Gospel Prism

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
Exodus 20:17

My son Jack has a problem. He can be playing with a particular toy, happy as a clam, but something changes his happiness to emptiness in a moment. For out of the corner of his eye, he will see our third daughter Elisabeth giddily playing with a toy that he had forsaken days ago. Suddenly that once forsaken toy has become the only piece of true entertainment in the whole house. And when that heart of envy, or what the Bible calls covetousness kicks in, suddenly there is an insatiable desire to want it any cost, even at the cost of his sister’s expense.

But this is not merely my son’s problem, this is my ‘problem’ as well. In fact, it is the problem of every human soul, and be forewarned, this is no small problem. Covetousness is no small sin because it is ultimately not only a longing for that which we do not have, but it is also the failure to trust and believe that God is who He says He is, the God who provides the fullness of joy. In this way, the 10th commandment bookends the first. The first says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” In many ways, the 10th commandment is a reiteration of that commandment.

Unlike my 2 year old son Jack who cannot hide his heart of covetousness, we adults are very skillful in doing so. Most of us probably do not realize to what extent we wrestle with envy. It can be brief, but it is hardly fleeting. In fact, the claws of envy dig into the heart and simply stick there, cropping up at the most unexpected times. One person put it like this, “Few are able to suppress in themselves a secret satisfaction at the misfortune of their friends.” Covetousness is so sinister that it delights, even if for a nanosecond, in another’s, and yes, even a friend’s failures. Author Henry Fairlie writes: “The face of Envy is never lovely. It is never even faintly pleasant… ‘It has the ugliness of a trapped rat that has gnawed its own feet in its own efforts to escape.’” (Henry Fairlie, The Seven Deadly Sins, 61)

The Bible’s characterization is quite consistent with Fairlie. Proverbs 27:4 says: “Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” Jesus teaches about the terrible danger of covetousness: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) We can never assume that we are free from covetousness because by nature we long to have what we do not have. And so we must be on guard. But covetousness has an answer as we shall see, and it is called contentment. Let’s look at the commandment.

Covetousness

The last of God’s Ten Commandments says this: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Essentially the commandment is saying that nothing is to be desired more than God. To understand coveting, we need to go back to Genesis 3 as we did last week.

What did Satan use to tempt Eve? Surely, it wasn’t the fruit itself. After all there were many other fruits that must have at least been comparable to the fruit on that particular tree. No, Eve’s eyes were captivated by what she could not have, the knowledge of good and evil. She wasn’t satisfied any longer with merely trusting God for such knowledge. She was happy until she saw that God had something she wanted (remember Jack). She and then Adam thought there was more than what she had, and so she was in a mode of comparison, comparing what she and Adam did not have and what God had. And that envy fueled her desire to disobey God. And it all happened so quickly, without any time for reflection, like a ravenous person feasting on a meal.

Going back then to the tenth commandment, you can see why this commandment follows the others. When you want to be your own God (first commandment), your heart wants something you feel God has withheld from you (tenth commandment). In effect, the 10th commandment is the springboard upon which the others fall, like dominoes. God continually warns Israel, like Dt. 6-7, to avoid taking foreign wives, and cluttering themselves with foreign products because they would forget the grace of God. God knew that when they entered the Promised Land and looked around at other peoples, they would want what they had. They would be covetous of them, and what would be the result—idolatry, a breaking of the first commandment. David showed how coveting could lead to a breaking of other commandments. In 2 Sam 11, when kings were to go to where, David coveted his neighbor’s wife. What did that lead to? A breaking of the sixth, seventh, and eighth commandments, and it all began with breaking the tenth. Jeremiah records the citizens of Judah violating the first, second, third, sixth, seventh, and ninth commandments (Jer 7:1–15), by their desire for personal prosperity, they’re longing to be like the nations around them.

And my friends, it is no different for us today. The covetous heart leads to a life apart from Christ. James agrees in 4:1-2: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” And our world is a world that flaunts covetousness as an admirable trait. Alistair Begg tells of an ad he found in the Wall Street Journal. The ad was headed with the phrase, “Demoralize Your Neighbor.” The ad was for an Aston Martin and it read: “It’s one thing to trundle by in a Bentley, Jaguar, or Mercedes. Everyone in your neighborhood has one of those. It’s quite another thing to come in for a landing in your Lagonda. Get an Aston Martin and demoralize your neighbor.” (Alistair Begg, Pathway to Freedom, 208) We love it when we have something that others want, it makes us feel proud of ourselves. Let’s face it, the feeling makes us feel good because it makes us feel special, important, worthwhile, at least in small secretive ways. And so when a fellow co-worker whom you deem less than comparable to you gets a promotion, and you give them your congratulations, your heart secretly grumbles that he/she doesn’t deserve it. Or when a good friend who is single like yourself has announced she is getting married, covetousness kicks in. Or when you see what your friend’s home is like, top of the line furniture, beautiful décor, accessories galore, and your home is filled with things from IKEA and Target, your joy for your friend leads to secret discontent. Or perhaps your peers are all succeeding in their work and you feel left behind, so much so that self-pity has led you to isolate yourself from others because you feel as you don’t measure up. As James remarks, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

