covet and contentment

And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "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 20:1‭-‬2‭, ‬17 ESV

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11‭-‬13 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

God doesn't care just about outward obedience, He also cares about our inward heart. He doesn't just care about what we do but why we do it. 

The problem and pervasiveness of coveting

The desire for a house, a spouse, good things is a desire given by God. There is nothing wrong with these desires. But we are not to desire what is our neighbors. Not just their possessions, but literally anything. Their opportunities, talents, good looks, etc. We are to desire our neighbor's good above their goods. We are to celebrate their success and blessings. But it is not just a horizontal relationship problem, it has a vertical dimension. Covetousness hides a belief that we are not getting what we deserve. If we had this thing or things, everything would be complete in our lives. Scripture says that covetousness is idolatry. It is elevating these things to make them ultimate. It is an accusation that God is not dealing fairly or properly with you. It is such a small hearted thing. How ugly and shameful that we cannot celebrate when our neighbor is successful. We all struggle with this. Our culture only fans the flames. It tells us to be discontent.

The power to turn from coveting to contentment

Buddhism sees the problem of coveting and tells the followers to mute the desires entirely. But Christianity says something different, we do not seek to eliminate our desires but rather to desire rightly. To put our desires in the proper order, and placing our ultimate hope in Jesus. We are to submit our lives entirely to God. This is how to find contentment in our lives. Paul writes from prison about his contentment. He is often in need, in danger, and at risk. Shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonment. But he is content because he is grounded in Christ. How? First, being grounded in Christ takes away any sense of entitlement. Anything on the other side from hell is grace because that is what we deserve. Second, the cross points out how far God will go for us. It is our proof that God is working for our good regardless of how our circumstances appear on the surface. God provides for all that we need. God withholds things for our good. Things that we desire... For our good. 

radical truthfulness

And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Exodus 20:1‭-‬2‭, ‬16 ESV

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil. - Matthew 5:33‭-‬37 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

What it means

This command is specific to court/judicial setting. When you are brought up as a witness or you are accusing someone, you are to tell the truth. In this day and age, we have security cameras, cell phone footage, even DNA analysis. But Israel had none of these things. They only had spoken testimony. Speaking the truth can have life changing implications. It has corporate effects as well. Speaking lies tears at the fabric of community. It makes us skeptical and even cynical. 

How it applies

This command is more then just not lying. It means to keep to the truth in all areas of life. Jesus speaks to this in the use of oaths. There was a set of religious laws called the mishna. It outlined two types of oaths. One set that were not legally binding and the other would incur the judgement of God. These religious laws made for more complex lying rather than more trustworthy people. Those who follow God were to be truthful, so truthful that they do not need to be under oath. They do not need to swear an oath in order to speak truth. That is the radical truth and trustworthiness God calls us to.

It is unlikely that we have committed perjury. But we break this commandment in many ways everyday. We exaggerate to plead our case, to make ourselves look better. We revile those we dislike. We magnify their faults and minimize/omit their strengths. We gossip under the guise of sharing. There is no heart to reach out and engage them to help them to kill that sin. All this lying is largely driven by fear. Fear of missing out, fear of looking bad, fear of not having enough social standing or career opportunities.

How to truly live it

Liars and slanders have no place on God's holy hill. We, those who tear at the fabric of community, deserve God's judgement & wrath. But Jesus came full of grace and truth. He came and paid the price of capital punishment on our behalf. He frees us from fear. We are accepted into God's kingdom because of what Jesus has done. We have the riches of God and a place in His presence. We can live a life of giving rather than fear.