Exodus 20, we're in the 10th commandment, so Exodus 20 at verse 17, but I'll read beginning in verse 1. And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle. nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's. Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear. But let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people, Do not fear, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, so that you may not sin. So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was." Amen. So finishing or concluding the second table of the law, which is summarized in Leviticus 19.18, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, The first table is obviously summarized in Deuteronomy 6, 4. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Well, as we have seen, we move from action in terms of actual acts or activities or things that people do, into word, the ninth commandment, and now into thought, the tenth commandment. And I think that this underscores the spirituality of God's law. It's not just kept when we do it or comply externally, but it affects us on the internal as well. So I want to look first at the prohibition of the commandment, and then secondly, the positive aspect of the commandment. In terms of explanation, you shall not covet your neighbor's house, and then it goes on to underscore other things. Webster's 1828 defines covetousness this way, to desire inordinately, to desire that which it is unlawful to obtain or possess. One commentator says, illicit desire was the root from which all the other sins would spring. Now, covet can be used in a more general sense, desiring or wanting or craving. We see specifically here, with reference to the prohibition, it mentions several things that belong to our neighbor, but then it underscores at the end, nor anything that is your neighbor. So it's not a condemnation of having a legitimate desire for things. It's not wrong to want electricity. It's not wrong to want a fan. It's not wrong to want a car. These things are not wrong in and of themselves, but as the definition says, to desire inordinately, to desire that which it is unlawful to obtain or possess. So obviously, if something belongs to our neighbor, and we have this inordinate desire for it, it's not our property, it is not ours to have, and therefore to engage in that sort of desire is wrong, it's condemned. Now, in terms of this commandment's relation to the other commandments, the 10th commandment deals with the heart and shows that none of the previous commandments could be complied with only externally. I think that was the problem the Pharisees and the scribes had at the time of Jesus. Insofar as you didn't end somebody's life, or insofar as you didn't actually go into your neighbor's wife, you were okay. You had complied with the law. That's why Jesus clears away that fog, clears away that misinterpretation in the Sermon on the Mount and says, no, it's wrong for you to engage in character assassination. It's wrong for you to have unwarranted anger, unlawful anger. It's wrong for you to look upon a woman, to lust after her in your heart. The law isn't complied with simply externally, but it affects the internal disposition, it affects the mind. Now the sin of covetousness often leads to an overt act of transgression. You can turn to the prophet Micah. Micah chapter 2. Micah prophesied the same time as Isaiah. And remember in the days of Isaiah, woe to those who call good evil and evil good. Well you see that same sort of thing operative in the prophet Micah. and he comes to condemn different types of sins. And in Micah 2 at verse 1, it says, But it doesn't need to lead to an external act of transgression for it to still be the sin of covetousness. One commentator on the book of Deuteronomy, his name is Craigie, he says it is this dimension of the commandments that is taken up in the teaching of Jesus. Not only the act, but also the desire is condemned, partly because the desire is what leads to the act, and partly because whether or not the desire leads to the act, it betrays the same wrong attitude about a neighbor. So the commandment calls upon us not to just regulate our external conduct, but to our thought life. The commandments of God in the Decalogue extend, yes, to the actions, to the thoughts, as well to the words that we see in the 9th commandment. So God has total claim over our lives. As well, the 10th commandment is linked to the 1st commandment by the Apostle Paul. You can turn to Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, where the apostle links the 10th commandment to the 1st commandment. Notice in Ephesians chapter 5, specifically at verse 5, For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. So with reference to this covetous man who is an idolater, one commentator says, thus the commandments come full circle. To break the tenth is to break the first. For covetousness means setting our hearts and affections on things that then take the place of God. I think at times we underestimate the power or the extensiveness or the comprehensiveness of the first commandment. You shall have no other gods before me. And we reckon, well, I'm not bowing to an idol. I'm not bowing to Baal. bowing to Moloch, I'm not bowing to my money, but when we give attention or affection or desire to that which is not God, we need to make sure that we're not making a God out of that thing in and of itself. If we seek comfort from it, if we seek safety from it, then it may just be taking the place of God Almighty. I think that's a very powerful sort of link there between the covetous man who is an idolater, a link between the 10th and the first commandment. Now, with reference to the prohibition, if you go back to Exodus, you'll notice that the neighbor's house comes first, and in Deuteronomy 