“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
Covetousness is bred in a heart that is discontent and does not agree with God about what is best and ought to be given you. It is bred in a heart that is prideful and arrogant. In this final commandment, the sins of the heart that cause one to deny God bring us back to the first commandment: to have no other gods before the holy, living God. In our pride, we deny God—who he is and what he has done—because we are not satisfied with our lives, and this breeds covetousness. We can only be truly satisfied and see God rightly when we are not prideful, but are humble. Humility is the antidote to covetousness. With humility comes contentment.
Questions
- In what areas of your life are you most discontent? Most prideful? Is there any correlation?
- If you could change one thing about your life now, what would it be?
- How does one grow in humility?
- When have you been most content? Why do you think that was?
- What thing, desire, or relationship is God asking you to lay at his feet in humble worship?
Pray
Glorious Father, we humble ourselves before you. We confess our greed, our covetousness, our discontent, and our pride. We ask for your forgiveness. Grow us up into a people full of humility, contented in you and you alone. Help us to be at peace, knowing that you are sovereign and have our ultimate good at heart. We love you. Amen.
This devotion is adapted from the Ten Commandments Study Guide.
