The Ten Commandments are fascinating from many perspectives, some of which we may not be aware of, no matter how familiar we may be with these laws. A good example of this is the fact that each commandment is not only instructive in its obvious meaning and application, but many of the commandments have a “second side” – a different aspect of the principle they teach that is equally valid yet often overlooked.
Take the tenth commandment – “You shall not covet…” (Exodus 20:17), which we usually understand as wrongful desire of something that is not ours. This is the sense of the principle that Jesus combined with the commandment against adultery – saying “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” Matthew 5:28). Understood this way, coveting applies to our desire for things that we do not have – someone else’s, house, mate, or whatever.
But there is another aspect to coveting that is almost the exact opposite of wanting something belonging to someone else: being unwilling to let go of something that is ours. An Old Testament example of this is found in the story of Nabal, the rich but unthankful and ungiving man who refused to give David and his men food after they had helped him (1 Samuel 25). Although he is described as being “very rich,” Nabal would not part with any of his property and is said to have suffered a heart attack when he found out that his wife had given away some of his ample food supplies.
In the New Testament we have a similar story of the rich you man who said he would follow Christ, but who turned away when Jesus suggested he give what was his to those in need. Another famous New Testament example, of course, is that of Ananias and Sapphira, in Acts 5:1-11, which tells of a couple who, after selling a piece of property they said they were giving to the church, lied about the amount they gave because they wanted to keep some back.
In all these stories, and many more in the Bible, we find examples of individuals who had more than they needed, yet who could not bring themselves to give away even part of what was theirs. This is simply the “reverse side” of coveting – of wrongfully wanting what is ours to the point that we will not or cannot give it even to those in need. That is why Proverbs 11:24 tells us: “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” What the proverb calls “withholding unduly” is the inability to give that is simply another form of coveting.
That is why Jesus warned his disciples “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed [or “covetousness” as many versions translate this word]; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Notice that in saying this, Jesus warned against “all kinds of greed” and was speaking not only about things that people did not have and coveted, but also things that they had.
Paul, too, warns us that we should not give “reluctantly or under compulsion” (2 Corinthians 9:7). If we are reluctant to give, or even if we give, but our hearts are not in it, we can be guilty of coveting. Certainly, that is an attitude that does not please God – as Paul also tells us in the same verse, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
So the principle of not coveting is far wider than we often presume. Just as much as it forbids our wanting something that is not rightfully ours, the tenth commandment implies that we are equally responsible not to covet by being unwilling to help others by giving of what we have.