In Exodus 20:17 we’re told not to covet anything that our neighbor has. We learn in the story of the Good Samaritan, that our neighbor isn’t just the ones living next door to us but anyone we meet. Covetousness then is wanting what someone, anyone, else has. Covetousness “is an insatiable desire for worldly gain.” Covetousness is an insatiable desire to find fulfillment, meaning and purpose in things, instead of in God. 

The spirit of covetousness leads to and is the mother of many other sins. Coveting another man’s wife leads to adultery (2 Sam.11:4,5). Coveting another man’s possessions leads to lying (2 Kgs. 5:20), theft and sometimes murder (Pr.1:10-19). Covetousness leads to dishonesty (Acts 5:1-10).

Coveting wealth and the praise of men have led to many religious leaders compromising the truth (Gal.1:8-10; 1 Pet. 5:2).

Another name for covetousness is envy. Envy is “the rottenness of the bones” (Pr.14:30) and is coupled with malice towards those who have more than we do (Tit.3:3; 1 Pe.2:1).

We’re told in Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5 that covetousness is idolatry. To be idolatry it would have to be putting something in the place of or before God and His will. It would be making “mammon” (the name of deity given to material wealth) our master instead of God (Mt. 6:24).

To be covetous is to be greedy of gain. To have a covetous spirit is to have a restless spirit that never experiences peace. While it’s ever lusting after more, it’s never enjoying what it has. It follows after vanity and makes one’s life vain (Ps.39:6), the same as idolatry does (Jer.2:5).

Covetousness is synonymous with worldliness, an obsession with the possession of material and temporal things.

A covetous person is filled with anxious thought of how they will meet their daily needs (Mt.6:25-31), while the Christian has put the kingdom of God first in their thoughts and is trusting God for their daily provisions (Mt.6:32-34).

Covetousness is the opposite of contentment. A covetous person doesn’t know contentment, because they’re seeking contentment from things that cannot supply it, rather than from God who can.

Contentment can’t be bought with a credit card. It was bought at Calvary with the blood of Jesus. Only the saved have peace with God and have the peace of God (contentment) in all life’s situations (Phil.4:11).

Ephesians 5:5 tells us the covetous person “hath no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” because they are “children of disobedience” (vs.6) and not saved. The Christian is told not to have company or eat with one who calls himself a brother but is covetous (1 Cor.5:10). If these instructions were followed today, we couldn’t have church.

“Better is the sight of the eyes” or wisdom to see the many gifts and the goodness of God and be content, “than the wandering of the desire” or coveting after things we can never have (Ecc.6:9).

James H. Cagle is a resident of Ray City.