Lesson No. 43 

Lesson No. 43 Tenth Commandment

"You Shall Not Covet"

Although coveting may seem a simple and harmless attitude of human behavior, the truth is that it has been one of the most horrible and disastrous inheritances that we humans brought as a product of the inherited depravity due to the sin of the first couple. It is defined as an exaggerated craving, a vehement and violent desire to possess something.

Because of its harmful effects on humanity, its prohibition became a commandment of God, written with His own finger and contained in the Divine Decalogue. Let's see what the Holy Scriptures tell us regarding this:

Exodus chapter 20: verse 17: “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”.51

In this case, as in the previous one, the first reflection of this sin has reached us nothing less than from Eden, according to Genesis chapter 3: verses 2 to 7 where the account declares that the woman answered the serpent: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.51

Logically, the wisdom that the woman coveted in this case is not the healthy and true wisdom that has its foundation in the fear of God, but an excessive knowledge of good and evil, which would make them equal to God as the Devil had told her, thus attempting, through the coveting of the illicit and forbidden, to usurp the place of God.

Undoubtedly, it was coveting that was the impetuous and illusory desire that most strongly influenced the first woman to make the fatal decision to disobey God, who besides giving them existence, had made them in His own image, endowed with a holy and perfect nature so that they could live eternally happy on earth.

God created all that is beautiful, wonderful, and comforting and placed it under the dominion of the first couple to contribute especially to their own happiness. To the well-being of a full life in which there would be no anguish, pain, suffering, aging, illness, or death for any creature. But all was subject simply to obedience to the norms established by the Divine Creator. And unfortunately, they, driven by the terrible and seemingly harmless sin of coveting, relapsed by disobeying God. Thus, the human being, who had been created with the faculty of free will, refused to be governed by his Creator to govern himself. Due to such determination, he lost all the privileges he enjoyed under the protection of the divine government, to submit to the government of the Devil, author of coveting and all evil and sinful works, whom the woman believed more than the Supreme Creator.

The sentence, therefore, was irrevocable. Pain, anguish, aging, diseases, and death came. And as a consequence of sin came the inherited depravity, which generated the great evils that have plagued humanity throughout its history, as we have pointed out in the introduction to this treatise.

According to the concept of some, coveting could be admitted as long as what we desire is legitimately within our reach. But when one covets what is illicit or forbidden, then it becomes an unhealthy and dangerous desire that can cause serious consequences like those caused by the ambitious act of the first woman.

In this case, it is also experience that provides us with the most evident proof of the serious consequences that this sin has brought as a result for humanity.

It is proven that the senseless interest in other people's goods has led many to theft, fraud, adultery, homicide, ruthless wars, lawsuits, quarrels, enmities, and other evils, which like in the case of the transgression of the other commandments has caused humanity constant pain, suffering, and unhappiness. For this reason, the apostle Paul gives us wise advice:

Galatians chapter 5: verse 26: “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another”.51

Remember, it was the Devil who induced the woman to covet what was forbidden, and although this has become an intuitive tendency of the human race, nevertheless, whenever this pernicious desire is present, the inductive influence of the enemy of our souls and author of all the evils that plague humanity lurks behind it.

Do not let the enemy of man's happiness continue to harm you. Reject firmly and decisively the sin of coveting. Please, do not forget it! "You shall not covet".

As I outlined at the beginning of this commentary, the first four commandments of the Divine Decalogue are related to the love of God, whose disobedience leads man to the sad condition of the lack of love for our Supreme Creator. It is regrettable to witness how man, when he is a victim of such a condition, becomes greedy, selfish, and indifferent, which generally leads him to disobey the other six commandments, related to love of neighbor, thus leading him to a condition of greater moral degradation.

Now, regarding these last six commandments, many readers wonder how it is possible to love one's neighbor as oneself.

The answer here is deduced from the suggestion of Lord Jesus Christ, known as "the golden rule". Let's see what the sacred text tells us:

Matthew chapter 7: verse 12: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets”.51

That is precisely how our Creator commands us to love our fellow beings, treating them as oneself and doing no harm to them, but treating them as we would like them to treat us.

Thus, I conclude this commentary on the Ten Commandments with the following confirmation from the Holy Scriptures:

Ecclesiastes chapter 12: verse 13: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”.51