Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” is titled “Beware of Covetousness”. Words are powerful. An old children’s rhyme goes, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” … and other variations on this theme. This early “rhyme is used as a defense against name-calling and verbal bullying, intended to increase resiliency, avoid physical retaliation and to remain calm and good-living” (Wikipedia under “sticks and stones”). However, this rhyme is not saying it correctly for real-life. A more accurate variant that we have each experienced would be “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can break my heart”. Words can cut like a knife.
Our lesson this week looks at the word “Covet” and various Biblical stories regarding it. But for me, we need to start before the stories to define our terms… define our word, “covet”. As our quarterly suggests, “perhaps covetousness, then, is the ultimate original sin” (quarterly for Sunday). Again. We must define our terms here. We must determine what it is to covet and if it is universally evil?
In Romans 13:9, Paul lists a few of the 10 commandments. “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” In the Greek, the 10th commandment word “covet” is defined as, “to set the heart upon” or “to desire”. This, then, does not sound so evil. In fact, Christ Himself uses this specific Greek word in a couple places. Here they are (I will substitute the word “covet” for those times Christ uses the Greek word):
- Matthew 13: 16-17… “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men coveted to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
- Luke 17:22… “Then He said to the disciples, ‘The days will come when you will covet to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
- Luke 22:15… “Then He said to them, “With covetousness I have coveted to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…”
So to “covet” in and of itself is not a bad thing at all. But what about our memory verse in the lesson this week? It says we are to “beware of covetousness”. Oh. This is another Greek word than the one used in the 10-commandment reference Paul used in Romans 13:9 cited above. This word in our memory verse is the word for avarice, greed, extortion, and fraudulence. Now this makes more sense. Christ is not warning us about coveting “per se”. He is warning us about greed. Which now gives us a platform for looking at the examples of coveting in our lesson.
- Sunday… Satan’s issue was more like “greedy” than “coveting”. More like “desiring more” than “desiring”. To “desire” in and of itself is not bad. “Desire” is a healthy attitude when it comes to God. We want to be like Him.
- Monday…. Achan was surely coveting (desiring) the things of the Canaanites. But more, he was greedy.
- Tuesday… I am not so sure that Judas was moved by covetousness, greed or avarice. He did receive money for the betrayal. But this was not Judas’ motive at all. It was not that “he coveted money” (quarterly for Tuesday). “In betraying Him, it was (Judas’) purpose to teach (Jesus) a lesson. He intended to play a part that would make the Savior careful thenceforth to treat him with due respect” (Desire of Ages pg. 720). Judas certainly did have certain “desires of his heart” (quarterly for Tuesday). But these “desires” were not for money. Judas was desiring to exalt self. “If Jesus really was the Messiah, the people, for whom He had done so much, would rally about (Jesus), and would proclaim Him king. This would forever settle many minds that were now in uncertainty. Judas would have the credit of having placed the king on David's throne. And this act would secure to him the first position, next to Christ, in the new kingdom” (Desire of Ages pg. 271). Judas coveted something other than money. He acted to force Christ to assume the role of Messiah that almost all Israel wanted. And to assure Judas’ place in that new kingdom. He coveted honor, respect and to be above his fellows. And Judas would act on this at all costs. The money from the priests was incidental (coveting comes in all forms). Judas’ motives were more complicated than just coveting.
- Wednesday… Ananias and Sapphira were surely “yielding to feelings of covetousness” (quarterly for Wednesday). But intermixed with this, “their covetousness caused them to put on a front and pretend to be what they really weren’t” (ibid). Again, much more complicated than just covetousness. Which was worse, covetousness or hypocrisy/ phoniness?
- Thursday… In this lesson are three tips for “overcoming covetousness”. I would add a fourth:
- 1. Make a decision to serve and depend on God and to be a part of His family.
- 2. Be daily in prayer.
- 3. Be regular in Bible study.
- 4. Obey Him. Obedience enables God to work with us. Obedience is God’s appointed means of proving Him true… experiential education in those things that lead to our true contentment, peace, joy and a purposeful life… in Him. The only antidote to greed and avarice is God and our deep abiding relationship with Him.
Greediness and avarice are surely deadly. Covetousness is not necessarily so. "Desiring" is not bad as long as it is aimed at God, to be like Him in all things... desiring and working for the things of God. Then, our desiring/ coveting is Holy. May we turn our eyes to Him. And covet the things that are above.
With brotherly love,
Jim