What Does the Bible Say about Coveting?

To covet can be defined as wanting something we can’t (or shouldn’t) have, or in some cases, wanting more of something we already have enough of. In the Law, the Lord lists six specific examples of coveting and then adds a seventh general prohibition. Since the Law includes a seventh statement, we know the six examples are not intended to be the limit of the Law. They are merely representatives of the things men typically covet. 

These six examples represent the most valuable items many would typically possess in Moses’ day, listed in descending order of value to man’s standard (not God’s). 

A man’s desire usually corresponds to the perceived value of things. The list includes wealth, power, status, and well-being. 

Coveting is Dangerous

Coveting is particularly dangerous and it can be experienced inwardly though it is not expressed outwardly. Men secretly (or openly) desire what other men have and that is a form of selfishness. Coveting is an attitude more than an action, though it can lead to sinful behavior. It can lead to jealous, lying, stealing, murder, and host of other sinful actions. For this reason the Lord prohibited even our desire for other things. 

I do want to make a distinction between coveting and wanting something. A newly married couple can want a child, while a childless couple covets another’s newborn baby. A hard working employee can want a promotion, while his colleague covets his boss’ position. The point is that coveting isn’t defined by the item in question or the extend of the desire. Coveting is wanting for things that already belong to another and have not been appointed for us by God. 

Understanding Who Owns All Things

The principle of Exodus 20:17 command is important to understand and begins with understanding of Who owns all things to begin with. 

Everything that exists belongs and is property of The Lord. Not merely the natural things in the world but also the things men create with their hands. The skills used are given by God therefore, belong to the Lord. He is the Creator and all that is created traces back to Him. 

Moreso, the Lord designated a portion of creation to each man according to His will. 

This trust is even evident in the nation of Israel. 

Moses explains that the Lord has given each tribe and person in Israel a portion of inheritance that the Lord assigned. So when a Jew coveted wha another had received, he was indirectly challenging God’s will. 

Coveting is an Indirect Sin To God’s Character

So coveting wasn’t just a sinc that led to sinful thoughts or actions against other people. But it is a sin because it indicates God’s goodness and His wisdom. It suggests that we know better at what we should have than God does. It repeats the sin of Adam when he chose to ear the fruit that God said wasn’t given to Adam. Lying repeats the sin of satan and coveting repeats the sin of Adam and Eve. 

What does the New Testament say about Christians coveting?

The New Testament frequently calls Christians to be content. 

The New Testament is calling us to contentment and that it is God’s goodness in deciding what we should have. The author says be content with what you have, because the Lord has said that He will always be with us. How does it explain contentment? 

Because if the Lord is always with us, then we can safely assume and trust that He is fully aware of our circumstances and our needs. In light of understanding that, we take hope and assurance that He has made provisions for us. And that provision should not be challenged. 

The Lord Controls our Possessions

The Law of Christ, specified in the New Testament, commands us to recognize that the Lord controls our possessions and to seek Him for everything we desire. 

James addresses this in his letter, James 4:1-8.

James points out that our desires cross the line and become sinful when they are driven by the lust of the flesh. Murder, envy, arguments/fights are all the result of a desire that is centered in the flesh. This is the opposite of desires of the heart that arise out of the Spirit’s leading. 

If the Spirit is guiding us to a desire, then the natural response should be to pray and ask the Lord to deliver the thing we desire. Through prayer, we acknowledge that all good things come from God and we ask knowing that the Lord will grant it if it is the right thing for us. 

On the opposite side, wrong motives are desires that originate from our flesh and lead to sinful thoughts and actions. We want something we cannot have, so we kill to get it. We are envious of what someone has, so we quarrel with them. 

The Christian’s call under the Law of Christ is to not covet something we shouldn’t have. It commands us to ask the Lord for everything we want. It isn’t a matter of guarding against wanting the wrong thing in the wrong way. It has become a command to be content, to recognize that the Lord provides us with what He chooses, and to seek Him for anything else we want.

Jesus is the best example for us. He declared that He had no where to lay His head. He was homeless during His adult ministry. Never in the three years of His ministry do we have recorded in the Gospels that Jesus considered a place His home. He had no income, He had no possessions from what we can tell and when He was asked to pay tax, look at what He did. 

The Lord found food by multiplying the fish and loaves and other times depended on the kindness of others. The point is that Jesus acted as if He owned nothing because He owned everything. He had everything at His disposal, so He didn’t toil to separate out some for Himself at the expense of others. 

Likewise, our Father in heaven has ownership of everything. We are called to live without interests in other’s goods and without distraction of lustful desires leading to greater sin. Instead, we are to ask the Lord for what we desire, with a motive to serve Him, knowing that everything in the world is His. 

And when you see what comes, be content knowing that this is the Lord’s choice for you. Proverbs sums it up best.