5, his wife comes first. I think this is probably just stylistic. In Deuteronomy, it mentions his field. That may be because they're on the brink of entering into the promised land where they'll get their tribal allotments. Up until this point, they've been wandering in the wilderness and nobody's really had a field for somebody else to covet at that particular point. So a little bit later on, that's added for further clarity. But here specifically, you shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey. But then again, notice the end, nor anything that is your neighbor's. with reference to the inordinate desire of a neighbor's wife. Remember, when we looked at neighbor in terms of other commandments, it doesn't mean somebody who lives right next to you. Neighbor, as it's used biblically, does not demand proximity, it does not demand closeness. So it's not the case, well, I'm not coveting my neighbor's wife, I just happen to be coveting the wife that lives over in the next neighborhood. That's not the way around this particular commandment. Proximity and closeness has nothing to do with it, but it's anyone with whom you have contact. So the prohibition is against anybody with whom you have contact, and even those you don't have contact, it's not okay to covet your neighbor's wife if it's somebody that you don't even know. As well, the coveting of another man's wife is directly related to the lust condemned by Jesus in Matthew 5. We can turn there. Matthew chapter 5. Again, we should feel the power of Jesus' words that it's not only a condemnation of the external act of adultery that's in view, but it's the internal act of lust or heart adultery that Jesus condemns. In Matthew 5, 27, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. Remember, the antithesis here is not between Jesus and Moses. That is a misreading of the Sermon on the Mount, to believe that Jesus is somehow dissing Moses or elevating the law above Moses. When he says, you have heard that it was said to those of old by the bad interpreters of Moses. by those who misunderstood, by those who only focused on the external. There's enough condemnation of heart adultery in the Old Testament to send all of us to hell for an everlasting amount of eternities. Solomon, throughout Proverbs, cautions his son about looking at women in a way that is not righteous. And so Jesus does that very same thing. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. Remember Job and Job 31. Job 31.1, he makes a covenant with his eyes. Why does Job do that? Because Job knows that in order to break that particular law, it doesn't just require the actual act of adultery, having to transpired, but having that lost in your heart. Job knows that, so he makes this covenant with his eyes so that he does not look upon a young woman. So here Jesus says, but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Again, he's not actually saying we should gouge out eyes and cut off hands. Origen, the church father, I think actually did that. He emasculated himself in order to not sin this particular sin. Guess what? He probably still sinned this particular sin. Even if a person emasculates themselves, they cannot divest their thoughts or minds of the sin that intrudes. So Jesus is not suggesting that literally we gouge out our own eye or we cut off our own hand, but what he is saying is that we deal radically with our sin. And in this particular context, the prohibition is against looking upon a woman to lust. If you've done that, then you've already broken the commandment that prohibits adultery. So back to covetousness. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. The coveting of another man's wife is an offense to God. It's obviously an offense to her and to her husband, and it's an offense to your own wife. You ought to be content with the one whom God has given you. If you turn to Proverbs chapter 5, that is specifically Solomon's counsel. When it comes to the three R's of sexual purity, the first is, remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house. But then the second is to rejoice with the wife of your youth. Notice in verse 18, let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving dear and a graceful doe, let her breast satisfy you at all times, and always be enraptured with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman and be embraced in the arms of a seductress?" So it's a sin not only against the person you're coveting, but it's a sin against your own bride or against your own husband. This isn't just a man's sin, it's a woman's sin as well. Now secondly, in terms of the inordinate desire of a neighbor's goods, Again, this does not preclude us from saying, boy, that's a nice car. But it does preclude us from having an inordinate desire for something that does not belong to us. The prohibition covers specific items mentioned in verse 17. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet his male servants, his female servants, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's. The Lord does not condemn the physical world, He does not condemn owning possessions, and He does not condemn hard work as a means by which you buy those goods. He condemns this inordinate desire of your brother's or your neighbor's stuff. You're not supposed to do that. He condemns the unlawful desire of something that does not belong to you. And then ultimately, the presence of covetousness, as we've seen earlier, oftentimes leads to the actual act of transgression. Again, make sure that we understand covetousness in and of itself, whether we act upon it or not, is sin. Jesus says that in terms of sexual unfaithfulness in Matthew chapter 5, but whether or not we act upon this covetousness, it's a sin. But when we look at covetousness in the Bible, we see that it often does lead to external acts of transgression. Turn back to the book of Genesis in Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3, we see this in the first temptation, specifically at verse 6. