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)]
Although it sounds like something Satan might say to his demons, it was Alex Dumas, CEO of Hermès, who said “Our business is about creating desire.” It’s not just Hermès (with their $8,500 Della Cavalleria “magical bag”) that is in the business of creating desire; that seems to be the goal of many businesses. The LA Times has a “Coveted” column in their Image magazine featuring a curated list of luxury items (like $950 Gucci sneakers) they claim to be “mandatory” or “must-haves.” The October Vogue featured “coveted street style trends,” (like $1,364 velvet trousers and $600 Levi jeans) while urging its readers to purchase them “before it’s too late.” There’s even an on-line game called “Covet Fashion” in which you build your virtual dream wardrobe and then follow links to purchase the desired items.
With all its sales, catalogs, and advertisements, Christmas easily can become a season of desire and desire is what coveting is all about—a strong desire for something we don’t have or something we think we don’t have enough of. The sin of coveting, however, isn’t just desiring material goods. Coveting is a desire for what we can’t have or what other people do have—everything from that $8,500 Hermès bag to a fashion model’s beauty or someone else’s success to our neighbor’s wife.
The tenth commandment not to covet is unique among the Ten Commandments. The first nine deal with actions such as worshipping idols, keeping the Sabbath, honoring parents, taking the Lord’s name in vain, theft, adultery, or murder, but coveting is not an act. Coveting is a matter of the heart and allows desire for something to replace our desire for God. When we covet, we grow discontented, resentful, and even selfish enough to gain what we want at the expense of others.
By desiring the wrong things—whether other’s people’s lives and possessions or things like beauty, life-style, wealth, or fame—our goals get distorted. We may be willing to sacrifice things of real value—home, integrity, marriage, family, financial security, health, ethics, or faith—to attain what, in the end, has little value in this world and absolutely none in the next. When Eve coveted that forbidden fruit, sin and death entered into the world. When David coveted Bathsheba, he ended up ordering Uriah’s death. As a result, his infant son died, calamity entered his house, murder was a constant threat in his family, and he was publicly humiliated by Absalom. After Achan coveted the spoils of war, his entire family was destroyed. As a result of Ahab coveting his neighbor’s vineyard and Jezebel arranging the man’s death, Ahab and every male in his family died and Jezebel was eaten by dogs. Let’s remember that desiring what God does not mean for us to have will always come with a steep price!
One December evening several years ago, we walked the streets of Bethlehem. Instead of travelling to the Holy Land, however, we traveled back in time at a local church. Our journey began with a stroll through the Christmas story. We walked past Gabriel meeting with Mary, an angel visiting the sleeping Joseph, the shepherds and sheep, Joseph and a very pregnant Mary in a stable, and met the Magi with their camels and gifts. We then went inside the parish hall to the bustling city of Bethlehem. As required by the emperor, we stopped to register for the census and pay our taxes before moving through the crowded marketplace to the shops of the wine merchant, carpenter, leather worker, and oil and spice dealers. After pausing to watch mud bricks being made and fabric being dyed, a young boy took us on a tour through his 1st century Jewish home.
While we’re busy decorating our homes, planning holiday menus, finding the perfect gift for everyone on our list, and stressed about supply chain issues and shipping delays affecting the receipt of those gifts, let’s not forget that we’re in the season of Advent. This is a time for us to prepare for the second coming of Christ and to ponder the gifts of hope, love, peace, and joy we received with His first coming.
It’s less than a month until Christmas and I’m awaiting the family’s Christmas wish lists. Six years ago, when my son was helping his daughter compose her Christmas list, he told Mali she could ask for anything. A bit overwhelmed by such free rein, she questioned, “Anything?” While warning Mali that she may not get everything, he reassured her that she could ask for anything. To his surprise, the sweetheart asked for a sleeping bag for her little brother and explained that if he had one like hers, they both would be snug and cozy while watching their half hour of TV at night. Just four at the time, she had the right idea—giving truly is better than receiving.
I’d gotten sidetracked taking pictures of the water lilies at the Botanic Gardens. I looked around for my husband and saw him sitting quietly on a nearby bench. Although his head was down, I knew he wasn’t snoozing. Sitting down beside him, I said, “He really is amazing, isn’t He?” We both spent a few minutes reflecting on how great our God is and thanking Him for using all 120 of the crayons in his heavenly box when he made the flowers. He’s an extraordinary artist!
Devotions of the Heart 