The Forgotten Commandment

The Forgotten Commandment

by Cathy Benson

Ever watch the segment, “Jaywalking,” on the Jay Leno show where random people are questioned about current news and other topics? I wonder what responses Jay would garner if responders were required to name the Ten Commandments. I imagine most, even those on Hollywood Boulevard, would be able to recall the most popular of commandments, “Thou shall not murder, steal, lie (bear false witness) or commit adultery.” I hasten to say a little more prodding may elicit responses about the First Commandment, to worship only the LORD, thy God; or perhaps even the Fourth Commandment to honor thy mother and father. However, I dare say it’s doubtful for those not knowing the Panama Canal is located in Panama or the White House is actually white, not beige, to recall not taking God’s name in vain, or to keep the Sabbath day Holy. Even if offered a million dollars with a phone-a-friend or lifeline option, it’s not likely Jay would find even a handful of people who could remember what most scholars deem the most important of commandments – The Tenth Commandment.

Appearing at the end of God’s apodictic instructions belies the tenant most overlooked by societies all over the world, despite this edict appearing as a code of conduct in every major religion. The Tenth Commandment found in Exodus 20:17 reads, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor (NRSV).

Notice how God was not ambiguous in this commandment, for certainly He knew those seeking to circumvent this requirement would argue that God only meant for us not to desire another person’s property. Instead, God itemized the contents of the house to include all things that are owned by our neighbor, those seemingly important and those not so relevant, if they don’t belong to us.

In Judaism this tenant is expressed as, “One is forbidden to desire and plan how one may obtain that which God has given to another.”

Islam also requires obedience to this code by admonishing, “Do not covet what we bestowed upon any other people. Such are temporary ornaments of this life, whereby we put them to the test. What your Lord provides for you is far better and everlasting (Qu’ran 20:131).”

Meriam Webster offers the following definition: to covet is to desire what belongs to another inordinately (meaning exceeding reasonable limits) or culpably (meaning with condemnation, shame and blame).

What God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai makes it a sin for all people of the world to desire and take what they do not rightfully own. Thus to covet is more than experiencing desire or longing regarding something or someone that does not belong to us. Covetousness is desire that so over powers our sensibilities that we become motivated to break one or more of God’s other commandments, ultimately bringing us shamefully back to the very first Commandment spoken, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (NRSV). This brings life to the words spoken in Matthew 15:19, “Out of the heart comes evil intentions (NRSV).” Coveting is the worst of sins because it leads to a violation of every other commandment. Violating this covenant threatens not only one’s walk with God but threatens the integrity of one’s family, stability of one’s community, and security of the nation as well.

One of the greatest and most elaborate biblical stories to illustrate this principle is found in the seventh chapter of Joshua. In this story, Achan takes and hides forbidden objects from Jericho, which results in a curse upon the Israelites, causing their great army of several thousand men to be defeated. God unambiguously states, “I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the things from among you,” referring to the forbidden objects taken by Achan. To find the items, God orders that all the tribes present themselves to Joshua, tribe by tribe; then, clan by clan; and then household by household; and from households, person by person. God ordered that the one to be found with the items should be consumed in fire. But God didn’t stop there, He also ordered that everything the man has, including his house and all of its contents also be consumed by fire (7:14-15).

Joshua did as the LORD commanded and was left standing face to face with the Achan, the accused.

“¹⁹ Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” ²⁰ and Achan answered Joshua, “It is true; I am the one who sinned against the Lord God of Israel. This is what I did: ²¹ when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them.”

In obedience to God, Joshua took Achan and the confiscated items, along with his sons and daughters, home and animals and everything he owned, and consumed them in fire.

This story illustrates so many things about how God views the sin of coveting, and the consequences the sin can cause. In this biblical example, Achan’s actions not only brought shame and dishonor to him, but it levied the severest of consequences on his household as well. This should be no surprise to us, considering how God paused after the First Commandment to explain his intentions to Moses, stating, “I am a jealous God, with the power to punish to the next generations those who don’t keep my commandments, or bless to the “thousandth generation” those who love and keep them (20:5-6 NRSV). Not only did God keep his word and punish the household of Achan, but he also removed favor from the entire group, causing the Israelites to lose on the battle field.

In an era of self determination and self consumption, we often forget that our actions have consequences that reach further than ourselves. Losing God’s favor in our personal lives should be consequence enough to make us want to be obedient. That alone should make us fall to our knees in repentance. However, acting with reckless disregard for our families, our communities and our country should cause an unbreakable shame to consume our hearts. Violating this covenant threatens not only one’s walk with God but threatens the integrity of one’s family, stability of one’s community, and security of the nation as well. This country is ripe with examples of people suing each other for the most trivial of reasons, some going so far as to come up with schemes to defraud others from their hard earned money. Some even implement these strategies against our own government; failing to recognize that government is funded on the backs of hard working citizens who are forced to sacrifice everyday to make ends meat. Is this done to bring about systemic change that might benefit society? Of course not! Instead, it’s the basic case of people coveting what others have, and becoming consumed with anger or self-pity that they don’t have it themselves. They begin to justify the taking (through legal and not so legal avenues) of things that don’t belong to them. They say things like, “it wouldn’t be legal if it weren’t acceptable,” or worst, “God wouldn’t have given me the idea if he didn’t intend for me to act on it.”

