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 is your neighbor’s. [Exodus 20:17 (ESV)]
While the Hebrew word translated as covet, chamad, can mean “take pleasure in,” it also means “ungoverned selfish desire.” Chamad ranges from wholesome delight to illicit craving. It’s not a stretch to see how taking pleasure in something that isn’t yours can lead to desiring it and wanting to acquire it. When David saw Bathsheba on the rooftop, he delighted in her beauty but that delight grew into such desire that he took what belonged to his neighbor. When Achan saw the riches that were to be set aside for God, he coveted the wealth for himself and stole it. When Elisha’s servant Gehazi saw the wealth Namaan brought to his master, he was filled with desire for what wasn’t his to take. Coveting the wealth that Elisha refused to accept, Gehazi chased after Namaan, concocted a lie, and took some of that wealth for himself.
Those stories show us how coveting what rightfully belongs to another can lead to more sin and dire consequences. Coveting his neighbor’s wife led David to commit rape, adultery, and murder. It resulted in the death of his infant son, violence and discord within his household, and the loss of stability in the kingdom. Achan’s theft of those riches caused the defeat of Israel’s army and the slaughter of 3,000 innocent Israelite soldiers along with his death and the deaths of his entire family. Because of Gehazi’s greed and deceit, he contracted leprosy.
Coveting and envy, while closely connected and equally wrong, are not quite the same. Rather than desire for something that belongs to another, envy involves anger and resentment at another person’s good fortune or possessions. It’s a combination of coveting what another person has and hatred for the person because he has it. For example, because Isaac was blessed by the Lord with large flocks and a huge grain harvest, his envious Philistine neighbors sabotaged his wells by filling them with dirt. Envious of his brother because God accepted Abel’s offering but not his, Cain killed Abel. Envious of their father’s affection toward Joseph, his brothers sold him into slavery and deceived their father. Because Saul was envious of David’s popularity and success, he hated the young man and, for the rest of Saul’s life, he was obsessed with plotting David’s death. Although Saul’s envy didn’t destroy David, it did destroy him!
As I read these stories of coveting and envy, I wondered how they apply to our everyday lives. Just because we’re not likely to covet our neighbor’s ox or donkey, doesn’t mean we’re free from wishing we had other’s people’s exotic vacations, washboard abs, designer wardrobes, seemingly unlimited bank balances, artistic talents, or well-behaved children. Just because we’re not likely to sell a sibling to slavers, commit fratricide, or poison someone’s well doesn’t mean we’re free from resenting someone because they’re more successful, have a beautiful house, drive a pricy sports car, look younger, or are better liked. When we think our happiness lies in what we don’t have or resent others because of their good fortune in possessing what we want, we’re like David, Achan, Gehazi, the Philistines, Joseph’s brothers, and Saul. The only difference is that we covet different things and envy different people!
Unlike action sins like theft, murder, taking God’s name in vain, and bearing false witness, coveting and envy are sins of the heart. As such, it’s easy to overlook the subtle seeds of discontent that can grow in our hearts. These stories, however, serve as warnings that our sins of the heart easily blossom into sins of action. May we never value what our neighbor has more than we value our neighbor!
The antidote for covetousness is contentment. The two are in opposition. Whereas the covetous, greedy person worships himself, the contented person worships God. Contentment comes from trusting God. [John MacArthur]
It’s often said, “Like father, like son,” and that was true of my father-in-law and his sons. Although they weren’t carbon copies of their dad, the boys shared several characteristics with the man who fathered them. In the same way, because God created us in His image, we share some of His characteristics. Of course, there are many important ways we are not like our Creator—He is all-knowing, eternal, all-powerful, and ever-present. Without a physical body, we don’t have things like God’s nose, hair color, or smile. Nevertheless, we do resemble Him in the spiritual, moral, and intellectual attributes of our nature that distinguish us from the rest of the animal world.
“I’m so busy!” If there’s even a remote possibility that we might be asked to do something we’d rather avoid, we can cut off the request at the pass by starting the conversation with those words. It’s the perfect out. On the other hand, when said to us, we can’t argue with it.
Just as we must not become stumbling blocks to others on their faith journey, we must be cautious of the stumbling blocks we encounter on ours. The Greek word usually translated as “stumbling block” was skandalon. It originally referred to the stick that served as the trigger for a snare trap but, eventually, scandalon developed two meanings. It was both a snare or trap that catches unsuspecting prey as well as something that trips a person and causes them to stumble and fall—in other words, a stumbling block. In both cases, the purpose of the scandalon is to catch its victim unaware!
Devotions of the Heart 