DAY 1 – JUNE
21
“BACK TO
BASICS” (a study of the Ten Commandments)
TITLE: “THE
POISON OF COVETNESS”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:17
Author, Bob James tells this
story and application, “Recently, I laid a small circle of poison around a hill
of stinging ants. Thinking the tiny granules of poison were food, the ants
began to pick them up and carry them throughout the colony. I returned later to
see how well the poison was working. Hundreds of the stinging ants were
carrying the poison down into their hill. Then, I noticed a hole in the circle
of poison. Some of the poison was moving the opposite way--away from the hill.
Some smaller, non-stinging ants had found this "food" and were
stealing it from their ant neighbors. Thinking they were getting the other
ants' treasure, they unwittingly poisoned themselves. When we see someone with
more than we have, we must beware. The hunger to beg,
borrow, or steal our way into what is theirs may poison us
spiritually.”
In this commandment, the
word, neighbor, or neighbor’s, is used three times. The focus
of the scripture is clear that we are not to covet anything that belongs to our
neighbor. Because we are to love our neighbors, we are not to do anything that
would harm them or our relationship with them. However, as Bob James pointed
out, coveting is a poison that hurts the person who covets. Covetousness is a
serious sin, clearly condemned in scripture. Paul points to the seriousness of
covetousness and related sins in his letter to the Colossians. He instructs, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs
to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and
greed, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5.
Paul
instructs that we are to put to death evil desires, greed, and other behaviors
that are not part of Christ’s heart and character. Paul uses the same word and
idea when he says, “In the same way,
count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11.
The sin of covetousness is not to be pampered, held loosely, kept on
reserve, or used occasionally. It is to be put to death.
One person
once observed, “One tiny piece of dirt in the carburetor can keep the most
powerful truck from climbing a mountain road.
A rather small impurity – but all important in the
machine’s ascent.” Take covetousness
seriously, for it is a destructive poison, not only to relationships with
others, but to one’s own soul and heart.
DAY
2 – JUNE 22
“BACK
TO BASICS” (a study of the Ten Commandments)
TITLE:
“AN EXAMPLE OF THE TRAGEDY OF COVETING”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:17
As
we reflect on the characters that make up the Old Testament, many names often
come to mind. Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Joshua, Ruth, Esther, Jacob, Jeremiah,
and Jonah are among the names of people that God used to fulfill His plans and
purpose. However, there are a variety of names that may not be as familiar but
are known for being disobedient to God’s plans. Names like Ahab and Achan represent those who are recorded in the Old Testament
for their deeds of disobedience. The stories of both men reveal the destruction
of coveting. Ahab coveted the vineyard of Naboth,
which resulted in the death of Naboth. The other
person I mentioned was Achan, who we will learn about
today.
In
Joshua, chapter 7, we discover that all was not well in the camp of God’s
people after the victory of
Joshua
sent some men to Ai, where they lost the battle. In seeking the Lord, Joshua
discovered that the command of God had been broken. In the investigation that
followed, it was revealed that a man by the name of Achan
had disobeyed God’s command and by taking some of the devoted things for
himself. Achan confessed, “When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from
When
Achan saw the riches and coveted them, it resulted in
an act of disobedience. The covetousness of Achan
impacted both the people of God and his family. The story of Achan serves as an example of the tragedy of coveting. The
sin of covetousness is the inordinate desire for what we do not have.
Covetousness has been called a sister to envy.
The Apostle Paul referred to it as idolatry in Colossians 3:5 because when
we put things ahead of God, we put them in the place of God. In the tragic case
of Achan, it involved hoarding and stealing.
The
story of Achan’s greed serves as an example of the
effects and impact that coveting can have. Jesus gives us this warning in Luke 12:15, “Watch out! Be
on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions.” Let the tragic example of Achan and the words of Jesus serve as a reminder that
covetousness is not to be part of our lives.
DAY
3 – JUNE 23
“BACK
TO BASICS” (a study of the Ten Commandments)
TITLE:
“THERE IS MORE TO LIFE”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:17
There
is more to life than the treasures you leave behind. With clarity and
conviction, Jesus gives a warning to His disciples. He said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all
kinds of greed;…” Luke12:15.
Though I mentioned this verse already this week in another devotional,
it is a warning worth considering in greater depth. The context of this verse is that someone
came and asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him.
Jesus responded clearly that He did not come to serve as an arbiter between
them and then gets to the heart of the matter by addressing the issue of greed.
Jesus was aware of the danger of greed. Followers of Jesus must not be diverted
from their commitment to Jesus by greed or materialism.
The
Apostle Paul, in dealing with practical issues for God’s people and the way
they live, said, “But among you there
must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of
greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” Ephesians 5:3.
Covetousness is a kind of greed that God addressed for His people in the Ten
Commandments. Preacher and author, Haddon Robbinson
said, “Covetousness is one of those overstuffed religious words that has lost
its cutting edge; we don't take covetousness very seriously.”
Jesus
brings the issues of all kinds of greed to the forefront, warning of their
dangers. Jesus follows this warning to His followers with a principle for life.
