Article January 29, 1996 Issue

Wanting what isn't yours

Marjorie Matchette Reisdorf

To covet, one must believe he is incomplete, and that he lacks something someone else has. To covet, one must believe that God is partial, giving good to some and withholding it from others, or at least giving more good to some than to others.

The Tenth Commandment, the last in the series of Commandments given by Moses, states this: "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" (Ex. 20:17). This commandment, although the last given to Moses, is an important one. This law of God can be seen as acknowledging man's completeness as the full expression of God, which is man's true nature. And this commandment applies to the human propensities of thought—based on the belief of man as a limited mortal—that, unchecked, would lead to specific forms of evil identified in previous Commandments, such as murder, adultery, and character assassination. Covetousness opens the door of thought to evil deeds.

Christ Jesus, as the very Son of God, lived in total obedience to God's law. He was well aware of the Ten Commandments and their deeper implications. He turned the thought of his followers away from concern with needed material goods, assuring them, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33).

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