Exodus 20:17
What Is the Tenth Commandment?
Exodus 20:17
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
What Does “Covet” Mean?
To covet is to have an unlawful desire for anything that is not rightfully yours.
Your desires for love, friendship, a home, happiness, victory, and peace are God-given. But, “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18a).
The tenth commandment deals with attitude. While you might say you have never broken the other nine commandments, you cannot say you never wanted to. Maybe you didn’t commit adultery. Maybe you didn’t steal. But did you want to? Did you have a covetous desire for something unlawful?
The Root of All Evil
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21-22).
You were born with a sin-nature. Jesus said to the unsaved, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do” (John 8:44). Covetousness is how Satan became the devil—by wanting what was not his. (Read Isaiah 14:12-21.)
1 Timothy 6:6-10
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Covetousness is not a small sin. It is the mother of all the rest.
Godliness with Contentment
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have” (Hebrews 13:5a; emphasis added).
What do we have?
If you are a child of God, you have God Himself. “Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25). You have family. (See Proverbs 18:22, Psalm 127:3.) And you have wisdom. “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold” (Proverbs 3:13-14).
Teaching Contentment in Your Home
Here is how to teach your children to keep the tenth commandment:
1. Give Your Heart to God
Let Him meet the deepest needs of your heart. God engineered you in such a way that this world will not satisfy you. You were made for God. (See Acts 17:28a).
2. Be Grateful
Develop thankfulness in your children, and demonstrate it by your own life. Think, and talk often, of your blessings.
3. Learn to Love
Make this a practice: when you see people who have nice things, bow your head and thank God for His blessings on those people. Celebrate God’s grace and goodness to somebody else.
4. Know Who You Are in Jesus
Teach you children to get their identity from the Word of God: believers are saints, the righteousness of God in Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 5:21.)
5. Give
Nothing will kill covetous deader and quicker than giving.
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You” (1 Chronicles 29:14).
