Editorial October 23, 1909 Issue

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

Annie M. Knott

In the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy we read: "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day." There are many who mistakenly believe that God's laws are intended to enforce the divine authority rather than to bless those who obey them, but nothing could be farther from the truth. God is altogether too great to need honor of us, and He could not be honored by anything less than the happiness and prosperity of all His children. Our obedience to divine law is "for our good always," and it is also for the universal good, since Christian Science teaches us that "whatever blesses one blesses all" (Science and Health, p. 206). The one who strives constantly to obey God's law is a public benefactor, and Christ Jesus said of those who obeyed and taught these commandments, "that the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

It goes without saying that obedience to be of any real value must be intelligent. We must understand something of the one who demands our obedience, and we must also learn how to obey. In the case of a student of art or applied science, no mere effort to work out a problem would bring the desired result. Some measure of understanding is needed from the start, and this quickly unfolds into fuller understanding, as it is put into practice.

The tenth commandment "Thou shalt not covet" is unique in that it is addressed wholly to thought and gives no hint of either reward or punishment, yet it is tremendously comprehensive. It can be readily seen that if it were understood and obeyed, no crimes would ever be committed. Disobedience to it may be said to spring from what St John calls "the lust of the eye," the desire for material things. It was this which tempted Eve, when she believed that the forbidden fruit was "pleasant to the eyes," and through her disobedience and that of her husband "many were made sinners" (to quote St. Paul).

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