When I was in South Africa, I had a chance to talk to Levy, a Zambian nurse at Masoyi who was working with troubled youth. He was telling me about the difference between Zambian youth and South African youth. In Zambia, there is very little crime, few thefts and murders. However, South Africa is bloated with rampant murder and theft. The reason was covetousness. In Zambia, most people are on the same economic scale. Very few people have anything. There are no malls filled with all sorts of Western luxuries. People are not driving around in expensive cars anywhere. Without much to covet (not that there isn’t covetousness), there are less murders and theft. But in SA, if a teen happened to have a chance to go to the mall and see what he was missing out on, his life would forever be fixated on getting those things, even if it meant stealing or killing to obtain such things. This is certainly not an African problem, but as James tells us, it is a human problem, here since the days of Adam and Eve.

Covetousness in the Bible

There should be no doubt that covetousness is a debilitating sin that wreaks havoc on the heart that desires to worship God. Proverbs 27:4 asks, “Who can stand before jealousy?” The teacher in Ecclesiastes 4:4 says: “And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor.” And this the teacher calls meaningless. Envy is wretched because it creates such a state of anger and hatred, a hatred of others, others’ success. It is so evil because it often comes from a face that smiles or cries with a neighbor’s successes or failures, but inside the heart rejoices at the failure, or is crushed by another’s success.

Envy also buys into the lies of society that some are greater than others solely on the basis of natural talents, intellect, financial prosperity, social status, job prosperity, etc. In other words, we view success on one standard, the standard that the world presents to us, rather than what God views successful, a person who trusts in Him. So when we cannot meet the world’s standards for success, we begin to delegitimize other’s victories and successes. We view their successes as “inconsequential.” Or we might try to lift up our own successes, to either match or at least lessen the success of others. If someone sings with a beautiful voice, rather than thank God for a voice that can be used for His glory, we might suddenly feel the need to thank God for MY guitar skill. Covetousness destroys even family relationships. Relatively quicker than you might imagine, many of us will be dealing with inheritance issues once our parents die. Suddenly, brothers and sisters are fighting over ‘fairness’ and equity. One child might receive more than another and the heart is overcome with covetousness which leads to anger and vitriol against your own family members.

Paul also comments on envy in Galatians 5:26: “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Envy is self-centered, conceited. Is it possible to wish we had a quality or a possession of something in someone else without being envious? I would say yes. You can listen to a beautiful voice and think to yourself, “Wow, I wish I could sing like that.” Or read an article, and wish you also could write as well. But you see, envy is conceited and provoking. Envy listens to a beautiful voice and thinks, “My voice doesn’t sound as good,” and then responds, “Well, she’s not that good to begin with. In fact, I’ve heard better than that.” Envy belittles the self, and then belittles the object of envy. So you can see, two fruits of envy are often dejection (belittling of self) and criticism (belittling of others). In fact, Paul says essentially the same thing in Titus 3:3 when he says: “We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” Envy is bitter (which leads to anger) and can leave a person paralyzed (which leads to slothfulness). It is always looking around, comparing, and subtly and sometimes overtly, hating the self. And then, envy hates others as well.

This hate exhibits itself in backbiting, criticism, gossip. Envy makes sure that every person has a flaw, and that flaw is to be revealed for all the world to see. To not do so just wreaks havoc on the envious person, because it means someone else is “better.” The envious person is inherently negative. Fairlie adds: “The sin is deadly, less because it destroys him, than because it will not let him live. It will not let him live as himself, grateful for his qualities and talents, such as they are, and making the best and most rewarding use of them. His disparagement of others is a reflection of a disparagement of himself; he regards himself with as much malice as he regards them.” (Fairlie, 67-68) And so James says: “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice” (James 3:16).

Covetousness will only lead to emptiness as this poem teaches:

It was Spring, but it was summer I wanted;
The warm days and the great outdoors.

It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted;
The colorful leaves and the cool dry air.

It was Fall, but it was winter I wanted;
The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.

It was Winter, but it was Spring I wanted;
The warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child and it was adulthood I wanted;
The freedom and the respect.

