"You Shall Not Covet !"

For some reason I am thinking of the very biblical term covet!  I did some thinking on this earlier this year when I was doing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments.  Now again this morning I am revisiting the concept.  I think it is the national news' fault! 

For many the Ten Commandments are "the law!"  The law to go to for any and all offenses.  And "what the bible says" about it.  You don't mess with the Ten Commandments.  After all they are written in stone!  But if you remember, Jesus did mess with the Ten.  He brought them all under one -- well two:  Love God!  Love your neighbor!  Jesus must have surmised that if you love God and neighbor you will not break any of the Ten!

Now, think about that!  If you "love" you won't worship idols, defy the sabbath, disrespect your parents, murder, cheat, lie, steal, commit adultery or covet.  All of those offenses are easy when we love like Jesus!

17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Ex. 20:17)

So! How would you define covet?  My Sunday School teacher told us that it meant "wanting what someone else has."  That was a simple way to define it.  But according to the Greek it is a much broader violation.  It is a multifaceted concept.  A term that spans every hope, desire, temptation and feeling of the human psyche.  

In the multipliable Greek definition the basic meaning is: "having more,"  "wanting more!"  With reference to both power and property.  Then it extends to "outdoing others," "being superior," "taking precedence" at the expense of others.  So then, it has to do with "taking advantage," "taking by force."  Which leads to "greedy desires."

To paraphrase the rest of the definition:  The context of this term comes from the ancient understanding, of a basic ideal, that to live well is to live in relative equality with others.  Living with only that which is needed.  No excess!  The norm  was moderation.  The goal is that every heart had only one craving.  The craving for God as their only hope and need.  Worldly gain was not included inter theology.   So to covet -- to want more -- was a foreign to their faith.

Sounds lovely doesn't it?

Now check out the Preamble to our National Constitution!

"We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America." 

Now!  Were the politician really so different then?  Did they strive to provide for the common defense and general welfare?

And, how is our world doing with such an ideal ways of governing and  living?