Covetousness, in this regard, violates the very First Commandment because it puts self-interest and our desire for things above our concern for neighbor, community, and obedience to God. Pastor John W. Ritenbaugh said, “The essence of idolatry is to get for the self.” Isn’t this what it’s come down to when people sue for $25,000 for a bruised toe, or $50,000 for a car accident without serious injury? Aren’t we saying, I covet a lifestyle that isn’t currently mine; I covet a home that I don’t currently have and can’t afford;I covet what I think those big insurance company executives have and I’m going to find a way of taking what I believe to be my fair share. The law says you can do that, but God says He will curse you to the next generations for violating His commandments. You may be able to purchase a house from the proceeds of your legal settlement, but the foundation of that home will be on shaky ground, possibly for generations to come. No allowance will be given simply because you deem a person able to withstand your taking. There is no Robin Hood exemption in the Tenth Commandment.

What about the state of our current economy and the irresponsible reactions from our fellow citizens? Every State across the country is facing potential budget crises, our municipalities are cutting services essential to the health, wealth and safety of our citizenry; yet, interest groups protest, strike and rally to prevent any talk of moderation, fiscal discipline, government efficiency and personal responsibility. The protests in Wisconsin are a key example. Tens of thousand protestors, primarily union members, came to protest the Budget Repair Bill that sought to address a 3.6 budget deficit by requiring state employees to contribute to their pensions and health care premiums. This Bill also sought to remove the conditions by which governments are held hostage to negotiations with government union employees. No matter what side of the fence you’re on, there is no doubt that the root of the debate was self-centeredness. Here we are watching our governments near financial disaster, yet some want to take more for themselves and allow others to lose their jobs as a consequence. At a time when we should all be sacrificing more for our collective stability we see a scrambling to take as much money as possible before the whole system collapses.

If our markets collapse and our governments are weakened, how does that benefit us? Is it sounreasonable to ask one to contribute more to their retirement to ensure a strong retirement system for all? Is it such a crime to ask one to contribute more to their health care costs to ensure a viable health care system for all? Perhaps people will take more personal responsibility for their health and change poor lifestyle habits if they have to pay more of the consequences upfront. Indeed, it’s only a crime if you look at government as an ever flowing cash machine that you’re entitled to. This means you are taking a larger percentage of a share that you’re not entitled to have. This is a clear violation of the Tenth Commandment, and God says He will punish you to the next generations. Sure, the punishment may not be consumption by fire, but perhaps a perpetual system of dependence awaits.Isn’t this what we’re seeing, perpetual and intergenerational dependence on government? The consequences are so consuming that generation after generation can’t climb above it to realize the independence and freedom that God wants to bestow. I argue this is because we put our greed first and take what is not ours, instead of trusting in God’s unlimited grace and mercy toward us by putting love first to ensure a better world.

I just heard a story about a single mother of five who owns a home that a developer covets to tear down and build very expensive condominiums in its place. What was the offer the mother received for this very bold calculation? Thirty thousand dollars is what she was told her property was worth. Thirty thousand dollars is what she would be required to take through the exercise of eminent domain. A rich developer gets richer, while a single mother of five gets taken for all she’s worth. Never mind that it is impossible to find another home for her children for $30,000. This is wrong and we all know it instinctively because His Law is written on our hearts; this is our inheritance.

God speaks to this form of covetous in Micah 2:2, describing those who devise wicked plots to take and carry them out, “because it is in their power.” He says, “They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and take them away; they oppress householder and house, people and their inheritance.” But in verse three, God says, “Therefore, I am devising against [them] an evil from which [they] cannot remove [their] necks; and [they] shall not walk haughtily.” What is legal is not always justifiable to God, and He always has the final say. His Word encourages us, through Acts 20:35, to labor to support the weak because it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Finally, I think about Muslim extremists like the deceased Bin Ladin and his fellow Al Qaeda members, and those that covet to destroy other civilizations like Israel. John W. Ritenbaugh wrote, “pleonexia,” the Greek word for covetousness suggests ruthless self-seeking and an arrogant assumption that others and things exist for one’s own benefit. These individuals arrogantly believe that they have some “lawful” right to revenge on the backs of the innocent; to destroy what they cannot control, and to take what they have not given life to. God speaks to the covetous hearts of individuals like these in James 4:

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask.”

To our Creator, it is this simple. Al Qaeda and those who seek to destroy innocent life are in a perpetual state of covetous. They are angry because they don’t have what it is that they are longing for. They don’t have what they are looking for because their hearts prevent them from knowing the right way to obtain it. The frustration of not knowing how to obtain it gives them incentive to kill and destroy, and teach their children to hate. Proverbs 28:16 says, “A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor; but one who hates unjust gain (covetous) will enjoy a long life. Notice how, when we follow God’s precepts, we are brought back to his essence, which is life.

It is sad that we have lost our grasp of this moral principal, grasping for tricks and plots that only leave us empty and without progress. In these times of economic insecurity, it’s time for us to embrace those tenants that will bring hope to our lives and stability to our family, nation and future generations: integrity, sacrifice, hard work and selflessness. That way when we go before God asking, He will approve because we will have asked with a right spirit, seeking not to have for our own pleasure, but so that we may glorify Him on this earth. Do we want God to bless us to the thousandth generation as He has promised? That is what I’m hoping we all want.

In fact, I would like to pose a challenge as a symbol of our unified desire to uphold one another though God’s testament of sacrifice and love. Let us join together to take a stand against covetous in all its ugly forms. I challenge everyone reading this to make for yourself the letter “C,” representing the word covet, and draw a diagonal line through it in affirmation that it has no place in our lives; adorn yourself with that symbol for thirty days – on your clothing, around your neck, as a bracelet, bumper sticker, poster in your office – whatever will remind you that you are joined in unity with a community of believers who want to end the practice of taking what is not ours to take. Together, we can restore our communities and families, by laying a new foundation that honors the WORD of our Creator. Wear this symbol as your acknowledgment that the 10^th Commandment has been overlooked in our society. By joining together in repentance and faith, we will witness God’s commitment to our families and our country. May each of you be blessed.

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