By Jonathan Keller
You shall not covet…anything that is your neighbor’s.
Rounding out the last of the commandments aimed toward our neighbors, the Tenth Commandment perfectly illustrates the principle we’ve been using over the past few weeks. It is not good enough just to avoid breaking these commandments with our deeds; we must look deeper into our desires to avoid those longings aimed at incorrect things.
Coveting and Inordinate Desire
How can we desire things wrongly?
Think of three criteria: object, amount, and presence.
We long for a thing wrongly if it is inappropriate for us to desire that thing at all. A married person ought not desire another to be their spouse.
We also long for a thing wrongly if we desire it too much or too little. It is appropriate for us to desire food to fill our stomachs, but it is incorrect to desire more food than needed for the occasion. On the other hand, we can desire too little if we possess little desire for the welfare of others.
Lastly, we desire wrongly if we possess a vicious desire or do not possess a virtuous desire. If I harbor malice toward another, I find myself guilty of this commandment no matter the amount of malice I possess toward them. I also break this command if I possess no desire for peace between myself and my neighbor.
Toward Good Desire
What remedy do we have for our desires, given how easily they can go astray?
Paul instructs us in Philippians 4 to ponder “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable…any excellence…anything worthy of praise.” If our hearts are easily led astray by our wicked desires, who helps us?
When someone becomes a Christian, evidencing their regeneration by their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit Himself comes to dwell in their heart, working day by day to mold their heart toward such things. We have God Himself, in His full deity, at work to sanctify us, making us more holy by displacing our wayward desires with affections more focused on Himself and His fruit.
What true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy things have happened in your life or around you recently? How do these things reflect God in His glory?