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. So she saw it, it was tantalizing, it was appealing, there was something about it that she certainly wanted, and so she reached out and she took that fruit. Turn over to Joshua chapter seven. Joshua chapter 7, the case of Achan at Ai. Joshua chapter 7, specifically at verses 20 and 21. Again, covetousness in and of itself is sin, but that covetousness oftentimes is the prelude to an external act of transgression that brings even greater sin and condemnation. Notice in Joshua 7 at verse 19, Joshua said to Achan, my son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, make confession to him, and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me. And Achan answered Joshua and said, indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done. When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth, in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it." Now, if he had only coveted it but didn't act upon it, it would have been a sin before God, and God, of course, deals with sin. But when he actually acted upon that, he brought great judgment to bear, not only upon himself, but upon his family. They were executed for that transgression, for that rebellion. Turn over to 2 Samuel 11. If you go through these particular passages, you might be inclined to say, Jesus is right. I better gouge out my eyes, because when I look upon a thing, I may engage in covetousness, which may lead me on to further sin. But that's not necessary. Make a covenant with your eyes the way that Job says. Notice in 2 Samuel 11, verse 1, it happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel. I've heard this moralized before, and I don't actually approve of moralization, but I think that there is something to be said here. David should have gone to battle. When we do what we're supposed to do, we're at least not as prone to sinning, right? If we are busily engaged in the act of killing Canaanites, then we won't be going into Bathsheba, or rather Philistines. So this was not a good step in terms of David. He sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel. They destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah, but David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? Then David sent messengers and took her. And she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity, and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, so she sent and told David, and said, I am with child." When he's on that rooftop, had he seen, had he lusted, had he coveted, that would have been sin, that would have been wrong. But if he stopped at that point, it wouldn't have brought the sort of consequences that it brought to him and his household from this vantage point. 1 Kings chapter 21. When Ahab wants to extend his own property line, he wants to take what is Naboth's. Of course, Ahab doesn't have the chutzpah to do this, so Jezebel, that mother of the year, comes along and pushes him into the ring so that he goes and he engages in this activity. And then turn to Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs chapter 6. Again, the whole idea behind lust or covetousness, and then the act of transgression. Again, not that it's not transgression, but it's in a different category. Notice in 625, Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot, a man is reduced to a crust of bread, and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be seared? So is he who goes into his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches her shall not be innocent. Again, notice the fact that Solomon doesn't begin with the act, he begins with the prelude. Verse 25, Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. And then turn to the book of James. James 1. James chapter 1, to see how covetousness often is a precursor to even more serious and vile sin. James 1, verses 14 and 15. Well, verse 12, blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away. excuse me, by his own desires and enticed, then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." So there's the anatomy of sin. There's how you want to throw it under the microscope and see how it all fleshes itself out. That's precisely how it goes. Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. I think the language there, it's been some time since I looked at it in detail, I think the language has to do with fishing. The hook is set in the mouth of the fish, and it's easy to land in. The same sort of thing. Each one is tempted when he is drawn away, is drawing away by his own desires, and he's enticed. Once this takes place, when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. So you've got the inordinate desire of a neighbor's wife, the inordinate desire of a neighbor's goods, but it's also an expression of discontent, an expression of discontentedness. When we are covetous people, the desire for anything that is our neighbor's reveals a heart of discontentedness at what God has given or not given to us. And very often, we can exacerbate that sin by making comparisons. Sometimes husbands or wives will say, why aren't you more like so and so? Why aren't you more like so and so? Now, I'm not the best marriage counselor in the world, brethren, but I guarantee you, That is never calculated to help a marriage. When you compare your spouse, the horrible one, to the upright specimen of godly virtue and masculinity or femininity that happens to live close to you, you're doing great disservice to your spouse. Don't do this, okay? Again, Not Mr. Guru on marriage here, but I have learned that much along the way