
in terms of the Tenth Commandment. It's a great way to help us in 
terms of our own contentment and to avoid a spirit of envy. 
It's a great way for us to guard our hearts against weeping with 
those who rejoice or rejoicing over those who weep. It's to 
foster or cultivate a charitable spirit so that the resources 
that God gives us to steward, they're ultimately His, even 
when they're ours. We are stewards of the things 
that He gives us. When we do this with an aim to 
trying to benefit others, it puts the soul in a proper disposition. It puts us in a proper position 
and into a proper place in terms of God and stuff and our neighbor. Well, those are some hopeful 
helps with reference to the positive aspect of the commandment. I'll 
pray, and then if there's any questions or comments, we'll 
take that. Our Father in Heaven, we thank 
You for Your Word. We thank You for the completeness 
of the Decalogue, that it speaks not only to the actions, but 
it speaks to the words and to the heart, the mind. We as well 
see it not only reflects our attitude toward our neighbor, 
but also with reference to our God. And we thank You for Your 
law. We thank You for the gospel of 
our salvation. As we look into that law, we 
see our own wickedness and our own sinfulness, and we rejoice 
in the goodness of the Savior who kept the law on our behalf, 
who died in our stead, and who was raised again the third day. 
We know, Father, this is not so that we can go out and break 
that law, but when we do sin, we have an advocate with the 
Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. So help us, God, to 
take these things to heart.