“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 is your neighbor’s.”
Exodus 20:17 (ESV)
Casual students of the Bible may suppose that the Ten Commandments exclusively concern external conduct while the Sermon on the Mount addresses the inner man. But the Tenth Commandment speaks early and plainly of the heart—and the subject is, of all things, coveting—greed and lust. (The Apostle Paul was particularly convicted of this [Rom. 7:6-12].)
Covetousness wreaks havoc with the other Commandments. It is a form of idolatry (Col. 3:5), in violation of the Second Commandment. David (2 Sam. 11) and Ahab (1 Kings 21) demonstrated that it is a “gateway” sin to such other transgressions as adultery (the Seventh Commandment) and murder (the Sixth). It clearly undermines respect for the Eighth Commandment, against stealing, whether the prospective theft concerns personal property or personal relationships. A frustrated, greedy person is also inclined to take the Lord’s name in vain (cf. the Third Commandment), ignore the Lord’s Day (cf. the Fourth Commandment), and even despise the counsel and provision of his parents (cf. the Fifth Commandment). The sin of coveting has a domino effect.
Woe to the party or government which cultivates violation of the Tenth Commandment, and orchestrates the politics of envy. A nation which ignores her destitute is unworthy in the eyes of God. But when the call for compassion degenerates into resentment of others’ blessings, greed has reared its ugly head.
The bent of fallen man is dissatisfaction with what he has and does. Everyone and everything always looks better when it belongs to someone else. Many a politician has built his career on exploiting this ingrained obsession. The Apostle Paul wrote that he had “learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Phil. 4:11 NIV). An outbreak of this Christian sentiment would spell disaster for many with designs on government. Their constituency-of-the-grumpy would evaporate, and they would be left without a job. Similarly, it could destroy certain businesses whose products are frivolous and whose advertising programs play to man’s wicked instincts.
Some suppose that inequality is a sign of injustice, that somehow things are out of kilter if some people have more and better than others. The Tenth Commandment, however, does not attack inequality; it presupposes inequalities and directs God’s people to accept them.
Prophets target euphemisms which mask or beautify evil. Society may use the words “affair” and “spirituality” for “adultery” and “idolatry.” Lost man may choose “pro-choice” over “pro-abortion” and “death with dignity” over “suicide.” But God’s man must be a hero of plain speech, using God’s vocabulary found in Scripture. This includes calling greed “greed,” whether it occurs in corporate board rooms, at the union hall, at the party caucus, or in line at the soup kitchen.