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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.

Truth

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Exodus 20:16

When I asked my children’s S.S. class about the 9^th commandment, every hand in the room was raised.  Without calling on anyone, I asked them to put their hands down.  Then I said, “Please raise your hand if you’ve never told a lie.”  No hands were raised, and everyone laughed.  One of the children said, “If anyone had raised their hand, they would’ve been lying!”  Sigh.  How very sadly true.

I asked the kids if they had ever read the description of God’s people in heaven that is found in Revelation 14:5.  In the original language, it says that these people had no “guile” in their mouths.  If you look up “guile” in the Greek, you will discover that it means “fish bait.”  Why in the world would God say that His people had no fish bait in their mouth?

When you go fishing, you take a fishing pole and bait.  The bait – let’s say a worm – goes on the hook.  Why is there bait on the hook?  To trick the fish.  The worm dangles there to disguise what is really present – a hook that will catch in the fish’s mouth so that he can be drawn to his death.  Guile is deception, falsehood, trickery – a great description of a lie.  God’s people’s lives are transparent – what you see is what you get; what you are told is the truth.

I will always tell the truth and never tell a lie.

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do

and I am His child.

(Sung to the tune Bingo)

Give

Double Rose  No. 5 of the Russet Rose Series

Thou shalt not steal.

Exodus 20:15

This was an easy commandment for the children.  If it doesn’t belong to you, don’t take it.  Enough said.  I knew that they were talking about such things as clothes, gum, jewelry, clothes – shoplifting, taking things at school, stealing money from your parents, and the list goes on.  I said to them, “There are other ways to steal.  Can you think of any?”  When I got no takers, I asked this question:  “Is it possible to steal someone’s reputation – their good name?”

The recognition that this was possible was instantaneous.  It also became immediately clear that you would break other commandments if one broke this one.  Telling lies about someone, hating them enough to want to hurt them, doing everything you can to make life miserable for them doesn’t exactly qualify for loving others as you love yourself. 

Gossip hurts.  Lies hurt.  Cruelty is life-changing, and not for the better.  Jesus says, "Don’t Take!  GIVE."  Give affirmation, give hope, give love, give life!

I will respect what others have,

And not try to take it away.

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do

and I am His child.