The Last And The Lost Commandment
How did the Church legitimise it?
When I was at school, I learnt that Pluto was the last and smallest planet in our solar system. Today, it is not considered a planet anymore. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined what constitutes a planet, and Pluto did not meet all three criteria.
Did the Church make any such redefinitions that this last and so-called least commandment is no longer qualified for today? In fact, we conveniently sanitised, legitimised and spiritualised it.
“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
What do we think of this commandment today? Is it as serious as the other commandments? How can we even know someone is committing this sin?
Rene Girard, who proposed the theory of mimetic desire, said, “Man is the creature who does not know what to desire, and he turns to others in order to make up his mind. We desire what others desire because we imitate their desires.”
Girard saw the prohibition against coveting in the Ten Commandments as a recognition of this fundamental mimetic dynamic at the root of human conflict. Imitative desire can lead to rivalry, conflict, and ultimately, violence, as individuals and societies struggle for the same objects or positions coveted from others.
We see this right from the garden, where the serpent convinced Eve that she lacked something and God didn’t want her to have it. Therefore, she craved for it and went ahead and took it.
So, is the sin of man mostly credited to this commandment? If so, why are we not cognizant of it?
We as humans are social creatures. We learn and develop by imitating others. By imitating, we develop a sense of identity and belonging, which is necessary for personal development. Therefore, our desires aren’t intrinsic; they are always modelled by someone, either positively or negatively. For example, positively, we are called to model right behaviour so that others may learn what is right. Apostle Paul writes, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” That is why I think discipleship is memetic.
Likewise, I like to imitate someone because I want to be identified with that person or the object of desire; that identity boosts my sense of worth or provides me with some gain. So, when does a desire become coveting?
Coveting is strongly prohibited in the Bible because it brings destruction. It also leads to violating the other commandments; hence, it is considered the fountain of all evil. Wow, isn’t that terrifying to know that we make room for it in our hearts every day?
So what do we really mean by coveting? In some translations, the tenth commandment also uses the words crave and desire synonymously to covet. Other passages in the Bible show coveting leads to evil actions (Micah 2:1). Greed is another synonym used for covetousness.
So, is this a sin only when one takes an action, or even the thought and craving, a sin? Alexandrian Jewish philosopher, Philo (ca. 25 B.C.E. — 50 C.E.), places this sin equally in the realm of thought, noting that craving what others have can lead to dangerous actions such as plotting and strife.
Jesus puts it even strongly; he said that lust or anger in one’s heart is equal to acting it out. A covetous person will resort to stealing, murder, adultery and false witness, or may waste his or her life fruitlessly obsessing over the object of his or her desire.
We should go a little deeper and ask the question, Why do we even covet? Since we naturally desire what others desire, desiring to possess something my neighbour has is deeply rooted in a self-centred heart that is discontent.
We covet to satisfy these hungers or attain that sense of security, power, pleasure or self-worth. We often say to ourselves, ‘If only God had given me (or my family) such and such a thing or were in such and such a situation, I could gain a sense of self-worth and be happy.’
As a follower of Jesus, being discontent with who I am in Christ and what he has chosen to provide me is a terrible sin. This is the place the serpent loves to meet you at.
Paul equated covetousness with idolatry because we are seeking our identity in the pleasures, possessions or power we covet. For believers, it is rejecting the identity we have in God. We worship the image we covet, and eventually we become what we worship. Paul notes that those who covet do not enter the kingdom of God.
So, if desiring what others desire is an instinctual human behaviour, when does it become a sin? Simple thoughts when entertained can lead to cravings, force us to steal, lie, commit adultery, murder, etc. However, I think the problem is deeper; thoughts lead to sin when the desire comes from a sinful, self-centred, discontent, ungrateful heart.
Once, an older Christian woman told me that women naturally are upset if they do not have what others have. For her, there is nothing wrong with this nature, even for Christians. She even suggests we should ask God for it. This, I think, is the beginning of legitimisation. (James 4:3)
I am not suggesting this is a woman’s only problem. Men also covet; however, women who generally score high on experiencing negative emotions (neuroticism) are more prone to experiencing envy and a desire to possess what others have to gain a perceived sense of emotional stability and security.
By the way, we are not talking about our need for food, warmth, shelter, safety, good health, etc. We don’t call a hungry person’s need covetousness. We are commanded to ask God to supply all these needs.
Now, let us enter the age of social media. This sinful nature is put on steroids. Preceding that, the Church embraced the ‘prosperity gospel’ or the “Name it and claim it” gospel. This has begun legitimising covetousness within us. The prosperity gospel in the era of social media was an explosion.
You want a blue BMW 7 Series? Ask God in faith, and He will give it to you. There is nothing God cannot give you. Didn’t the Bible say, “Ask and you will receive it.” There we go, we spiritualized covetousness. Now we flaunt our possessions, achievements, degrees or indulgences on social media and self-proclaim them as “God’s blessings to me”. Even divorce and adultery have become God’s blessings.
We very often quote Psalm 37, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Here, desire could be translated as petitions or requests. So what are these desires? As I have briefly discussed earlier, my desires are neither intrinsic nor authentic to me. They are always what I see in others. If I delight myself in God, if God is my model of desire, all I desire is of God. If I delight in the world, then I desire the things of the world. The psalmist points out that for those who delight in the Lord (not the world), God will fulfil their petitions.
God desires that we desire him and seek his kingdom above all. Even when we have models in this world, let them be models who desire God above all.
By desiring God, we should be ready to lose the desires of this world. He promised that he would take care of all our needs. His children are always grateful, generous and joyful with little.
The covetous perpetually waste themselves around envy and pride. Pride when you feel successful and envy when you don’t. There is no end to this cycle.
What do we observe in our churches today? Is it all about me and my priorities? Do we hear sermons or testimonies on personal success? High activity on social media and tagging God to legitimise my worldly pursuits? It is a sign of insecurity in Christ, not a blessing.
Does the display of possessions, positions, accomplishments, degrees, talents, and holiday trips fill our conversations? Do you see the rise in divorce, adultery and its acceptance? Do you see our constant indulgences in gossip, pity parties, bitterness, envy, discontent, hate?
If yes, I hope we all repent for our covetousness and for legitimising it. May God help us desire generosity, humility, hospitality, simplicity, contentment, joy, and sacrificial love. May we pray together and put others’ needs and feelings first, sensitive to those who are weak in faith, and see the excitement we find in living out the gospel of Jesus in this world.
May the church become models of generosity, love and humility to the world. May we find our contentment, confidence and trust in Christ, who supplies all our needs more than we can imagine.
Try this! On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is the least covetous, where do you and your Church stand?
