I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the Ten Commandments. Commandment number ten says “You shall not covet…” (Exodus 20:17).

Coveting is desiring or taking deep pleasure in something that belongs to someone else. It’s a heart issue. It is internal. Coveting is closely related to envy. 

Let’s focus on a few key ideas related to this commandment.

First, God cares about our thoughts and desires. He’s not only interested in what we say and do, but in the ideas we are fostering in the invisible spaces of our minds. He wants the best for us in every area of our lives.

Second, God is a gracious provider. He gives us what we need. When we always want what other people have and neglect what we already have it’s as if we are saying to God, ‘You’re not doing a good job as provider.’

Third, it’s telling that the Hebrew word for coveting appears earlier in the Bible. It is used in the Garden of Eden. The serpent has just told Eve that if she eats the fruit she will be like God. We are told it was “desirable for gaining wisdom” (Genesis 3:6). The word for “desirable” is the same as the one translated as “coveting.” Do you see the lie? One of the things Eve is being told is that she’s not good enough on her own. She needs something else that God is holding back from her.

The same lie continues to be proclaimed from deception’s pulpit.

God is good. He is never not good. He wants us to focus on the things that matter most. The coveting thief, on the other hand, wants us to focus on a thousand other things which are probably less important and which make us dismissive of the blessings we have already received.

As we are reminded in one of the most famous Bible verses around the world: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1, KJV).

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Notes:

–The radio version of this devotional is now celebrating 7 years! Coordinator Jeff Walther has put a video together explaining the ministry and how you can help! Click here.

-“True Happiness, Contentment and the Coveting Thief.” Sermon. Click here.

-Bible quotes are from the NIV.