Am I Covetous? (Exod 20:17)
Speaker: Rev Dennis Kwok
Date: 01 Jul 2018

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Sermon notes taken by:

Mrs Sara Wong

To “covet” (Exod 20:17), in Hebrew, refers to having a strong desire that is wrong. This strong desire may be for something or someone that belongs to another person. The 10th commandment says that we are not to covet.

1. Our neighbour’s house: When we covet our neighbour’s house, it will lead us to take sinful actions in order to own his property. King Ahab coveted his neighbour’s vineyard and, by his wife’s schemes, got it at the expense of his neighbour’s life. Covetousness leads to evil deeds. We are to be contented and grateful for what God has given to us.

2. Our neighbour’s spouse: To covet after another person’s spouse may lead us to adultery (breaking the 7th and 8th commandments). If one’s own marriage is in difficulty, rather than covet somebody’s spouse, one must remain faithful to one’s own spouse and seek God’s help to resolve the marital difficulty. We are to love our own spouse and allow God’s Word to be our guard and guide.

3. Our neighbour’s servants: We must not seek to have our neighbour’s workers, but appreciate our own workers and encourage them to be better workers.

4. Our neighbour’s animals or anything that belongs to our neighbour : Oxen and asses are important, useful farm animals. Whether it is the more expensive ox or the cheaper ass, we are not to covet them, or anything that do not belong to us.

The issue of the matter is our heart. Nine of the Ten Commandments involve actions that can be seen, but when one covets, it is in the heart and hidden from view. But God knows and sees. The sin of covetousness in the heart has to be confessed and repented of the moment we realize it, even before it leads us to commit more sins. The sin of covetousness can also affect our relationship with our neighbour, making it a hypocritical one.

In order not to covet, we must first obey the 1st commandment and seek to fill our heart with God. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 tells us that when we are godly (or Christlike) and are contented, we will be thankful for whatever God gives and will trust Him to provide for our needs. Instead of looking at others around us and coveting, we must thank God for blessing them. We must remember that God judges us according to our faithfulness, not the amount of possessions we have. May Christ, not the sin of covetousness, consume us.



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