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May 14 Daily Devotional

Covetousness

Frans Bakker

Thou shalt not covet. —Exodus 20:17

Bible Reading

Philippians 4:10–13

Devotional

To covet, in itself, is not evil before God. We could even say that to covet means to have life. If a person has no desires, he is not really alive. To have desire means to live. Desire or covetousness starts with a newborn child. A child desires the milk of its mother. The fact that this child has such desires shows that the child is healthy. If the child did not desire milk then certainly something would be very wrong. Little children also have the desire to grow up. That is not sinful. Even adults have certain desires that pertain to matters of this present life.

The Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And Agur prayed, “Feed me with food convenient for me” (Prov. 30:8). It was not sin because plants, animals, and people simply are created to have natural desires.

Spiritual life also consists of desiring. If there is healthy spiritual life there will be an urgent desire to know the Lord and to know more and more of Him. If we lack this desire then the soul becomes hard, cold, and barren. There is no better desire than to love God and keep His commandments.

What does it then mean when our text says, “Thou shalt not covet?” This refers to desires that lead away from God and from His will. Following these desires will separate us from God. In this sense, the sin of covetousness is really not the tenth commandment but the first commandment. The first commandment instructs us to put no other gods before the one true God. Covetousness is a god that we follow, and it takes our affections away from the one and only God. Covetousness is an idol that robs us of our time and love that should be directed to God.

In the Garden of Eden, Eve saw the forbidden tree and desired to eat of its fruit. Before she had even reached out her hand, she had already fallen because of covetousness. Here we see that sin starts on the inside. The Lord looks at the heart. He sees not only what we have done but in the underground cellar of our heart he sees what we desire, what we think. Our thoughts and desires can also be sin. Sin does not require acting out our desires. When we search our heart we cry, “Oh God! Not only do I have sins, but I am sin.” In this confession, room is made for Christ, the only Savior. He was tempted in all things as we are, but was without sin.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.

 

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