that it's never helpful to make such comparisons. But this idea of discontentedness, that's what covetousness ultimately betrays. We need to be a content people with what God has blessed us. Hodge says it includes the positive command to be contented with the allotments of providence and the negative injunction not to repine or complain on account of the dealings of God with us or to envy the lot and possessions of others. That is absolutely unholy. God doesn't owe us anything. Actually, what he does owe us is his wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. If we got what we deserved, we would have been in hell a long time ago. So to have this covetous mindset, which expresses discontent with reference to God, is a great abomination. Again, this doesn't mean, wow, that's a nice car, that's the worst thing in the world. No, viewing a nice car is not the same as covetousness, that inordinate desire. And then closely related to this is the expression of envy. So we've got this desire for the neighbor's wife, the desire for the neighbor's goods, the expression of discontent, and then the expression of envy. Now, envy is similar with jealousy, only with jealousy, I really want what you have. Envy, I really want what you have, and I don't want you to have it. Envy is especially pernicious, it's especially wicked, and it could even be the case that I don't even really want it, but I don't want you to have it. I don't want you to have the good thing that you have. That's what envy is. Gary North made the observation. Envy is the desire to see a successful person brought low. Even when, should the person be brought low, the envious person does not benefit directly. So I might be jealous of what you have and not envious. I might be jealous of what you have I can be envious, or I might just be envious. I don't want you to have it. You, in my mind, don't deserve such a good thing. Because I'm now in the position of God, and I'm the one who doles out the good gifts. And I think that you shouldn't have that particular good gift. It's very pernicious, it is very wicked, and it is condemned throughout Scripture. Look at Romans chapter 1. This is one of the sins in the vice list in Romans chapter 1. I mean, this idea where he speaks very specifically and pointedly against homosexuality. He speaks of a whole host of other sins, and in chapter 1 at verse 29, he mentions envy, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, Evil-mindedness, they are whisperers. 1 Corinthians 3, verse 3. He says, verse 3, I fed you, oh, for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal in behaving like mere men? Again, brethren, when you contemplate or ponder or think about envy, There's nothing good about envy. There's not a lot great about jealousy, but at some certain level, you kind of see it, right? I mean, somebody has something that you really want. Man, I'm jealous. I kind of wish I had that. Envy wants the deprivation of that object from that person. There's only malice involved in such a mindset. Galatians 5.21. It's indicated to be one of the fruits or lust of the flesh. Galatians 5.21. envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Now, praise God, he says, practice such things, because there's always remaining corruption. We have that sort of on-board sort of a situation where the good we wish to do, we don't do, and the evil we don't want to do, we find ourselves doing. We praise God that though this is a problem to be sure, it's not practicing, it's not reigning, it is not something that rules over us. And then 1 Timothy 6, a very powerful passage which I think we'll end up at later in terms of being content with the things that God has given to us. Notice in 1 Timothy 6, verse 3, Notice these New Testament passages. Where do you think these New Testament authors got the data which they are producing? They got it from the Old Testament. They got it from the Decalogue. They got it from the Law of Moses. They're not brand new in terms of, hey, you shouldn't be envious wretches. We see that all throughout the Old Testament as well. We see these emphases throughout Scripture. James chapter 3. James chapter 3, another emphasis on the sin of envy. James 3, 14. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. So the condemnation against envy is robust in Scripture. And then turn back to one final passage in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. This idea of envy is the antithesis of love. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13 at verse 4, love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. That should be, that's tautological. That means it's the, you know, it's something obvious. Love does not envy. How could you possibly think that you're a loving person when you're keen on the deprivation of a good from somebody that you supposedly love? Now, you could say, well, I know it will prove to be harmful for them and they shouldn't have that. Okay, you know, you're in the arena of the divine now. But for the most part, with reference to envy, we're like that because we don't want them to have a benefit. We don't want them to have something that's good. Should I give my illustration, Leslie, on envy? You guys are over there waiting for it. When I was a young kid, we were fishing, and my cousin caught a bunch of fish, and he had them on a stringer, and I was envious. I had caught nothing, and so when my cousin turned to go, you know, a few feet down the river, And my dad wasn't watching. I pulled out the stringer and I let his fish go. That was envious as it could be. I deprived him. I wanted the deprivation of his good because I did not have it. It's a shame. I hate to have to admit it. And I hate to have to admit that's not the only incident of envy that has ever marked me in my life. But it is a vicious and vile thing, and it is contrary to what we find in terms of love. Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up. Hodge says, as envy is the antithesis of love, it is of all sins the most opposed to the nature of God, and more effectually than any other excludes us from His fellowship. It's a pretty powerful statement. As envy is the antithesis of love, it is of all sins the most opposed to the nature of God and more effectually than any other excludes us from his fellowship. Turn to Jeremiah 32 for just a moment. Jeremiah chapter 32. This underscores at least or at least elucidates or illustrates Hodges' point here. It's a promise, a new covenant blessing. Pick up in verse 38, then they shall be my people and I will be their God. Then I will give them one heart, one way, that they may fear me forever for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from doing them good. God does not turn away from doing us good. That is His intention. That is His purpose. That is His design. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from doing them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from me. Now notice, yes, I will rejoice over them, to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and with all my soul." So there's no spirit of envy, no deprivation of good, there's no withholding on the part of God in order to teach us a lesson. But rather God rejoices over us to do us good, and He uses that language of planting them in this land with all my heart and with all my soul. and then turn over to Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12, very familiar passage of scripture that again we see that this idea of envy is just not consistent, not congruent with this sort of emphasis of Paul in Romans 12. Look at verse 14, bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Notice, not rejoice with those who weep, and weep with those who rejoice. You don't weep over their fortune or their blessing or their acquisition of some wonderful thing. And you don't rejoice over their deprivation of that thing. You don't rejoice in the fact that they lost that. So it is to betray or it is to evidence a lack of love in the heart when we engage in this kind of spirit of envy. So those are some of the prohibitions of the commandment. Westminster Catechism says, what are the sins forbidden in the 10th commandment? The sins forbidden in the 10th commandment are discontentment with our own estate, envying and grieving at the good of our neighbor, together with all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his. Now, in terms of the positive, Westminster Catechism again says, what are the duties required in the Tenth Commandment? The duties required in the Tenth Commandment are such a full contentment with our own condition and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor as that all our inward motions and affections touching him tend unto and further all that good which is his." In other words, being happy for people that they have been blessed by God. It just seems so obvious, right? You mean we should be happy with people that are blessed? Yeah, we should be happy. We should rejoice with those who rejoice, and we should weep with those who weep. We ought not to get that backwards, rejoice over their weeping or weep over their rejoicing. If that's our connection with the brethren, we need to repent because we are violating the spirit of Romans 12, 15, which I think is an extended version of the 10th commandment, you shall not covet. Well, again, some things in terms of positives. I'd suggest, first of all, the recognition of God's sovereign ownership over all things. You can turn to Psalm 24. Psalm 24 is a great call to worship because it speaks concerning the King of glory, speaks concerning the might of the King of glory. But the first statement in Psalm 24, Psalm of David, the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For he has founded upon the seas and established it upon the waters. What is the psalmist saying? Everything that is belongs to God. So it's certainly God's will to give as God determines to His people. To some He gives great wealth. To others, not so much. To some He gives less. To some He gives more. That's God's prerogative. And again, that does not diminish the lawful use of means to work hard, to try to get promotions, to try to make more money. Do you see a man who excels in his work, he shall stand before kings, Proverbs makes that a good thing. So this is not, you know, I just, you know, this is my lot. You can always work harder. You can always be more diligent. You can always seek to be more faithful. But in terms of ultimate commitment, God gives as He wills, as He determines, as He decrees. God owns everything and allots to men as He sees fit. You have the wife and you have the goods that God has given to you. So again, if we complain about that, if we're upset about that, then our problem isn't with our neighbor and his goods or his wife. Our problem is ultimately with God. Secondly, we ought to recognize God's promise and provision. You can turn to the book of Hebrews. Recognize God's promise and provision. The Apostle quotes a passage in Hebrews 13 that we oftentimes, and rightly so, apply in the spiritual realm. But in this particular context, he applies it in the temporal realm, in the physical. Notice in Hebrews 13 at verse 5, let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." Again, that's a rock-solid promise in terms of our salvation. When God saves a sinner, they're saved. He'll never leave us, and He'll never forsake us. But in this particular context, it has to do with temporal goods. Why? For He Himself has said, Now when God promises that, He doesn't mean an endless banquet of steak and lobster. There may be some