“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17 NLT)

 

The tenth and final commandment stands apart. While the other commandments, to a large extent, deal with what we do outwardly, this one deals with what we do inwardly. While the other commandments deal primarily with actions, this one deals with a state of mind and heart.

A Roman Catholic priest who heard the confessions of thousands of people said he listened to folks admit to sins of almost every kind, including adultery and even murder. But he could not recall even one person who confessed to the sin of coveting. Maybe that’s because no one knew what it was.

Coveting is looking at something, admiring it, and essentially taking it. For instance, let’s say your friend has a car. You say, “I like that car.” That’s not coveting. You say, “I want a car like it.” Still not coveting. You say, “I’m going to buy a car just like it.” Still not coveting.

You say, “I want your car.” That is a problem. You say, “I’m taking your car.” That’s coveting—and grand theft auto, in this case. It is taking something that belongs to another. Something that was never meant to be yours.

You’ll notice that the commandment says, “You must not covet your neighbor’s wife.” It’s not wrong to want a wife or a husband, but it is wrong to want someone else’s wife or husband.

Second Samuel 11 tells the story of King David and Bathsheba. David saw Bathsheba bathing, asked about her, and discovered that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s loyal soldiers. David demanded that Bathsheba be brought to him. He coveted her—and thus began his downfall.

He committed adultery with her. He arranged for her husband to be killed in battle. He tried to cover it up by lying. David set in motion a series of broken commandments when he coveted. He, like everyone else, discovered that keeping the Ten Commandments is practically impossible.

And that’s the point of them. How many of the Ten Commandments have you broken? Have you misused God’s name? Have you failed to honor your father and mother? Have you stolen anything? Have you lied? Have you committed adultery? Have you coveted? If so, you experienced the need to repent and ask God for forgiveness.

The Ten Commandments aren’t intended to frustrate us or make us miserable. They’re intended to show us our need for repentance and forgiveness. The Ten Commandments weren’t given to try to make us holy. They were given to show us that we can’t be holy through our own ability. We are all guilty before God.

The good news is that when Christ died on the cross, He atoned for every broken commandment. He took our penalty and our punishment on Himself. He died in our place so that we can be forgiven.

 

Reflection question: How would you explain the Ten Commandments to someone who doesn’t know much about them? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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