The Covetous Nation
Every day they past beside each other on the street, but they might have well lived in two different cities. Each day they locked eyes, but with each glance they never saw the other.. Though they shared the same first name, they lived in two different worlds in society’s eyes. They were the same age, and had grown up within a few miles of each other. So much they had in common, but so little keep them a world apart.
James managed one of the top investment firms in the city. In the twenty years since college, he had achieved it all. A top paying job. A luxury penthouse in one of the world’s tallest towers. He had traveled the world, seen sights that most only dreamed to see. His nights were filled with a celebrity crowd, the world’s most famous people he knew by their first name. To most of society, he had it all. But to James, he did not have near enough. He wanted so much more, and did not have the time for anyone or anything that could not bring him more.
It was for this reason, he never gave a second glance to the other James. A poor man of the streets that could offer him nothing. A man unworthy of a second glance or a minute of his time. A man he could care less about. A poor, “common” man in his eyes, that was not deserving of his attention as he passed by him each day.
The other James, stood holding a sign in protest, standing in front of the investment firm each day. He would wave his sign and shout at all who entered. He hated all who walked through the doors, without ever knowing anything about them. He did not care to glance into their eyes, all he could see was the tailored suits and the fancy outfits as they entered the building. His hate would allow him to see, they had what he deserved, what society owed him.
Once, he had so much more, but all he once had meant nothing to him. He had a wife and a young daughter. A promising job, and a bright future. But in his eyes, the job meant nothing. He always felt the job owed him more than it offered, unwilling to put in the effort so he could achieve more. He soon found himself moving from job to job, always finding a reason to leave each. Soon, the bills began to mount, and his wife’s patience worn thin. She grew tired of the constant complaints, and the uncertainty that James brought to the lives of her and their daughter. One day, she had enough, taking their daughter and leaving James. He never gave them a second thought, immersing himself in his anger. He found it easier to blame society than to blame himself. Easier to hold a sign each day protesting what society had not given him. Finding it easier to complain than to change.
One James, driven by the consumption of his greed. Only concerned for himself, not his fellow man. The other James, obsessed by the anger of his envy. Unable to love, unable to appreciate what he had. Both living life, without living. Both seeing, without seeing. Both feeling, without feelings. Both a part of the covetous nation.
If you ask those around you to name the Ten Commandments, most can name you several. They know what the Lord tells us about murder, adultery, and theft. But few can name for you the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet”. Ask most, and they cannot even tell you what covet means. So just what does covet mean? And why is it so critical this generation take to heart this commandment again?
There is two places we can find the Ten Commandments listed in God’s Word , and the Hebrew word for covet is different in both. In Deuteronomy 5:21, it is “to crave, to long for with a controlling passion ”. In Exodus 20:17, the word means “to desire, to see as your own”. From the Hebrew word used in Deuteronomy 5:21, we get our word greed.. Greed meaning, “an intense and selfish desire for something”. From the other Hebrew word in Exodus 20:17, we get our word envy. Envy meaning, “a feeling of discontent or resentful longing for someone else’s possessions, to desire as one’s own the belongings of another”. Both words, together, make up the word covet, meaning “to desire something you should not have”.
Covet is a strong desire, a desire that is driven from within. When we look at most of the Commandments, we see they address the physical act, such as theft, murder, fornication. Covet, on the other hand, addresses the mind, the heart, and the spirit. Covet should be viewed the same as how Christ described lust(Matthew 5:28), it is an act of the mind that can lead to an act of the physical. Both being just as sinful and just as deadly. Covet shows us that the desire can lead us to as many problems as the action.
At their very core, both greed and envy are focused on the love of one’s self, without concern for those around us. Greed will always lead someone to cast aside all others so they can have what their heart desires. Greed will lead someone to justify any action so they can obtain the desires they have set in their heart. Envy will always lead the person to move beyond a longing glance, it will turn their heart to resentment and to hatred. Leading the person to also justify their own actions, by asking society and God bitter and spiteful questions. Asking society, “Why am I not entitled to have all they have?” Asking God, “Do You not love me enough to give me what You gave them?”
Once both greed and envy take root in a society, history shows us that demise is soon to follow. Greedy and envious individuals, are people who are far more likely to be discontent, people far more likely to commit crimes and to turn on their fellow man. Both greed and envy are more than just simple sin, they quickly become idolatry(Colossians 3:5). Deceiving tools in Satan’s hands to turn man’s focus away from the purpose and plan God has for each of us.
Although listed as the last of the Ten Commandments, covet is far from the least of the Commandments. Covet comes with a lifetime of potential heartache and regret. Covet is a ‘trigger sin”, often leading us to other sin. It is a sin that rarely stands alone, usually joined, by one or all of the other Commandments.
The Lord told us not to covet as one of the Commandments, because He knew that a body filled with covetousness, has a mind that is no longer focused on Him. Covet places blinders on the individual, not allowing him to look outwardly, only allowing them to see inwardly. Covet is selfish by nature, allowing you to only concentrate on yourself, without regard for the needs or rights of those around you. It is for this reason, covet calls justification its’ best friend.
It is for good reason the Bible refers to covetousness as idolatry. Covetousness, by its’ very nature, is all consuming. Whatever the person is coveting becomes the most important thing in that person’s mind, everything else comes in second. Covet will consume them, and every rule and law that stands between them and what they covet will become an afterthought. Every action then becomes justified, becomes it stands between them and what they feel they deserve. And if God, his laws and His purpose, stand between the person and what they covet, He too will find himself being pushed aside. It is for this reason that God’s Word tells us to be without covetousness(Hebrews 13:5), because the Lord knows that a covetous person is blinded from finding their way to the foot of the Cross.
As we look around us today, we see a world that is filled with covetousness. And sadly, our nation is becoming gluttonous with it. How often do we hear today the battle cries of covetousness? “If you want it, you should have it”. “You can never get enough”. “Live for today, for tomorrow you will die”. “As long as I am happy, nothing else matters”. Words we hear each day, but words that feed on every infection of our soul. Nowhere we look in this world, can we look away from covetousness. From work to social, from entertainment to politics, covetousness now consumes us. Covetousness does not care which corporation, actor, or politician speaks its’ name, it only care that its’ name is spoken. Covetousness does not belong to a political party, it only cares about the outcome of the politics. It will befriend either political party, as long as it can find its’ way into control.
History shows us that Satan has no better friend that covetousness. Covet found a way to place its’ name on many of the pages of the Bible. When Adam and Eve bite the apple, covet was there. When the Tower of Babel was raised, covet stood proud. When David called for a census, covet was next to him, encouraging him. And when they nailed Christ to the Cross, covet smiled. As covet looks at us today, he continues that smile as he watches the greed and envy that has consumed us. Greed that would lead us to pass a suffering man on the street without regard or compassion. In fear that it might take a second of our time, or cause us to remove a dime from our pockets. Envy that would lead us to protest in the streets with hatred in our eyes. In fear that someone might have more than we have, without any appreciation of all God has given us. A covetousness that blocks from our eyes the other nine commandments. A covetousness that does not let us hear Jesus speaking the words, “Love one another, as I have loved you.”.
Where true love is found, covetousness will never be able to find a home.
Dr. Mike Murphy
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