Please turn with me to Exodus 20:17.  Today is we’ve come to the last of the Ten Commandment - number 10.  If you are there - at Exodus 20:17 - I’d like for us to read the commandment  out loud together.

Exodus 20:17 - Let’s read this out loud together:  “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 belongs to your neighbor.”

There’s a story about a dog who - as a treat -  was given an exceptionally good cut of meat.  The dog went away hanging onto this meat with his mouth.  On the way to where he was going to eat the meat the dog crossed a low bridge.  He happened to look down over the bridge onto the glassy water beneath him.  There he saw another dog who was holding a piece of meat much like his own.

Then he got an idea.  If he could get that other piece of meat, then he’d have twice the meat for the meal he was getting ready to enjoy. 

The other dog looked smaller than he was.  So he knew he could take him without any trouble.  And the piece of meat looked really good.

So without giving it another thought, the dog he opened his mouth to reach for the second piece of meat that he saw.  As he did - the piece of meat that was in his own mouth dropped into the water.  The dog walked away sad.  In trying to get what someone else had - which was only an illusion anyway - he had lost what he had to begin with.

“To covet” is the Hebrew word “chamad.”  It means to desire earnestly.  To long after.  Coveting is a yearning for what properly belongs to someone else.  We desire it so strongly that we really don’t care about the consequences or whether God wants us to have it or not.

Walk with me through these examples of coveting - here in verse 17.  There are five of them.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.”  The Hebrew for “house” is “bayit.”  The word describes where someone dwells - a physical house - a tent - the land they dwell on.

For me to walk through Home Depot or Lowe’s is like a kid in a toy store.  I walk down the aisles and I stumble in sin.  I want it all.

Its hard for us to look at where we live and not want something better - to compare what we have with what we’d like - to see what others have done to their homes and think about what we’d like to do to ours.  There’s a fine line between what we need - what’s appropriate for us to have - and what we covet - more stuff - more property - upgrades - furnishings.

“bayit” - house - also describes those who dwell in the house - the household.  Desiring the family life of others.  “Their kids are so much better behaved than mine.  They don’t have the family issues we have.”

Second example:  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.”  Which goes way beyond just physical desire.  The example is focused on the desire for the relationship of a husband and wife.  Looking at someone else’s wife - seeing the kind of intimacy and attention that she gives her husband - their husband/wife relationship - and wanting that with her.

That cuts both ways.  Sisters - when your husband is passed out on his barko-lounger in front of the football game - the temptation to think -  “Why can’t he be more like so-and-so” is a heartbeat away from “I wish so-and-so was my husband.”

Third example:  “Your neighbor’s male servant or his female servant”  A person with servants could leave the day to day drudgery of the household to the servants - the dusting - the vacuuming - watering the camels.  With servants there’s time off - leisure time - creature comforts - a plasma TV.  He and the wife get to take the Winnebago Chariot on family vacations to exotic places like Ur.  The example is about coveting the lifestyle and experiences of others.

Fourth example - “your neighbor’s ox or donkey” - has to do with coveting some one else’s means of making a living - their education - job - career - income - wealth - economic level - their success - their situation in life. 

Then fifth - “anything else” - someone else’s looks - their abilities - their walk with God - God’s blessing of someone - and we could go on adding to the list.  “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s golf cart”  The list of what we covet is long.

“Don’t covet” - “Do not desire what is inappropriate for you to have.”

There are two points of application that I’d like to share - looking practically at how the tenth commandment can be helpful to us today.

First point:  Coveting is a great opportunity.  Try that with me, “Coveting is a great opportunity.”

On Monday, January 17, 1994 - at 4:30 a.m. - Karen and I were sleeping in our North Hollywood home.  At 4:31 a.m. we were wide awake - standing in the bathroom door - holding onto Andrew - in the dark and listening to everything in the house come apart.

Do you all remember the Northridge earthquake?

Aside from all the stuff that was destroyed - one of the strongest memories of that time was what happened when we went next door to check on our neighbors.  Their house was like our house - broken stuff all over the place - people walking around by flashlight.  One minute we’re peaceful and sleeping - content in our homes with all of our carefully arrange stuff - living the American dream - and the next we’re in piles of junk - jumping at every sound.

When we went next door I asked, “Would you like to pray?”  I’ve never seen people hit their knees so fast.  Boom - they were down and we were praying.  In that moment we realized great desire for God.

