Law and Grace (16) Coveting

The Ten Words give no penalty for coveting, so technically it is not a law. Coveting takes place in a person’s heart, so no witness can observe a person has been coveting.

Coveting is the only personal sin mentioned in the Ten Words. A whole range of person sins that are listed in the New Testament, such as pride, deceit, envy, strife, greed, malice, arrogance, hatred, slander, boasting and gossip are not mentioned in the Torah at all. We should not be surprised, as the law was not intended to be a tool for overcoming sin and achieving righteousness. That was not even practical until the Jesus had died on the cross and the Holy Spirit, so God did not expect the law to do this. He was giving his people a justice system and an economic system.

The law had one other role prior to the cross. It was a tool for exposing sin.

Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet” (Rom 7:7).

This is why coveting was included in the Ten Words. Most people do commit not murder, so a law against murder does not convict them. Coveting is different, because everybody does it, and a lot of what they do seems to be okay.

He is lucky having such a beautiful wife
I would not mind having a car like that?
Where did you get that dress?

These statements seem to be acceptable, but the Ten Words explain that they are quite likely motivated by sin. The warning against coveting could not change anyone’s heart, but it did remind people of how far sin has gone.

The Israelites did not fully understand the nature of sin. God had not given them the means to overcome it, so there was nothing to be gained from giving them a full list of sins. God gave them just enough so that everyone would know that they were guilty of sin and in need of way to get right with God (the tabernacle sacrifices were a temporary, forward-looking method). The word on coveting achieved this. The same thing could have been deduced from the words about loving neighbours, but the warning against coveting made it explicit.

The law was given to expose sin and create a need for the cross, but this was only one role. A common mistake is to assume that this is its only role. Many other important roles carry on beyond the cross.

Economic Life (10) Coveting

For a community to be strong, people must satisfied with what they have got, even if others have more.

You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour (Ex 20:17).

You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbour’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour (Deut 5:21).

This command has no penalties, because coveting is something that takes place in a person’s heart, so there are no witnesses who can testify against it. However, it is a really important command, because coveting can tear a community apart. We must not look at any of the things that a person in our neighbourhood owns, and wish that it were ours. Adultery is often rooted in coveting other men’s wives.

Modern television advertising is based on persuading people to covet the things that the person in the advert who looks like their neighbour is flaunting.