Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

• Exodus 20:17

“Q. 63. Which is the Tenth Commandment?
“A. The Tenth Commandment is, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.’ ”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Catechism (Scripture proofs in bold above)

“Q. 79. Which is the Tenth Commandment?
“A. The Tenth Commandment is, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.’”

• The Shorter Catechism (Westminster Assembly)

“Q. 146. Which is the Tenth Commandment?
“A. The Tenth Commandment is, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.’ ”

• The Larger Catechism (Westminster Assembly)

The Larger Catechism, Shorter Catechism and the Spurgeon Catechism are identical in wording.

This is the last of the Ten Commandments.  It is like the first, in that it is a bookend commandment.

If we have no other gods before the one true God, then do we even need to worry about making graven images or idols.  Do we worry about using God’s name in vain?  And where is everyone on the Sabbath?  Worshipping the true God.

And if we covet our neighbor’s donkey, we might be tempted to steal it.  And then when people question us about the donkey, we might lie about it.  And when they get too close to the place where we hid the donkey…  No one is going to miss the nosy neighbor, will they?

Yes, the bookends are the enablers of the other sins in between.  When Jesus says that we are just as guilty of adultery by lusting as we are by actually doing the act, we are at least guilty of coveting another person’s spouse or whatever.

But why is it a stand-alone commandment?  If we desire anything other than a closer relationship with God, we are putting something in the way of our relationship with God, a stumbling block.

And now let us sing.

The following hymn is Rescue the Perishing.  It is sung by Acapeldridge.  We each need to be rescued and the hymn speaks of being crushed by the tempter, and that temptation could be any number of things that we covet.

“1 Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.

Refrain:
Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying;
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save.

2 Though they are slighting Him,
Still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe. [Refrain]

3 Down in the human heart,
Crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more. [Refrain]

4 Rescue the perishing,
Duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wanderer a Savior has died. [Refrain]”

• Fanny Crosby, Rescue the Perishing

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need You.  We must keep our eyes on You, Lord.  When we look elsewhere, we risk finding something that is shiny and bright.  Please, Lord, give us strength.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.