The Apostle Paul - in Romans 7 - starting at verse 7 - Paul writes, “I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind…”

Isn’t that our nature?  When we’re told we can’t do something - we want to do it.  Paul’s point is that the law “Do not covet” shows us that we do covet - that something within us is still focused on things and inappropriate desires.  We need to be brought to reality - like an earthquake can bring us face to face with what’s really important.  It isn’t the stuff that’s important.  Its having our hearts connected up rightly with God.

James 1:13-17.  James writes, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God;’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust…”

Underline the word “lust.”  It’s the Greek word “epithumia” - meaning a passion for something that’s inappropriate.  It’s the same word the Greeks used to translate the Hebrew for “covet.”

“Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own covetousness - his own passion for what’s inappropriate - Then when lust - coveting - has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

James is describing - what?  A process.  Progression from heart thought to action to death.

King David sees Bathsheba - a woman he should have had no interest in.  Sees her bathing and begins to covet the wife of Uriah.  That coveting another man’s wife leads to adultery - leads to death - the death of Uriah - the death of the child.  Ammon and Absolom die.  The nation goes through a revolution - innocent people die.  James says, “Sin brings death.” (2 Samuel 11-19)

King Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard - a property that had been in Naboth’s family for generations.  When Naboth wouldn’t sell Ahab the field, witnesses are called to give false testimony.  Naboth is accused of blasphemy and treason and stoned.  Ahab then goes and takes possession of the vineyard.  Ahab’s coveting leads to Naboth’s death - Ahab’s own death - Ahab’s children are cut off from ruling Israel. (1 Kings 21)

Example after example in Scripture - in our lives - “Sin brings death.”  The disastrous consequences of not dealing with the condition of our heart and so allowing the desires of our heart to run rampant with our actions.

Perhaps more than the other nine commandments - “Don’t Covet” - speaks to the focus and direction of our hearts.  It’s not just what we do that’s being prohibited - “Don’t steal!” - “Don’t lie!”  Number ten exposes the inner struggles of our hearts - our attitudes - our inner instincts.  By prohibiting something that we do - number ten - shows us where we struggle in our relationship with God.  The source of what leads us into the self-destructive behavior of sin.

Coveting is an opportunity - if we’re honest about our struggle.  Follow me with this - when we covet we find out what parts of our heart - our passions and desires - what part of us needs to get connected rightly with God.

Let me share some examples.

When we covet it exposes our choice of choosing our own wisdom over God’s wisdom.  We say to God that we know what would make us happy and serve our needs better than He does.  We’re ungrateful for what He gives us.  We reject His provision.

So, when we covet we need to examine our hearts - to ask, “Why am I trusting myself rather than God?  What attitude - fear - struggle - is keeping me back from trusting God?”

When we covet - and compare ourselves to what we desire in others - we lose hope.  We focus on our inadequacies - our failures - our situation.  We get weighed down and end up in some self-serving pity-party.  “Look at how miserable my life is.  Look what I’m stuck with.  Look at how much better their life is.”

So, when we covet we need to examine the focus of our hearts - to ask ourselves if we’re looking for what God has for us.  Looking with expectation for His healing - His victory - His transforming power - to all He desires to do in us and through us.

When we covet we cannot rejoice when God blesses others.  We’re in competition with them.  We desire what others have.  We become bitter  and angry and jealous.  We miss the joy of seeing God at work in others.

We need to ask, “Do I desire what God desires?  Am I serving Him or myself.  Is my heart in tune with God’s heart?”

When we covet we’re never satisfied.  We never reach the end.  We’re always unhappy.

There is a story about a depressed King who believed he could be the happiest man on earth, if he took and wore the shirt owned by the happiest man on earth.  But what the search revealed was that the happiest man on earth didn’t own a shirt.

If we are continually unhappy we need to ask why.  “God show me why I am not satisfied with what you’ve blessed me with.”

Coveting is a great opportunity to allow God to show us our heart and to allow Him to make significant positive and healing changes.

Second thought of application:  Coveting is the right thing to do.

Let’s say that together, “Coveting is the right thing to do.” 

A mother said, “My daughter was ready to serve cake to the family when my son Brian said, "I want the biggest piece!"

The mother told him, "Brian, it is not polite to ask for the biggest piece."

Brian looked at the floor. "Well, then, how do you get it?"

God gives us the ability to desire - to covet.

A millennia ago the Egyptian pharaohs built huge pyramids with large vaults filled with riches that would make Bill Gates envious.  They had themselves mummified - wrapped and preserved for the next life.  Today we have museums filled with rotting mummies and Egyptian artifacts.

