The Tenth Commandment

“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.”  (Exodus 20:17)






Covet Means lust
The original Hebrew word of the Tenth Commandment, pronounced kaw-mad, which is translated as covet in English, literally means, in the negative sense, to lust after. It is not wrong to want something, but it is wrong to have an unhealthy desire for something, particularly if it belongs to someone else. Coveting, or lust, turns people into objects, and objects into idols.


"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the Law: for I had not known lust, except the Law had said, Thou shalt not covet." (Rom. 7:7).


"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. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:15-21)


Let none of us build up treasure here on earth but in heaven, let not our hearts seek after any other, let us desire to live and die if necessary for our Lord and savior.  Christ left glory to come down  and suffer much for you and I, for his suffer and the price he paid for your sins. He asked in return for our eternal salvation, we simply love him and trust him and obey his word.

  Man is covetous by nature. Christ said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness."(Mark 7:20-22).


“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy” (2 Tim. 3:1-2). This texts reveal that man is covetous by nature. Coveting is a major aspect of human nature, a flaw that is deeply ingrained in habit and practice of many. James tells us, “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” (James. 4:5). Envy is a symptom of covetousness.
How does the Bible view coveting? Notice this statement. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5).


What is the meaning of the word “covet?” The dictionary defines coveting as the exceeding of reasonable limits. It is this excessive craving for what belongs to another. It is lust. 


People seem to want something better. Those who are swept away with the obsession to always want something better are in a trap. They are controlled by lust-the exceeding of reasonable limits.  
Why do we think the grass is better on the other side?
Funny how when we get to the other side of the fence, we discover that the grass is not in fact better but  in some cases worse. But for some they swear that the grass is greener and yet each time they see another field they want to move to it.