By banning the selfish desire that engenders the guilty act, the tenth commandment of God attacks the very root of all sins. The one, who, by obedience to the law of God, forbids himself to the unlawful desire to possess that which belongs to another, will not be guilty of acts condemnable to his fellows.
” Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his servant, nor his servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor. ” (Exodus 20:17).
I give glory to God for the wisdom of the Tenth Commandment, which says, ” You shall not covet “. This tenth commandment of God teaches us noble attitudes.
Attitudes Noble to Adopt According to the Tenth Commandment of God
1. We must learn to be content with what we are.
What you have, the other does not have. What you do not have, the other one has. Which is not important to you, it is important for someone. Build your life with what you have. Build your life with the bricks that are in your possession. Despite your age, your social position, your profession, your nationality, your nationality, your skin color, your level of study: God loves you and he provides for the needs of his creatures. And it is essential. The tenth commandment of God warns against the love of money, telling us not to covet. As it says, ” Do not indulge in the love of money, just what you have; for God Himself said, I will not forsake you, neither will I forsake you. ” (Hebrews 13: 5).
When we learn to be content with what we have, it helps to avoid lust.
2. We must not compare our life to that of others.
Every man has his life. Every life has its realities. Every life has its opportunities. Every life has its ups and downs. Every life is unique. Every life goes on. That’s why do not compare your life to that of others. There is always something in your life that makes the difference in the life of the other. The more you focus on your life, the more you work to improve your life. He who compares his life to that of others has no time to think about improving his life. This is what makes us avoid the tenth commandment of God. He who practices lust is quick to compare his life to that of others.
3. We must not envy others.
Why be jealous of our neighbor? Do not you know that jealousy can engender hatred and that hatred is a doorway for evil? This is what the Tenth Commandment of God wants us to teach. Indeed, it forbids us to envy others. Who says envy, says also covet.
Do you know the path of your neighbor? Do you know what he endured to own what he has today? Do you know the depths of his life? Do you know the secrets of the life of others?
You liked being in the place of others. You would like to own what others have that you do not have. Do you know what danger you run by envying others? You put your life in danger. Lust will be born in you. And you will be willing to do anything even illogical, abnormal, abominable, and shameful for something vain. Oh, where did your self-esteem go? To envy others puts our lives at risk. That’s why the Tenth Commandment defends covetousness.
4. We must not focus on material things…
People who enjoy material things are forced to move from one thing to another, in pursuit of fashion. The next goodwill has to be bigger, more glittering, faster, and newer because what is “new”, indeed, does not last.
A statement is made about those who covet or are attached to material goods: they fill their houses with things. Living above their means and they are deeply indebted. Pressured and burdened by their way of life, they have little time for their children and they have no time to help others, nor time for a meaningful prayer life.
Lust is love beyond normal proportion, disorderly, unwelcome. It means concentrating our devotion in the wrong place, putting things: money, success, sex, personal achievements … at the center of our existence, and believing that these things are the basis of our joy. “Material things” become more important than men and their actions.
5. We must pretend to be what we are.
When you covet, you end up pretending to be “another person”. Yes, lust makes you flee your personality. It creates in you the scorn of your identity, of your personality. She makes you a cheater. It leads you to live a double life. In the very sense that it can make you live beyond your means. The tenth commandment of God wants us to learn to stay ourselves. Every man should have his own life. Many people suffer in their lives because they are constantly coveting others.
Conclusion on the Tenth Command of God – Exodus 20: 17
Like the other nine commandments, this one speaks not only of specific acts but also of values and attitudes. Paul defines values and attitudes in Philippians 2: 3-4, 5-8.
The tenth commandment of God concerns the worship of material things. Those who love them later think that men are also “things”. For them, they are used for pleasure and convenience but as soon as they stop being new or when the person is no longer able to meet the objectives, they are abandoned and we advance.
The Apostle Paul tells us that covetousness is idolatry. Lust and idolatry concern the worship of material things.
But there is a difference: the second commandment (the one that speaks of idolatry) warns us against giving more importance to material things than to God. The tenth commandment tells us that we should not give them more importance than we give to men. It forbids them to put our selfish desires above the rights of others or to give more value to things by considering the benefits they can bring us.
Since we are constantly breaking ourselves in the tenth commandment of God, which says, ” You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you will not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his servant, nor his servant, nor his ox, nor his soul, nor anything that is your neighbor. ” (Exodus 20:17), we train in all kinds of sin and abominations. Thus, from day to day, we are rooted in evil. We have no strength to love our neighbors. Thus, we are willing to harm others.