“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
When God frees us, he does two things: he frees us from the oppression of sin and death, and frees us to enjoy relationship with him. While believers are set free, never does freedom mean that we are not dependent on God. Even as we seek to obey the commandments, we are never self-reliant. But sadly, oftentimes in the Christian life, we go it alone and settle for mere external obedience and self-reliance. But God never intends mere external obedience. Instead, he is seeking worship from the heart. The last and tenth commandment shifts the gaze from mere rule following to heart motivations.
The tenth commandment reveals the sin of discontent. At the root of discontent is covetousness, the desire to have what doesn’t belong to us. In the midst of our covetousness, may we be satisfied in Jesus alone as the ultimate source of our contentment.
Observation
- One theme in the Ten Commandments is protection. Commandments 1–4 protect our relationship with God, while commandments 5–9 protect our relationship with others. Who or what does the tenth commandment provide protection for? From whom or what?
- How is this commandment similar to commandments 5–9? How is it different?
Interpretation
- To covet means to “earnestly desire.” According to 1 Corinthians 12:31 and 14:1, can earnest desire ever be good? What is the difference between the earnest desire commended by Paul in 1 Corinthians and that in the tenth commandment of Exodus 20?
- In the tenth commandment, God not only wants to govern our deeds but our motivations and thoughts. In light of James 1:14–15, why is this necessary?
- How might discontent and love of the wrong thing manifest in your walk with God?
- Read Philippians 4:10–13. In what circumstances of life do you find yourself feeling discontent? What is Paul’s secret to contentment?
- Read Romans 7:7–12, 21–25. According to Paul, what is the purpose of the law in our salvation story? Paul is a student of the Jewish law, yet he writes here of his struggle to keep it. How does he describe this “war within him,” and how is it resolved?
Application
- In Luke 12:15, Jesus warned the crowd to “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” What currently consumes your thoughts? How are you influenced by the outward appearance of others’ lives?
- Is there anyone you are envious of right now? What about their life or possessions do you want? What do you wish God would give you that you don’t currently have?
- In what life circumstances are you discontented? If God’s love is the source of contentment, what aspect of it is difficult for you to believe and why?
- In what ways are you content in Jesus and what he’s done in your life? How might that inform your desire for a different picture of your life?
This devotion is adapted from the Ten Commandments Study Guide.
