Coveting is wanting something that does not belong to you. It is, in its simplest presentation, greed. In its scope and sphere, it is self-centered and self-indulgence. Whenever it is present, regardless of the circumstances, it is always destructive. Although this is the last of the Ten Commandments, it is the source of many other sins the commandments address. Even the most casual survey of the Scriptures reveal that coveting lies behind idolatry, stealing, lying, adultery, and in its worst case scenario, murder.
The earlier, “Thou shall not” commandments in Exodus, are about external acts; whereas coveting is about the internal cause of those acts, which are the attitudes from which they derive. Murder, adultery, lying, and stealing are all considered to be external acts; but covetousness is hidden internally. Because of this significant difference, many commentators of the Scriptures consider coveting to be the sin which is faced less directly, and less often by the individual and, therefore, confessed less frequently for the sin it is. To my mind, only pride exceeds coveting’s diabolical twisting of a person’s character. That is why it is so dangerous a friend to cultivate. It works underground and we deceive ourselves as to its existence. In Luke 12:16, Jesus said, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses.”
A huge myth today in almost every society on planet earth, is the opinion that a person’s significance consists in the abundance of things they possess. In America we even have an alternate name for this type of lifestyle—it’s called keeping up with the Joneses. It becomes a mindset which drives us to spending money we do not have, in order to buy things we do not want, in an attempt to impress people we hardly know. We live in a culture that encourages the idea of ‘the more we have, the better off we’ll be’, but Proverbs 30:8-9 says, “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
In light of this, is it legitimate to be ambitious in business? Are we wrong in wanting to earn more money? The answer is ‘no’. None of this is wrong, but the deeper issue is why do we want these things? Are “all these other things” somehow related to the agenda and will of God or, are these things strictly limited to what we perceive as our needs, things related to our own wellbeing? What we do have is merely on trust from God. His concern is that we grow into being good stewards of what we have. Hoarding as much as we can for personal gain is always sinful because it ignores our responsibility to help those in need.
The Bible teaches us to enjoy the material goods God has provided, but the Scriptures also clearly presents the truth that riches are not what brings deep satisfaction in life. If you’re looking from the most fulfilling life to be lived, invest yourself in relationships, the first and foremost being the relationship we have with God. Continually wanting more, and striving to get it, will eventually lead to bankruptcy of soul and spirit. Conversely, in a relationship of love and dependency upon God, we are richly provided with our daily needs and more. As we share on earth what God gives us from heaven, we will discover God’s blessings in abundance, and we do not covet because all that we have is all that we want.