Between Coveting and Contentment
In this series, I take our law homily from our church gathering each week (The law homily is where we read from the law of God and let His law examine our hearts so that we can be a tender-hearted and repenting people), and I post them here for your edification.
17 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 belongs to your neighbor." - Exodus 20:17
The Evil of Coveting
Coveting is a vile sin that festers in our hearts, often hidden yet ever-destructive. It is a cancer that eats away at our souls, leading us down a path of ruin, misery, and despair. For instance, consider the many ways we transgress this command.
When you see your neighbor's truck, with four-wheel drive, a towing package, and sitting on an 8-inch lift kit, you feel sorrow that you cannot afford what you have coveted. When you look across the street at your neighbor's home and feel envious that his house has more room than yours, a better layout, or bigger bedrooms, then you have coveted. When you look at how supportive a friend's wife appears to be, or how handy so and so's husband is, or how much Joey Bag of Donuts makes at his job, or how many children Sally Homemaker has, or because of the fear of missing out you bolster your record and your accomplishments to fit in with the Joneses, whenever you look with longing upon who someone is or what they posses, while at the same time looking with resentment upon who you are and what you have, then you have coveted. When you see the wealth, blessings, clothing, power, success, or status of others, and it makes you green with envy, bitter about yourself, or frustrated toward them, then you have plunged into the world of coveting and have sinned against your God.
In this way, coveting is not a harmless thought that you harbor quietly in the deepest, murkiest recesses of your mind; it is poison and cancer to the soul, and you must not entertain it for a moment.
Consider the many forms of coveting that plague our daily lives. You see a colleague receive a promotion and feel resentment and jealousy, wishing it were you instead. You hear of a friend's vacation and feel a pang of envy, thinking, why can't we afford those trips? You scroll through social media, coveting the curated lives of others, their perfect families, and their endless joy, and you feel the sting of pain knowing your life does not look like that; all of this is coveting.
It is important to remember that coveting is a gateway sin that leads to further sin. It breeds dissatisfaction with what you have, bitterness, and anger at God, who is sovereign over all things. It causes strife and conflict in your emotions and relationships, and if it is entertained and allowed to flourish in you, it will destroy you. It drives people to dishonesty, theft, envy, bitterness, and betrayal. Remember King David, whose covetous desire for Bathsheba led to adultery and murder. Reflect on Ahab and Jezebel, whose coveting of Naboth's vineyard led to false accusations and murder. Coveting is a gateway to many sins, and it separates us from the love and peace of God.
Part 2: The Need for Contentment
But, thankfully, there is an antidote to coveting called contentment. The Westminster Larger Catechism describes it like this:
"The duties required in the tenth commandment are such a full contentment with our condition, and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor, as that all our inward motions and affections touching him tend unto and further all that good which is his." - WLC Q147
Contentment is the antidote to coveting. It is a state of heart and mind where we rest in God's provision and plan for our lives. It acknowledges that God, in His infinite wisdom and love, has given us exactly what we need and that we require nothing more.
Contentment like this:
In your home, it is thanking God for what you have and celebrating the wisdom and love that are apparent in His provision.
In your relationships, it is cherishing your spouse and children as God's gifts to you and not longing for what others have.
In your work, it is finding joy and purpose in the tasks God has given you, without envying the positions or achievements of others.
In your finances, it is managing what you have with gratitude and wisdom, not being obsessed with accumulating more.
In your health, it is trusting God's sovereignty over your body and wellness and not begrudging those who seem more vigorous or attractive.
In your soul, it is resting in the assurance of God's love and salvation, not comparing your journey with that of others.
And here is the thing… Coveting grows as naturally in our hearts as weeds upon the ground, and contentment grows as painstakingly in our hearts as a perfectly manicured lawn. Therefore, perhaps the consequential sin when it comes to the tenth commandment is slothfulness and mindlessness, thinking that the killing of coveting and the thriving of contentment will somehow happen naturally. They don't, and they won't. Killing the pernicious sin of coveting and developing a life of contentment are arduous labors, which means we not only need to repent when we fall short, but we also need to repent of not taking the cultivation of these things more seriously than we have.
Contentment must be cultivated. It begins with recognizing God's sovereignty and goodness, meditating on Scripture, actively identifying problem areas, and meeting them with the Gospel, which constantly reminds us of God's provision and care. It involves praying for a heart of gratitude and trust and engaging in acts of charity and service, which turn our focus from ourselves to others. It consists in practicing simplicity and thankfulness in daily life, which tells us that there is much for us to repent of! We need to repent of all the ways we have practiced coveting and the ways we have failed to fight against it. Not only for the lack of contentment we currently have but also for all the ways we have failed to cultivate it.
Part 3: A Call to Repentance
As is the case with all transgressions of the law of God, let us fall on our knees and confess our sins before the Lord. Let us seek His forgiveness and His grace to transform our hearts. May He grant us the strength to turn away from covetous desires and to cultivate true contentment in Him.
Turn to God, and He will have mercy. Rest in His promises, and He will give you peace. Trust in His provision, and you will find joy. By His grace, let us strive to obey the tenth commandment, be content with our condition, and love our neighbors as ourselves.
