What Does It Mean to Covet?

Last updated on: October 23, 2019 at 7:00 am by Mark Driscoll

What Does It Mean to Covet? 2019-08-29T16:27:07-04:00 Mark Driscoll

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Matthew 4:8-11 – Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

1 John 2:16 – For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world.

Exodus 20:17 – You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

Coveting is ungodly and discontented desire, passion, envy, craving, greed, jealousy, obsession, longing, or lust for someone or something that is not supposed to be yours. In short, coveting is when you aren’t content with what God wants for you, and instead you want something He has not chosen for you. Consider these questions for a moment:

Have you ever seen a car that you deeply wished you could own and drive?
Have you ever seen a home that was so great that you deeply wanted to have it for yourself?
Is there a person whose abilities (mental, physical, spiritual, etc.) you wish you could have?
What things do other people have that you really want for yourself?
Whom would you trade lives with if you could swap your life with someone else’s?

Did answers to any of these questions readily come to mind as you read them? If so, you likely sinned against God in your heart and fell for the demonic trick of coveting.

The last of the Ten Commandments warns us against the demonic deception that enticed even the angels to align with Satan’s scheme by coveting God’s glory.

To put it in modern terms, stop looking up the square footage, sale price, and interior design of other homes; stop comparing the age, beauty, and allure of someone you are not married to with your spouse. Don’t worry about the new car and fancy vacation your friends just posted online; instead be content with what God has given you.

To order the new book from Pastor Mark & Grace Driscoll “Win Your War”, visit: https://amzn.to/2YuhoDn.

For the entire eight-week “Win Your War” sermon series from Pastor Mark, visit www.markdriscoll.org or the Mark Driscoll Ministries app.

Daily Devotions

Previous Post

October 22, 2019

The Power of Coveting

Next Post

October 24, 2019 Coveting Hurts Relationships

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ask Pastor Mark Blog Daily Devotions Sermons Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 December 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Rabbi" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Messenger Priest Teacher Scribe