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Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house;

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant,

nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor

anything that is thy neighbor’s.

Exodus 20:17

Covet (kuv´ət) vt.,vi [[ME OFr covee]]

To want ardently (especially something that another person has)

Long for with envy

Covet is not a big word in a child’s vocabulary, but jealousy certainly is, and jealousy is at the core of coveting.  I find it curious that this commandment was placed 10^th, because coveting is like the first domino a row of commandments.  Knock it down, and the rest go with it.

If I am jealous of you, or covet your life – I might just take it.

Thou shalt not kill.

If I am jealous of your relationship with your spouse,

I might just try and take them away from you.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

If I am jealous of the things and toys that you have in your life,

I might just take them.

Thou shalt not steal.

If I am jealous of who you are, what you have, and

Who you are with, I might just lie to you or about you.

Thou shalt not bear false witness.

When I was a kid, my mom used to intone, “Break one, and you break them all.”  I didn’t understand that at the time, and felt it was grossly unfair.  Maturity and wisdom have opened my eyes to the interconnection between the first four commandments regarding our relationship with God, and again between the last six commandments regarding our relationship with those around us. 

The heart of this commandment is, Be content (happy) with what you have.  That can be a difficult task – both for children and adults.  The grass always seems greener on the other side.  God has given each of us many blessings.  Recounting those blessings on a daily basis will go a long ways toward quelling the inner voice of discontent.