Jesus told a parable of a rich man who had a bumper crop.  Remember this?  He’d harvested so much grain - maybe rice - that he didn’t know what to do with it.  He was rich.  Ahead was expansion - wealth - with no end in sight.  He began to dream of all the things he was going to do - how he was going to enjoy life - his retirement.  On the night he was dreaming about all this - he died. (Luke 12:16-21)

Job put it this way, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there.” (Job 1:21)

Yet, somehow in our deluded way of thinking - when we get our eyes off of God and onto ourselves - we think we can take it with us.  So many people today are working very hard at producing nothing of lasting value.  Coveting and desiring and passionately running after the accumulation of wealth and things and reputation and experiences.

In 1 Timothy 6:6 the Apostle Paul writes:  godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.  Contentment - satisfaction with what we have - is the opposite of covetousness. 

Contentment comes as we learn to trust God for our needs.  To see His purposes for what He gives to us.  It’s the contrast between men who have set their hearts and lives upon the empty pursuit of pleasing themselves versus those who have focused their hearts and lives on God.

A while back in the pocket of a rich man who had just committed suicide they found $30,000 in cash and a note.  The note said, “I have discovered during my life that piles of money do not bring happiness.  I am taking my life because I no longer can stand the solitude and boredom.  When I was an ordinary workman in New York I was happy.  Now that I possess millions I am infinitely sad and prefer death.” (1)

Jesus said this, “Don’t worry about your life - what you’ll eat or what you’ll wear.  There’s more to life than food and clothing.  Look at the ravens.  God takes care of them.  Look at the lilies.  God takes care of them.  You can’t add a single day to your life.  So why are you trying too?  Don’t worry.  Seek God’s kingdom first.  Make that your priority.  And God will take care of everything else.” (Luke 12:22-34)

Jesus - in talking about birds and flowers - Jesus is asking what?, “In what or whom are you trusting?  Where’s your heart’s desire - the priority of your life - the inner core of who you are?  What are you passionately seeking after?”

Psalm 41:1:  “As the dear pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”  That’s passionate desire appropriately directed.  Thirst after God

Paul writes, Philippians 1:23:  “I’m hard pressed from both directions, having the desire - same word for “covet” - “epithumia” - I’m coveting to depart - I know I need to be here with you - but the passionate longing of my heart is to be with Jesus.”  There’s something to long for.  To be with Jesus.

1 Corinthians 14:1 - after a chapters long discussion about spiritual gifts, Paul writes, “Desire earnestly spiritual gifts.”  Focus the passionate desire of your heart on serving God according to His will - for His glory.

From cover to cover - Scripture gives us examples after example:  Stop pursuing the dying things of this world and be passionate about the things of God - long for the things of God - lust after the things of God - covet the things of God. 

Here’s the bottom line:  Coveting is the right thing to do when we passionately desire the right things.

Last thought.

A fourth grade boy was standing toe-to-toe and nose-to-nose with his teacher.  Behind them was a blackboard covered with math problems the boy hadn’t finished.  With rare perception the boy says, “I’m not an underachiever.  You’re an overexpecter!” (2)

Many people think of God and His Ten Commandments that way.  God piling on expectations - adding guilt - putting more burdens on us.

Ten Sundays ago when we began our look at the Ten Commandments we said this:  The God of the Bible is the covenant God not a contract God.   Remember that?  God’s message to us is not, “Do this for Me.  Then I’ll love you.” - a do this and you’ll get paid - contract.  But instead God says, “I’ve done this for you as your Creator and as your Redeemer.  Therefore this is the kind of relationship that I invite you to be a part of.”

We were created to live in a covenant relationship with God.  These commandments express the concern of God for His people - the desire of God that His people know how to live rightly with Him. 

God loves you.  That’s what all this is about.  Not about rules and regulations.  But about God who wants to pour out His love on us - to take the burdens off our shoulders - to bring peace to our hearts - to establish us and bless us and watch out for us and heal us and care for us and guide and lead us through life into eternity with Him.

On your sermon notes there’s a short summary of the commandments.  Take the time to go back and think through what we’ve looked at over the last ten Sundays.  The messages are online at our website - if you’d like to read them. 

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1) W.A. Maier, “For Better Not For Worse” page 223
2) John Beehler, from a sermon, “Whadday Want?”

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright© 1960,1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.