Yitro (Exodus 18:1 – 20:26)
“Do not covet your neighbor’s house; do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17).
The Ten Commandments are the foundation of not only the Torah with its 613 commands, but also the entirely body of theological ethics found in the Bible, both Old and New Covenants. While the commandments themselves are said to be set on two tablets – the first addressing our relationship with God, the second with the human other – we discover that each of these commands speaks to the normative standard of God (what he expects of us), the situational experience among men (communal life), and the existential motive of man (internal life). The tenth commandment, with its prohibition of coveting addresses the connection between objects in creation and the heart of man.
The tenth commandment is the logical conclusion to the Decalogue, specifically to the second tablet regarding communal relationships. If we guard the tenth commandment, we will not murder, commit adultery, steal or bear false witness against our neighbor as a benefit to ourselves. Like the last several commandments, which have guarded the sanctity of the object of the command, the tenth commandment guards the sanctity of motives. What is our motive for doing or desiring what we do? While there are several definitions for motive, depending on its use as a noun or adjective, for our purpose here, motive can be understood as the hidden or cleverly covered reason for doing something. This commandment, then, is dealing solely with the internal. It is instructing us to guard the sanctity of our motives, which ultimately lead to our actions. Of the Ten Commandments, it is the only one dealing exclusively with the internal thought life of man.
This is an interesting concept, and one that seems to be contradictory to how the New and Old Testaments are taught. Often, teachers of the New Testament will suggest that the Old Testament is more concerned with external action and appearance over that of the internal nature of man; while the New Testament is more concerned with the internal nature of humanity. However, many commands found in the Torah demonstrate a clear concern for the inner life of covenant man – Exodus 25:1-2 and Leviticus 19:17-18, as examples.
How should we understand this command not to covet (interestingly enough there are commands directing us to covet – Proverbs 18:22, 1 Corinthians 12:31, 1 Timothy 3:1, 1 Peter 2:2)? First we should understand the meaning of coveting. Covet is from the Hebrew root חמד, meaning: to delight, greatly beloved, covet, lust, or a precious thing. We see that it can be used in both a positive and negative sense. Exodus 20:17 begins לֹא תַחְמֹד, “Do not covet…” and continues to forbid coveting our neighbors’ house, not meaning the dwelling place, but rather, his wife and possessions, as it concludes, וְכֹל, אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ, “or all that belongs to your neighbor.”
When our eyes begin to wander toward the blessing of our neighbor, and we compare his blessing to our own, we lose the feeling of gratitude toward the covenant Lord who provided them if we find our blessing to be unsatisfactory. Without gratitude we are unable to appreciate the good and perfect gift that has been provided leading to, not only dissatisfaction with the Lord, but also a lack of care, concern and love for our neighbor potentially leading to murder, adultery, theft, and false witness.
Messiah Jesus and the apostles speak as to the serious nature of negative coveting. The apostle James speaks of enticement leading to action based on desire that is sinful (James 1:13-15). The apostle Paul writes, “For this you know, that no one who whores, nor unclean one, nor greedy of gain, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Messiah and God” (Ephesians 5:5; cf. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Colossians 3:5). Therefore, we should learn to be content with the blessings in our life. As the author of Hebrews writes, “Let your way of life be without the love of silver, and be satisfied with what you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I shall never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
To be satisfied, or content, is not our natural condition; but in the life of faith, renewed in Messiah, it is the antidote to covetousness and a shortage of faith. Friends, we will have those moments when we covet. Rather than allowing it become a negative, let us, in faith, allow the Lord to produce a good work through us from that desire, instead of sin. As Paul wrote, “Not that I speak concerning need, for I have learned to be content in whatever state I am” (Philippians 4:11).
And let us remember, where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.
Shalom;
Dr. J.D. Elwell