Morning Moments

Coveteousness
Exodus 20:17

The story is told of Abraham Lincoln who was walking down the street with two small boys that were both crying loudly. A neighbor passing by inquired, "What's the matter, Abe? Why all the fuss?" Lincoln responded, "The trouble with these lads is what's wrong with the world; one has a nut and the other wants it!"

Covetousness is one of mankind's greatest sins. When giving the law, God specifically spoke against this wicked tendency. In fact, inordinate desire was one of man's first offenses. Remember Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden?

Exod 20:17 (KJS) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's.

The word translated "covet" in our text is a morally neutral word that may be used in a positive or negative way. The Hebrew word translated "covet" means to desire, to long for; to be desirable, costly, precious; to feel delight. The same is true with the Greek word in the NT. In this verse it obviously used in a negative sense, and it reveals several aspects of negative desires.

It Is Iniquity - Stolen waters seem sweeter. It describes the pleasant trees in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9). Unfortunately, the forbidded tree became desirable too (Gen 3:6).

It Is Internal - This commandment raises the issue of sin and disobedience from the level of mere act to that of attitude and thought. It corresponds to the Biblical concept of lust. It comes from the heart. The object is considered valuable or even necessary, but belongs to someone else (Act 20:33).

It Is Idolatry - Col 3:5 - Whatever we covet becomes the object of our worship, and so takes the place of God, and in essence becomes a god to us.

It Is Injurious - 1 Tim 6:10 - Jesus told his disciples to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things would be added to them. He is to be our desire, not riches.

Many are not content with the work they are doing because the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. They are dissatisfied even when their circumstances are favorable. Instead of doing their duty cheerfully and conscientiously as unto the Lord, they yield to a spirit of covetousness. As a result, they miss God's best for their lives and fail to see the blessings they already have.


An ancient Persian legend tells of a wealthy man by the name of Al Haffed who owned a large farm. One evening a visitor related to him tales of fabulous amounts of diamonds that could be found in other parts of the world, and of the great riches they could bring him. The vision of all this wealth made him feel poor by comparison. So instead of caring for his own prosperous farm, he sold it and set out to find these treasures. But the search proved to be fruitless. Finally, penniless and in despair, he committed suicide by jumping into the sea. Meanwhile, the man who had purchased his farm noticed one day the glint of an unusual stone in a shallow stream on the property. He reached into the water, and to his amazement he pulled out a huge diamond. Later when working in his garden, he uncovered many more valuable gems. Poor Al Haffed had spent his life traveling to distant lands seeking jewels when on the farm he had left behind were all the precious stones his heart could have ever desired.