THE DECALOGUE by J. W. Watt

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 1, 1899

THE DECALOGUE.

By J. W. Watt

The Tenth Commandment.

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man servant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's."

The word "covet" is defined thus, "To wish for eagerly, inordinately, or unlawfully, to long for, hanker after, lust after."

God has given us in the first nine commandments definite instruction in regard to what we shall do or refrain from doing. In this last precept we are taught that we must not desire that which belongs to our fellow-men. Covetousness is unlawful desire. Then the opposite would be a lawful desire, which would be to always desire the good of our fellow-men.

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry." Col. 3:5.

Covetousness, then, is idolatry. An idolater is one who worships something else beside the God of heaven. But the violation of this commandment is in the mind and heart—no overt act is spoken of. True, evil desire may lead to overt acts, but the thing is first conceived in the mind. Then can a man be an idolater in his mind and no one know anything about it but himself and God?—Yes. How?—By unlawfully desiring that which belongs to his neighbor. If he thus becomes an idolater, who is he worshiping?—Self. O, how much of this we find in the world to-day! Men have so far departed from the principles of heaven that they will remain awake nights when they ought to be sleeping, to plan that they may obtain property from their fellow-men without giving a just equivalent for the same.

"Wo to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it." Hab. 2:9-11.

The above scripture tells the story of a covetous man's experience,—he builds his house by taking from his neighbor unjustly. He trusts in his earthly possessions for safety; and by so doing he sins against his own soul. By and by the judgment comes, and his case is called for investigation. Then, as Abel's blood cried unto God from the ground, so the "stone cries out of the wall and the beam out of the timber" answers it, and the poor, covetous soul is doomed to eternal death. A faithful record of his life has been kept by the angels of God, and his unjust deeds caused by yielding to covetous desires condemn him.

But suppose the desire had been in his heart but had not appeared in deeds, would he be condemned in the judgment?—Yes; for God looks upon the desires of the heart as well as the acts which appear in the life as the result of covetous desire. Every act and every desire must be brought into harmony with the will of God before one is prepared to enter the kingdom of heaven. What a manifestation of the love of God we see in the instruction He gives us in His divine law! He is so anxious that we may be prepared to dwell with Him eternally that He informs us with reference to what is best for us not only in word and deed but in thought as well.

When Moses was leading the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan, and it became necessary to choose leaders for the people, they were to be "men of truth, hating covetousness." Ex. 18:21. Thus we see that God can not use covetous men in His work. And as covetousness is selfish desire, all selfish desire of every kind must be laid aside before we can bear our part in the work of God, or truly be called the children of God.

As we have studied the law of God precept by precept, how broad, how deep these great principles appear, reaching every emotion of the heart and every act of life! And why is this so?—Because these holy principles are to govern all the universe of God. They are a transcript of the divine mind,—God's idea of what character should be, of what we must be if we gain eternal life, and what we can be through Jesus Christ our Lord.

While we have failed to reach this high and holy standard of life within ourselves, Christ has not failed. He has met every demand of the law, and has made it possible for us to meet the same in Him. He says, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." By His power, through faith, we meet the mind of God, and stand in the judgment uncondemned by the law of God. "The righteousness of the law" is "fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8:4.

May the Lord help both writer and reader to reach the divine standard set forth in the law. J. W. Watt.