beans and rice, there may be some tortillas, there may be some simple fare in there along the way. So the promise of God to not leave us or forsake us doesn't mean a keg dinner every single night. It could mean Taco Bell many, many nights. So the fact is that God calls us not to be covetous, but rather to be content with such things as you have. So recognize God's promise and provision. Thirdly, the recognition of the surpassing importance of eternity to come. Now brethren, I'm not suggesting that we don't think about the here and now. We don't think about 223 in terms of a liter of gasoline. We don't think about increasing costs at the grocery store. I mean, that's obvious. prudent men and women. We need to think in terms of these things. We need to budget wisely. We need to be creative and innovative to make sure we don't end up, you know, out on the streets destitute and that sort of thing. But we should always keep in mind the ultimacy of heaven to come. And in Mark chapter 8, the Lord Jesus deals with that. Mark chapter 8, specifically at verse 34. He says, "...when He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake in the Gospels will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Look at that, verse 36, what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? So again, I'm not suggesting it's even possible that we as physical, temporal, time-bound creatures, limited by space and finitude and dependent upon food and water and clothing and shelter and all those, it would be impossible to divest our minds of any thought concerning the temporal. But as we think concerning the temporal, let us never lose sight of the eternal and the exceeding weight of glory that awaits us. And so that should hopefully temper any lack of stuff in our lives, anything that we might have this covetous desire for. In the final analysis, what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? This desire in the Western world to have, you know, ten of everything. I mean, to go into a grocery store in North America, how many possible options could there be for breakfast cereal? I mean, how many different types of coffee can, you know, one group of people need? There's, well, coffee, sorry about that, I know coffee is a is a sacred cow, at least in the Pacific Northwest. But this emphasis on just getting, getting, getting is contrary to the tenor of the 10th commandment. And then look over at Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12, same sort of emphasis. Notice in verse 13. Then one from the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you? And he said to them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. A simple and basic truth. Your life is not measured by how much stuff you have crammed into your garage. Your life is measured based on your relationships with God, your relationships with family, the peace, the happiness. How many times does Solomon tell us, it's better to have just a handful of herbs at dinner with peace than a fatted calf with strife. Who wants that? And then Jesus goes on to tell them a parable. It says, He spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, I will do this. I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, Fool, this night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. So again, the recognition of the surpassing importance of eternity to come. We're not going to be able to not ever think about the temporal. We're not going to be able to never think about where we're going to get our next meal, the next drink of water. We have to have those things. But we don't have to have a billion of them in order to be happy. And then the next is the appreciation for the happiness of others. The appreciation for the happiness of others. Be genuinely content that your brothers and or sisters are benefiting under the hand of God's mercy. Again, it's got to be something foul in the heart where we begrudge somebody having been blessed by God. It's quite arrogant. You know, I don't get those kind of blessings. I don't get that sort of thing. Well, maybe God's trying to teach you that you're a whining mope, and that's why He's going to give you all these good things to bring out this sin so that you'll repent. It is a horrible thing to not rejoice or to not be appreciative of the happiness of others. Fifth, the cultivation of biblical contentment. You can turn back to 1 Timothy 6. The cultivation of biblical contentment. Now, the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4, he knew how to abound and he knew how to be abased. So it wasn't the case that his lot was always one of abasement. It wasn't always drudgery. It wasn't always, you know, a bowl full of gruel. He made tents. He was a leather worker. He probably got paid handsomely, at least at some times in his career. He knew what it was like to abound, but he also knew what it was to be abased, but he learned the lesson that God had for him. Look at 1 Timothy 6 at verse 6. He says, now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. You've seen that adage where you don't throw all your stuff from the garage into the hearse. They don't bury that with you. It stays in the garage or it ends up at a thrift store. The stuff that you highly prize and value now is most likely going to end up in a thrift store or in the garbage heap. It's going to be in a dump somewhere. I read of a guy, I think he was a pastor, and he would take his son to the dump and just kind of look at the dump and that would be the lesson. This is kind of the end of all the things that we have and everything that you value and prize now. It's going to end up in the dump. So he says, we brought nothing into this world. It is certain we can carry nothing out. And he says, having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. Again, brethren, if our contentment is tied up in only steak and lobster, we need to readjust that contentment level. We need to readjust our expectations. Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and to snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money, don't miss that, it's not money. Money is not the bad thing out there, you know, doing horrible things. It's the love of money. which is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Now lest we think that Paul is imposing monkery or recommending the monastic life, look at verse 17. Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God. If Paul was anti-money, he would have said, command those who are rich in this present age to get rid of their riches, to give it all to the poor, to go join a cult, or go join a monastery, go join whatever. He doesn't say that. He gives them counsel, and He gives them encouragement, and He gives them exhortation on how they're supposed to manage their wealth. They're not supposed to be haughty. They're not supposed to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. I also think embedded in here is the underscoring of God's goodness. Why does God give you a steak and lobster from time to time? Because he rejoices to do you good. Look at the text. It says, who gives us richly all things to what? To enjoy. It's not godly to grimace while you're eating that steak and lobster. Well, I guess if I have to. Rejoice in the Lord. Praise Him for this. Look back at 1 Timothy 4. Verse 1, the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy. having their own conscience seared with hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Brethren, if I were to ask you, if you'd never seen 1 Timothy 4 in your entire life, and I said to you, Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. And I said, what sin particularly do you think he's on about? He'd say, I don't know, but it's got to be epic. It has got to be horrific. It has got to be monumental. What is it? forbidding marriage and forbidding good food from people that have God's blessing upon them that they can eat it and enjoy it. See, we have this idea that God is just angry with us when we're enjoying the good gifts that he gives us. Brethren, I haven't been the best father in my life either, but when I gave a gift to my children, it was for the purpose of making them happy. I didn't get mad at them when they got happy. That was the point of the exercise. Here's the gift. Get happy. God, through Moses, tells them you're going to get into the land, and instead of being thankful, you're not going to be thankful. That's going to be one of the reasons why you're jettisoned from the land. God is good. He rejoices over us to do us good. He plants Israel with all his heart and with all his soul in the land. So there is this happiness that God enjoins upon people, and then there is this contentment that we ought to have. And then finally, the exercise of a charitable spirit. I mean, we see that in 1 Timothy 6. We just read it. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share. There ought to be that spirit of charity. Notice in 2 Corinthians 9. 2 Corinthians 9, verse 6, this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written, he is dispersed abroad, he is given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. So a charitable spirit, Ephesians 4, Ephesians 4, same emphasis, verse 28. Well, verse 28, let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. So notice the corrective to this idea or to this attitude of a breach of the Eighth Commandment. Let him who stole steal no longer. The tense suggests that it was still going on. The idea being that those to whom the apostle is writing need to be admonished to stop stealing, okay? You're believers now, you're Christians, you're new men and women in Christ Jesus. So let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor. Isn't that the corrective to theft? It's to work hard, to be industrious, to make the money that you need to buy the goods and services that are required to keep you alive. But not only labor with his hands what is good, but with the end result that he may have something to give him who has need. It's a great way to help in terms of the Tenth Commandment. It's a great way to help us in terms of our own contentment and to avoid a spirit of envy. It's a great way for us to guard our hearts against weeping with those who rejoice or rejoicing over those who weep. It's to foster or cultivate a charitable spirit so that the resources that God gives us to steward, they're ultimately His, even when they're ours. We are stewards of the things that He gives us. When we do this with an aim to trying to benefit others, it puts the soul in a proper disposition. It puts us in a proper position and into a proper place in terms of God and stuff and our neighbor. Well, those are some hopeful helps with reference to the positive aspect of the commandment. I'll pray, and then if there's any questions or comments, we'll take that. Our Father in Heaven, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the completeness of the Decalogue, that it speaks not only to the actions, but it speaks to the words and to the heart, the mind. We as well see it not only reflects our attitude toward our neighbor, but also with reference to our God. And we thank You for Your law. We thank You for the gospel of our salvation. As we look into that law, we see our own wickedness and our own sinfulness, and we rejoice in the goodness of the Savior who kept the law on our behalf, who died in our stead, and who was raised again the third day. We know, Father, this is not so that we can go out and break that law, but when we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. So help us, God, to take these things to heart.