Jesus Christ made a simple statement which needs to be understood if we want to really be able to know what is taking place in the financial world. In Luke 12:15 it says:
“Take heed and beware of covetousness; for a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
The key word in this verse is the word “covetousness” which basically means a strong yearning or desire to have something and specifically something that belongs to someone else. In God’s original covenant with Israel, known as the “Ten Commandments”, this term appears in relation to a number of things as recorded in Exodus 20:17:
“Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.”
I do not know how much clearer God could make things. Under no circumstances is it allowable to yearn for anything that legally belongs to someone else. If this door stays closed, there is no reason to continue this study; but if the door is allowed to open even a little bit, it will inevitably lead down a road that is neither pleasant nor godly.
Very simply put; if you have a Rolex watch that I want badly but do not have the means to get legally, how am I going to get that watch? Logically I will figure out a way to steal it. Stealing stems from covetousness most of the time. The easiest (and also riskiest) way to get something that I want but cannot afford to purchase is to steal it. If I sneak in and take the watch, it is calling theft. If I put a mask on and hold a gun to your head and demand the watch, it is armed robbery. The basis of stealing is covetousness and greed.
If I were not so brazen as to literally steal your watch, there are other ways to get it. I could hire a private eye to watch your every move and document things which appear “shady”. I could then meet with you and show you the videos which put you in a compromising position. I then would demand your watch or else I would release my video to the media to ruin your life. This is known as “blackmail” or simply “extortion”. The basis of extortion is covetousness and greed.
I could also trick you into believing I have “the deal of the century” that you could buy into for a price. For your watch, I would let you in on the greatest investment scheme in recorded history. Within 30 days you will be guaranteed to make $100,000. All that is needed is either a deposit of $5,000 or your watch. Since your watch is easier to get than the money, you give me your watch. I then pack up and leave in the middle of the night for parts unknown. In this scenario, I obtained your watch by fraud. The basis of fraud is covetousness and greed.
The Old Testament is full of classic examples of people motivated by covetousness and greed. Among the most poignant is King David and his yearning for Bathsheba. David blatantly broke one of the Ten Commandments when he allowed himself to covet his neighbor’s wife. He then broke another commandment by committing adultery. David broke yet another commandment by bearing false witness against Uriah and he broke yet another commandment by having Uriah murdered.
How could such a Godly and righteous man such as David allow himself to break so many of God’s commandments? It all started with taking a little peek at the beautiful woman bathing. In his mind, David thought nothing bad would come from enjoying the scenery a little bit. The trouble was that he was not able to stop the progression of desires in his flesh and mind that arose from what he saw. He was no longer content to just look at Bathsheba; he sexually wanted her.
If, at this point David would have repented, the story would be bad, but the outcome would have not been nearly as disastrous for all involved. But, David was not content to have simply added another “conquest” to his little black book. He wanted to have Bathsheba as his wife. Now if she were single, that would be no problem, but she was married. Not only that, she was married to one of the most God fearing and upright men in all Israel—Uriah.
David tried by lies and trickery to “steal” Bathsheba from him, but to no avail. When all else failed, and again motivated by the overwhelming desire to have what was not his, he gave the orders to have Uriah killed in battle. Even though David did not personally kill the man, his orders made him part and party to the murder. History proves that most murders stem from jealousy, envy or greed. David proved history is right on the mark.
What happened with David has been repeated by others countless times before and since. Honestly, there were only two places in this horrible set of events where David could have simply said “NO”. If he would have turned away in the first place and not allowed himself to be tempted by the sight of a beautiful woman bathing, the story would have stopped before starting. If he would have stood his ground after watching her and said “NO”, she is not mine to have; he would have spared himself, his family and all Israel the horrendous things which came upon them.
The only way to stop covetousness is to nip it in the bud. The minute the desire arises for something that belongs to someone else-STOP IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE. Crush the yearning with the truth of God’s Word. Slam the Bible on the creeping crawling vermin before it slips into your heart. If you don’t allow the thought to turn into an actual yearning desire, there is no way covetousness will take hold.
So much of what has caused the stress on our financial systems is tracked back to greed and covetousness. I hold that if we can gain a Biblical understanding of these words, we can gain an understanding of the current crisis. More to follow on this crucial subject.
