This is a general safeguard against many other sins, particularly commandments six through nine. Israelites were not to long for, desire earnestly, or lust after what legitimately belonged to others.
These
commandments are the fundamental statements of a good and wholesome society as
ordered by the holy and righteous God. Though believers today are not under the
Law (Rom. 6:15), they are under obligation to
abide by the holy standards represented in the Ten Commandments. Nine of the
Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament with added stipulations that
are even higher than those in Exodus 20:3-17.
The one not repeated is the command to keep the Sabbath; yet the first day of
the week is to be set aside for worship in commemoration of the Savior’s
resurrection.[2]
2. Deuteronomy 5:21, You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.[3]
To covet is to desire another person’s prosperity. We are not to set our desires on anything that belongs to someone else. Not only can such desires make us miserable, they can also lead us to other sins such as adultery and stealing. Envying others is a useless exercise because God is able to provide everything we really need, even if he does not always give us everything we want.
3. Achan: Joshua 7:19-26, Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.” Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since. [5]
Joshua addressed Achan tenderly but firmly, for
though Joshua hated the sin he did not despise the sinner. A public confession
confirming the supernatural exposure of the guilty person was necessary.
Achan’s
response was straightforward and complete. He confessed his sin and gave no
excuses. But neither did he express sorrow for disobeying God’s order,
betraying his nation for treasure, and causing the defeat of Israel’s troops
and the death of 36 men. Any remorse he may have felt was probably only because
he got caught.
The
three crucial steps in Achan’s sin are familiar: he saw; he coveted;
he took. Eve took the same tragic steps in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:6), as did David with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:2-4).
The
objects Achan took from Jericho and hid in the ground inside his tent
included (a) a beautiful robe from Babylonia, perhaps acquired by
someone in Jericho who traded with a Babylonian, (b) 200 shekels of silver,
weighing about 5 pounds, and (c) a 50-shekel (11¼-pound) wedge of
gold. Achan may well have reasoned, ”After all, I have been deprived of the
good things of life these many years in the wilderness. Here is a beautiful new
and stylish garment and some silver and gold. How could God want to withhold
these things from me? They will never be missed, and I am entitled to some
pleasure and prosperity.“ But there was a specific command against taking any
of Jericho’s treasure. (Joshua had told the people that all the silver
and gold were to be put in the Lord’s treasury; Josh. 6:19.)
God’s Word can never be rationalized away without penalty. (Example:
Homosexuals)
Achan’s
confession was quickly verified; the stolen objects were found where he said
they were. They were then spread . . . out before the Lord to whom they belonged. Then
Achan was led out to the Valley of Achor with the treasure he had taken,
all his family, his animals, and all his other belongings. Achan and his children where stoned and their
bodies and belongings were burned. Having stolen ”devoted“ objects Achan
himself became contaminated. Since children were not to be executed for their
father’s sins (Deut. 24:16, Fathers shall not
be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their
fathers; each is to die for his own sin. [6])
it is assumed that Achan’s family (except for his wife, who was not mentioned)
were accomplices in the crime.
The
Hebrew words for Achan and Achor are probably related. Thus Achan, which
possibly means ”troubler,“ was buried in the Valley of Achor, the Valley
of ”Trouble.“ [7]
Achan
underestimated God and didn’t take his commands seriously. It may have seemed a small thing to Achan,
but the effects of his sin were felt by the entire nation, especially his
family.
4. What Does Jesus Say? Luke 12:15, Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” [8]
This
passage explains Jesus’ teaching to guard against all kinds of greed. Someone
wanted Jesus to instruct his brother to divide up the inheritance which
he felt was due him. Jesus’ point was that life does not consist in having
many possessions. The disciples needed to learn the lesson that life is
more important than material things. To explain this teaching Jesus told a
parable about a rich man who continued to build bigger and bigger
barns to store all his grain and . . . goods. His attitude
was that he would have an easy life because he had everything he could possibly
want or need. God’s response in the parable was that the man was foolish (You
fool!) because when he died that night his goods would do nothing
for him. They would simply pass on to someone else. Such a person is not
rich toward God.[9]
Jesus
says that the good life has nothing to do with being wealthy. This is the exact opposite of what society
usually says. Advertisers spend millions
of dollars to entice us to think that if we buy more and more of their
products, we will be happier, more fulfilled, more comfortable. The rich man in Jesus’ story died before he
could begin to use what was stored in his barns. Planning for retirement is wise, but
neglecting retirement to the afterlife is even worse. (Ted Turner 1 Billion to United Nation, 10%
to God, money and time)
Time
for God
24
hours a day X 7 days in a week=168 hours a week
Subtract
8 hours a day to sleep=112 hours a week
10%
of 112 hours a week we are a wake=11.2 hours a week
Subtract
40 hours a week to work=72 hours a week
10%
of 72 hours a week of non-sleep and non-work=7.2 hours a week
Are
we giving God at least 11.2 hours a week?
How about 7.2 hours a week?
Church
is only 2 to 4 hours a week, were else can we give to God?
This commandment is related to the first commandment to not worship any other gods. We are not to allow things or people to become our god.
5. Two Greedy Men’s Wish
One of the old saints, according to the
legend, in his journey overtook two travelers. One was a greedy, avaricious,
covetous man; the other was of a jealous and envious nature. When they came to
the parting of ways, the saint said he would give them a parting gift.
Whichever made a wish first would have his wish fulfilled, and the other man
would get a double portion of what the first had asked for.
The greedy man knew what he wanted; but he was
afraid to make his wish, because he wanted a double portion and could not bear
the thought of his companion getting twice as much as he had. But the envious
man was also unwilling to wish first, because he could not stand the idea of
his companion getting twice as much as he would get. So each waited for the
other to wish first.
At length the greedy man took his fellow by
the throat and said he would choke him to death unless he made his wish. At
that the envious man said, “Very well; I will make my wish. I wish to be made
blind in one eye.” Immediately he lost the sight of his eye—and his companion
went blind in both eyes. —C. E. Macartney[10]
6. Contentment: Philippians 4:11-13, I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. [11]
Paul
emphasizes the significance of contentment.
It’s a matter of perspective.
Instead of thinking about what we don’t have, we should thank God for
what he has given and strive to be content.
We should strive to be our best and continue to achieve success, but not
at the expense of being envious, jealous, or with hate and lust in our
heart. If God give us a lot we should be
grateful and if He gives us little we should be thankful. After all, our most important possession is
free and available to everyone, eternal life through Christ.
7. A Contented Man’s Shirt
There is a story told of a king who was
suffering from a painful ailment, whose astrologer told him that the only cure
for him was to find a contented man, get his shirt, and wear it night and day.
So messengers were sent through the king’s realm in search of such a man, with
orders to bring back his shirt.
Months passed, and after a thorough search of
the country the messengers returned, but without the shirt.
“Did you find a contented man in all my realm?”
the king asked.
“Yes, O king, we found one, just one in all
thy realm,” they replied.
“Then why did you not bring back his shirt?”
the king demanded.
“Master, the man had no shirt,” was the
answer. —Evangelistic Illustration[12]
[2] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[4] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[7] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[9] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[10] Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979. Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : [a treasury of illustrations, anecdotes,
facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers]. Bible
Communications: Garland TX
[12] Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979. Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : [a treasury of illustrations, anecdotes,
facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers]. Bible
Communications: Garland TX
