Grace and Peace Episode 55
Presbyterian Church of Easton
October 17, 2021
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
Heidelberg Catechism
113Q. What is the aim of the tenth commandment?
A. That not even the slightest desire or thought contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in our hearts. Rather, with all our hearts we should always hate sin and take pleasure in whatever is right.
Deuteronomy 5:21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
The tenth commandment prohibits desiring your neighbor’s wife and your neighbor’s stuff. Desire is not in itself a sin. Desire is ethically neutral. You can desire something good. Or you can desire something bad. Ethics is concerned by what you desire rather than the desire itself. And you are prohibited from desiring something or someone owned by another person.
The first nine commandments all deal with actions, something you do. You steal, or bear false witness, or murder, or commit adultery - all actions. But in the tenth commandment there is no action, only thoughts. Your desire to have something that someone else owns is in your mind.
This is unique in the ancient law codes. In these laws, only actions are prohibited. What you think is up to you. But in the Bible what you think can be a sin. You can have wrong thoughts which are an offense against God’s law.
There is no biblical punishment for coveting your neighbor’s wife or stuff. A witness can only testify to what you do. No witness can know what you think. No judge can know what you think. No trial can determine what you think. What you think is between you and God. Only God knows if you covet your neighbor’s stuff.
The problem with bad thoughts is that they can lead to violations of the other commandment. Your desire for your neighbor’s wife can lead to adultery. Your desire for your neighbor’s grill can lead to stealing it. Coveting can grow into anger leading to murder. So prohibiting the desire of stuff someone else owns can prevent other violations of the law.
Lord, help us to always be satisfied with what we have, the gifts you have provided us. Help us to never be envious of our neighbors. Keep us from trying to “keep up with the Joneses”. And bless us with what we truly need. Amen.
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