What Coveting Is—and Isn’t
“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.” - (Exodus 20:17)
“You shall not covet” is probably one of the most misunderstood of the Ten Commandments. Coveting isn’t simply desiring something. Nor is it simply admiring something that we don’t have. To covet is to become devoured by desire for something. And many times, it’s something that isn’t yours to have.
The word for covet is also translated “to pant after.” Think of a wolf that has gotten a taste for blood and is out there pursuing his prey, panting after it. That wolf will not rest until he catches his prey, kills it, and eats it.
That is what coveting is. How does it work? You become obsessed with something. First the eyes look at the object, the mind admires it, and the will goes over to it. Lastly, the body moves in to possess it. One thing leads to another.
Judas Iscariot effectively threw his life away for thirty pieces of silver when he betrayed the Lord. We are told in 1 Timothy 6:10, “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.” That verse is often quoted as “Money is the root of all evil,” but the Bible says no such thing. The love of money is the root of all kinds evil. It doesn’t mean that it’s bad to want some money. But it becomes a problem when we covet, or pant after, it.
Some people covet throughout their lives. They become obsessed with certain things and will make any sacrifice to get what they want. It may be a person. It may be an object. It may be a position. Whatever it takes, they are determined to get it. And it can destroy them.
Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
SPECIAL OFFER
ARE YOU LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF ETERNITY?
Heaven is a real place. And for that matter, so is Hell. Don’t you think it makes sense to learn everything we can about the afterlife before we find ourselves there?
Get biblical answers to your questions about the death, dying and the afterlife in Living in the Light of Eternity, by Don Stewart.
This book is our gift to you in appreciation for your donation to Harvest Ministries this month.