I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted;
To be mature and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted;
The youth and the free spirit.

I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted;
The presence of mind without limitations.

My life was over,
And I never got what I wanted. (Philip Ryken, Written in Stone, 211-212)

Countering Covetousness with Contentment

The Gospel does not leave us without any way to counter covetousness. We see this in a conversation Jesus has with Peter following the resurrection:

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)

Commentators are uncertain as to what the “these” is referring to. ‘These’ might be referring to the other apostles, perhaps Peter’s fishing nets (his career), perhaps anything that Peter deems to be meaningful to his life. You can imagine Peter’s angst. He must have been broken, embarrassed, ashamed, guilt-ridden. Peter was the one who declared in front of the others, “Even if all fall away, I will not” (Mark 14:29). And yet, it was Peter who would deny Jesus three times. What would cause Peter to deny Jesus three times? He wanted something other than Jesus to give him ultimate joy. He couldn’t trust that Christ was true to His Word. He coveted his idea of what would give him joy more than Jesus. And so when Jesus deals with Peter’s heart, he presses him because Jesus wanted to see, did Peter still believe that something other than Christ would give him ultimate joy? Would Peter’s nets and fishing provide more for his family than Jesus? Would Peter’s attempt to protect himself from the Roman and Jewish authorities provide more protection than the promises of Christ? At the heart of covetousness is this question, “Who will you trust more, Christ or anything else?” It was Jesus’ question to Peter. It is Jesus’ question to you and me.

Every commandment hinges on this question. When we want more money thinking that that gives us ultimate joy, we will steal or murder to get it. When we want control thinking that gives us more joy, we will lie to get control When we want sexual fulfillment thinking that gives us ultimate joy, we will commit adultery to get it. When we want control over our time thinking that that gives us more joy, we will forget the Lord’s Day. When we want to be our own authority thinking that that gives us more joy, we will dishonor father and mother to get this authority. To want something more than Christ is covetousness, but to want Christ more than anything else is contentment, and that is what Peter finally comes to realize in his post-resurrection conversation with Jesus. Paul comes to this same conclusion as well in Phil 4:10-13:

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul understood what it meant to have everything. Philippians 3 is his list of achievements, his resume that placed him on the A-List of his day. But now, all of that seemed to pale in comparison with the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:8). And once this knowledge, that he was eternally valuable and worthwhile, not because of what he accomplished, but because of what Christ accomplished for him by bearing God’s full punishment for Paul’s sin, was understood, nothing could take away his contentment. And so whether he was well fed or starving, no one could take away his contentment. Puritan writer Jeremiah Burroughs in his book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, understands contentment in the same way: “I find a sufficiency of satisfaction in my own heart, through the grace of Christ that is in me. Though I have not outward comforts and worldly conveniences to supply my necessities, yet I have a sufficient portion between Christ and my soul abundantly to satisfy me in every condition.” (Jeremiah Burruoughs, Rare Jewel, 18) What keeps a person content is like Jeremiah Burroughs and Paul and Asaph notes in Psalm 73, “God is the strength of my life and my portion forever.”

To combat covetousness then is to fight for this contentment. It is to remember through His Word, through prayer, through continual reflection on, through conversations, the Gospel of Christ, the good news. It is to come to the realization that to trust in Christ, through His finished work by His cross and resurrection, to trust in His wondrous promises in His Word, is more satisfying, more joyous, more freeing than anything else this world has to offers. It is to deal with the depth of your soul, that at heart, you fail miserably in trusting Christ more than anything else in your life. It is admitting that you want your bank account, your job, your future husband or wife, your smart children, your favorite TV show, your video games, your right to watch Sports Center, your desperate need to carry the latest and greatest accessories, your theological knowledge, your compassion for the poor, your ethnic pride, your American citizenship to be your joy and delight more than Christ. And because of this we covet others so much more frequently than we ever know and we our hearts really are idol making factories, shattering the first commandment to pieces over and over again. As Paul concludes in chapter 7 of Romans: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

Michael Horton understands Paul’s illumination: “It is not poverty or wealth that leads us to contentment and trust in the Lord, but the confidence that if God provided so richly for our salvation by choosing, redeeming, calling, adopting, and justifying us, and by sending His Spirit to grow up into Christ’s likeness, then surely we can count on Him for the less essential matters of daily existence.” (Ryken, 214) Peter finally came to know this. Paul knew it full well. And to combat the desire that always leaves you empty, you need to know this truth, if Christ has given you so much, you need not covet what others have, when you have so much. With this heart you will live a life on earth and eternally, more content than you could ever know.