Love Does No Harm - To Covet Does

“The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:9-10

Most God fearing people have at some time in their lives memorized the 10 Commandments. We can list them off fairly quickly and as we go, we say, ‘Got that one down. I’m good.’ The Pharisees were not content with the ‘Big 10’ and expounded on them in great detail making keeping of the law a huge burden. Present day Pharisee-minded people can also get carried away with defining the commandments. Take ‘Do not covet,’ for example. I recently read that if you wish that the weather would cooperate with your plans, or you wish you were taller, you are coveting by saying God is not a good provider.

My mental brakes skidded to a halt and I looked up the word ‘covet’ in the Miriam-Webster Dictionary. Here is what I found: “Covet: 1 : to wish for earnestly <covet an award> 2 : to desire (what belongs to another) inordinately or culpably.”

Covet is not a simple wishing or admiring. It has an intensity to it – one that would cause someone to do something harmful to someone else to get what they want or, at the very least, would cause them to live in a state of discontent because they couldn’t have something they wanted.

Both Jesus (Matthew 22:39) and Paul (Romans 13:9) tell us that to love our neighbors as ourselves sums up the commandments. So what does it mean to love our neighbors as ourselves? And is it okay to wish we had a house as big as our neighbors? Is there a difference between a ‘fleeting’ wish and an ‘intense’ wish? Are both offensive to God who is our provider? Can I love my neighbor if I wish I had his/her house or boat?

I cannot answer those questions for anyone but myself. It is a matter of the heart. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7. For me, the bottom line is this: Do I trust God to provide everything I need? Am I content with what God as provided for me? Do I love my neighbor as God loves them? Can I be happy for them that they have a nice house?

Not all wishes and desires are covetous. Often, they are motivators. I wish I could be a better speaker or writer so I find a mentor or take classes or pay attention to what makes someone else a good speaker or writer. I wish I had a larger house so I could entertain guests better or have a place for guests to sleep so I save money by doing with less of other things in order to be able to add on to the house. Most anything we do can be good or bad – depending on the state of the heart – the motivation.

Do I wish my neighbor well? Or do I wish him/her harm? Coveting leads to pain – and sometimes murder. Being content with the provisions God has given me frees me to be able to love my neighbor. It frees me to invite my neighbor over for a BBQ or game night in order to build relationship with them and have the opportunity to share Jesus with them. It frees me to congratulate them on their nice house or boat and to be thankful (in thought) I don’t have to maintain them!