The Tenth Commandment:
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17).
The 10th Commandment is clearly calling us to trust in God’s provision–just like the 8th Commandment. If they’re doing the same thing, though, why include the 10th? Is this a filler commandment so we reach a nice round number? The “9 Commandments” really doesn’t have that ring to it.
Obviously, there’s more to it than that.
In Matthew 12:33-35, Jesus says, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.”
Jesus gives a strong warning here: what you allow to grow and fester in your heart will come out of your mouth, and “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt. 12:37).
The 10th Commandment is the only one that specifically forbids thinking or desiring something. It forbids an internal action, not an external one. The mouth follows the heart. In other words, the 10th Commandment is a command to guard your heart and mind.
A funny thing happens in Matthew 12 right after Jesus gives this warning: the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign. Their words reveal their hearts almost as clearly as if they had said directly, “we don’t believe you.” My pastor compared this to them looking Him in the face and saying, “Dance for us, Jesus.”
While this should be offensive to us, we are in danger of doing the same thing.
We can be tempted to look to God and ask Him for signs, too. “God, please show me you love me by giving me this promotion at work.”
“God, please show me you’re there by making my son stop acting like this.”
“God, please show me you’re enough for me by giving me this car.”
Dance, Jesus.
This sign-based spirituality comes from a heart that does not trust God to be or do what He promises. When we fall into this trap, we constantly look for the next sign, the next benefit, the next breakthrough for God to show, once again, that He is who He says He is. This posture flows from a heart that does not believe in the greatest sign: His death and resurrection.
Sometimes this covetousness sneaks up on us and tempts us towards disbelief.
“I wish I had her hair.”
“I wish I had his car.”
“I wish I had their home life.”
These thoughts, which come so easily, threaten to ruin us. Consider how easy it is to step from “I wish I had her hair” to “I’m not happy with how I look” to “I’m not happy with how God made me” to “I’m not happy with God”. Give me better hair and I’ll be happy with you, God.
Dance, Jesus.
The encouraging point is this, however: while the 10th Commandment focuses on internal action, the solution is external gratitude. Thanking God for His provision for us, His blessings bestowed upon us, His gifts He gives to others and not to us. Gratitude is best done in community, thanking God and each other for the grace we receive–and the grace we don’t.
Consider what it says about us if we can say, “Thank you, God, for giving him the job I wanted.”
What trust in God’s faithfulness and provision!
This trust, this desire for each others’ good, is what marks the Church. It is the banner that flies above her as she marches across history towards Christ’s return and beyond. It is the mark of love, and maybe the essence of love. It is the prayer Christ prayed for us on the cross when He said, “Father, forgive them”–when He said, breathing His last, “give them what you cannot, in this moment, give me.”
May we pray the same.
— Anderson Underwood
