Originally published on August 26th, 2019.

In today’s world, coveting isn’t given a second thought. We often covet without remorse, perhaps without even conscious thought. After all, coveting usually isn’t thought about. It has become such a common part of our daily lives that we don’t even notice it. We buy our cars and eat our expensive dinners, but we rarely stop long enough to think of what the Bible says about coveting. To many, coveting is like the disaster victims on the news: real, but distant. Oh, it exists, but nobody gives it a second thought. Coveting seems like the boring uncle found in every family. You know, the one that sleeps on the couch through thanksgiving and only wakes up for dinner. He’s there, but nobody really notices him.

So, what is coveting? We all know the classic “Thou shalt not covet” that we were taught in Sunday School, but do we really know what it means to covet? Exodus 20:17 says, “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 neighbors.”¹ Simply put, coveting is the sinful desire of something that is not ours. Regardless of whether or not we act on our selfish desire, covetousness is the wicked craving for something we do not own. The wickedness in coveting is what makes it a sin. A man can walk into Target and look over some clothes, but if he does not sin in his shopping, he does not covet. However, if that man desires the pornographic magazine on Aisle 8, he covets and sins against His Lord.

Continue reading “Throwback Saturday: Coveting God” →