"THE TENTH COMMANDMENT (PART II)" (An Article by Christian Henry) ~ 8/21/25

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” (Exodus 20:17)

This is my second article on the Tenth Commandment. In this command two things are forbidden outright: covetousness in general and covetousness in particular. It is, of course, lawful to use the things of the world to keep you and your family from poverty and enable you to honor God with works of mercy, but we must be sure we don’t come to a place of coveting. This is because a covetous nature is blatantly against God. A person may be said to be covetous, not only who gets the world unrighteously, but who loves the world inordinately.

A covetous person's thoughts are wholly taken up with this life, and they take greater pains for gaining while on earth, than for the future gain of Heaven. All of their discourse, thoughts, and actions are about and for the things of the world. The heart of the covetous one is so set upon worldly things that for the love of them, they’ll part with the Heavenly. We also considered how it is a moral vice that infects and pollutes the entire soul. The sin is subtle, a dangerous sin, and a radical vice as well.

In this article, we’ll talk through how covetousness is a mother sin. One that breaches the entirety of the rest of the Ten Commandments:

It breaks the First Commandment, which forbids the worship of other gods. The covetous person bows to more gods than one because they serve a god of gold or wealth. Therefore, this person is called an idolater.

Covetousness breaks the Second Commandment, which advocates against the creation of graven images and bowing to them. A covetous man bows down, though not to the graven image in the church, but to the graven image in his coin.

The Third Commandment, which detests taking the Lord’s name in vain, is breached as well. Absalom's design in II Samuel was to get his father's crown; in this action, there was covetousness. But Absalom also talks of paying his "vow to God," and there, he took God's name in vain.

We can’t correctly remember the Sabbath and keep it holy if we are entrenched in coveting. This is because a covetous man refuses to stay the Sabbath separate; instead choosing to spend the day in vanity as just another day at the office. When the individual should be reading and meditating on the Bible, they are preoccupied with worldly things. In this, the Fourth Commandment is cast aside.

The Fifth Commandment is violated through the act. In it, we are told to treat our parents with love and respect, but the covetous one only honors themself.

The act tears down the Sixth Commandment, which forbids murder, as well. As an example, covetous Ahab killed Naboth to gain his vineyard in 1 Kings 21.

It is a clear breach of Commandment Seven, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Covetousness causes the uncleanness we’re commanded against in it, and by the act, both conscience and chastity are cast aside.

The easiest one to illustrate how covetousness is in opposition to it is the Eighth Commandment, which warns against stealing. What is covetousness if not the root of all theft?

Finally, it violates the Ninth Commandment, which deals with bearing false witness. What makes the perjurer take a false oath but covetousness and the hope for a dividend?

So, we’ve looked at the sin, and how it's a detriment that breeds many others, but how can we cure covetousness? I have four remedies, and the first is by faith. I John 5:4 says, "…this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." The root of covetousness is the distrust of God's providence, and faith believes that God will provide. The same God who feeds the birds will feed his children, and He who clothes the lilies will clothe his lambs. In this faith, the world is overcome. Faith is the cure of care, and faith not only purifies but satisfies the heart. Faith makes God our portion, and so in Him we have enough. The second is to covet Heaven above the world. By clinging to spiritual things more, we will cling to earthly things less. We should covet grace because grace is the best blessing. It is the seed of God and the angels' glory. We also need to covet Heaven; it is the region of happiness and the most pleasant climate. At the end, we’ll ask ourselves if we coveted Heaven more, and if we truly did, we will have coveted earth less. Another antidote for coveting is to pray for a Heavenly mind. We should plead, ‘Lord, let the loadstone of your Spirit draw my heart upward! Lord, dig the earth out of my heart and teach me how to possess the world without loving it; how to hold it in my hand, and not let it get into my heart.’ But in the end, there is no better antidote against coveting that which is another's than being content with that which is our own.