He said “…a man’s life does not consist
in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15). This principle is so very relevant for us
today, for this is an age of affluence. It is important to remember that life
does not consist in the abundance of our possessions. In other word, there is
more to life than the stuff of life. Jesus is speaking to His followers, so
they will understand there is more to life than possessions. More possessions does not result in more life. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full.” John 10:10. Faith in Jesus really is the key to
life. John Henry Newman wrote, “Fear not
that your life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a
beginning.” True life begins with Jesus. Life is found in Him and not the
abundance of possessions.
There
is so much more to life than possessions.
Nothing is more important in life than the soul. The things of this
world cannot satisfy the hunger of the soul. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his
soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26.
There is more to life than the stuff of this world.
DAY 4 – JUNE
24
“BACK TO
BASICS” (a study of the Ten Commandments)
TITLE: “IT IS
NOT JUST ABOUT YOU”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:17
There is more
to life than just providing for one’s self. Following the passage in Luke that we
considered yesterday, Jesus tells the story of a certain rich man that had a
good harvest and a very productive year. His prosperity left him with a
dilemma. He had no place to store his crops. The mindset was on storing his
crops for his own benefit. He had more stuff than he knew what to do with. In an Atlanta Journal Constitution
article by Jim Auchmutey, the writer quotes comedian
George Carlin as saying, "The essence of life is trying to find a place to
put all your stuff." Auchmutey writes that there
are 32,000 self-storage businesses nationwide (or the equivalent of 1.3 billion
feet of rentable space), 620 in
The rich man
had the “I will keep it for myself” attitude. His method for happiness was not
in giving, but in keeping. The six “I”’s and five “my”’s of this brief account
of the farmer reveal a value of possessions centered on himself. His life was centered
on himself and what he had. His selfishness did not allow him to see past
himself or his possessions. Someone
insightfully said, “If his heart had been big enough to include God and
mankind, perhaps his barns would have held what love would have let him keep.”
His mindset was not in using the wealth he had, but in keeping it for himself
so that he could take life easy.
Helen Keller
said, “Life is an exciting business and most exciting when lived for others.”
Here was a man that seemed to be living for self. There seemed to be no thought
of using it for others or God. He did not regard the things as belonging to God,
but rather, to him. Since it all belonged to him, he was going to use it for
his own pleasure and enjoyment. This story points out the dangers of wealth,
for money has a way of binding us to what is physical and temporary and
blinding us to what is spiritual and eternal. It is one thing to have money and
another for money to have you! It's a bit like the fly and the flypaper. The
fly lands on the flypaper and says, "My flypaper." When the flypaper
says, "My fly," the fly is dead.
Coveting is
about getting things for ourselves. This tenth commandment reminds us that we
are not to focus on getting stuff for ourselves. Coveting reveals selfishness.
The rich man’s self-centeredness left him with nothing, for he entered eternity
empty-handed, leaving everything that had been in his hands behind. This story
is a reminder that it is not just about you.
DAY
5 – JUNE 25
“BACK
TO BASICS” (a study of the Ten Commandments)
TITLE: “THE SHORT-TERM PERSPECTIVE”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:17
I
would like to close out this week’s devotionals by spending one more day on the
story of the rich fool. This man had left God out of his plans. From man’s
perspective, he might have been a wise planner. From God’s perspective, he was
a fool, and it is God’s perspective that really counts. It is not really what
others think of you, but what God thinks of you that really matters. Paul
understood this when he wrote, “Finally,
brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you
are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and
more.” I Thessalonians 4:1. There is
no evidence that this man was living to please God, but rather, he was living
to please himself.
This
man had a short-term perspective not an eternal perspective. He had put his value in things that had no
eternal value. Here was a man that had not prepared to meet God. Someone said,
“There is nothing quite so foolish as to live for time and forget eternity, to
live for self and forget God.” He had invested his life in things he could not
keep and had not been rich towards God. Life is not about coveting things for
self. Coveting reveals a short-term perspective.
There's
an old legend of a man who had a foolish servant. The master often got
exasperated with his servant, and one day, in a fit of frustration, he said to
the servant, "You've got to be the most foolish man I've ever met. Look, I
want you to take this staff and carry it with you. And, if you ever meet a man
more foolish than you are, give him the staff." So, the servant carried
the staff, and often, out in the marketplace, he'd meet some pretty stupid
people. But, he was never sure they were worse off than he. Years passed, with
the servant carrying his staff, and then, one day, he came back to the castle
and was ushered into the bedroom of his master. His master was quite sick. In
the course of their conversation, the master said, "I'm going on a long
journey." The servant said, "When do you plan to be back?" The
master said, "This is a journey from which I'll not return." The
servant said, "Sir, have you made all the necessary preparations?"
The master said, "No, I've not." The servant said, "Could you
have made preparations?" The master said, "Yes, I guess I've had my
life to make them, but I've been busy about other things." The servant
said, "Master, you're going on a journey from which you'll never return,
you could have prepared for it, and you just didn't?" The master said,
"Yes, I guess that's right." The servant took the staff he'd carried
so long and said, "Master, take this with you. At last I've met a man more
foolish than myself." Coveting
reveals the short-term perspective. Focus on the eternal perspective. Martyred
missionary, Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who exchanges what he cannot keep
for what he cannot lose.”