"You shall not covet ... anything that is your neighbor’s." This is "Number Ten" — the last commandment: last, but not least! Now, at first glance, it might seem to be the least of the Commandments, the least harmful to our neighbor, the least heinous to God. After all, to covet something which belongs to our neighbor is not as atrocious as committing murder or adultery, or as abominable as worshiping an idol, is it? To covet something doesn’t seem to be as bad as actually stealing it. And, to covet something secretly surely would not seem to do as much harm to our neighbor as publicly bearing false witness against him or her.

Coveting is something that we do in the secrecy of our hearts; and that is precisely the point! The very fact that coveting is an inward, secret, spiritual issue — the very fact that covetousness has to do not only with what we do but with our inner character, the fact that our covetousness shows us that we really are self-centered, self-serving, and self-seeking — the spiritual nature of covetousness shows us the significance of the Tenth Commandment because it shows us the spiritual nature of sin.

The Tenth Commandment, along with the First Commandment, stands as a great pillar, or a sturdy book-end, so-to-speak, or as the back wall of a great fortress. The First Commandment and the Tenth Commandment are, so-to-speak, like the first and last chapters of a great book: the chapters in-between are important and necessary, but we can’t really understand them without the first and last chapters. And so, the Tenth Commandment, though it is the last Commandment, it is by no means the "least."

Throughout this sermon series, we have emphasized that in our Reformed/Presbyterian understanding of the Commandments, the Law of God is not the way of salvation but it is the way of life for those who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We strive to obey the Commandments not in order to be saved, but because we have been saved — we have been "brought up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" because though we were dead in trespasses and sins, God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, made us alive with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:46); or, as 1^st Peter 2:9 says, God has "called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ is our exodus out of death, out of bondage to the devil, out of the slavery of sin. It is through faith in Christ, in union with Him, that we are saved, delivered, and set free to live in the liberty of His law.

Therefore, true obedience to the Law of God, for the Christian, is internal, spiritual obedience to the spirit of the Law, not merely external obedience to the letter of the Law. Example: It is not enough not to murder; as Christians, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is not enough not to steal; as Christians, we are called to share generously with those in need. Outward, external obedience to the letter of the Law is only the beginning of obedience. True, spiritual obedience requires the transformation of our hearts. John Calvin commented that the commandments "were established for our hearts as well as our hands."

The Tenth Commandment, "You shall not covet," requires an internal, spiritual obedience, for coveting is not an external action but an internal disposition. This commandment really ought to awaken us to the fact that the One and Only True and Living God of holiness and righteousness in whom we live and move and have our very being and with whom we have to do at every moment is indeed the God who looks upon the heart, searches the soul, lays bare the human conscience with His double-edged sword of truth, and before whom no secrets are hid. The Tenth Commandment cuts to the quick, digs deep into the soil of our souls, and uproots the seedbed of sin which lies in our hearts.

This last commandment shows us that, even if we have kept the letter of the Law of the other commandments, we are still guilty in our hearts because of the sinful corruption which resides there. We may look good on the outside, we may fool all the people all the time, but we will never fool God, because He sees the sin in our hearts.

This spiritual nature of sin, revealed in the spiritual nature of the Tenth Commandment, is what the Apostle Paul wrote about in Romans 7:7-13. He says, in effect, that the Tenth Commandment showed him the deep-rootedness of his sinful nature, which he had never known before. The commandment, "You shall not covet," revealed to him his covetousness, and showed him that he, apart from Christ, had no power to overcome the secret, spiritual sin in his own heart. The same is true for us. The Tenth Commandment may be the last, but it is not the least!

As we noted this morning, the most basic interpretation and application of the commandment, "You shall not covet," is "You shall not desire anything that belongs to your neighbor such that you wish it belonged to you instead of to him or her." It condemns jealousy and envy. And, positively, the Tenth Commandment teaches us to be content with our lot, content with our situation and condition. The Apostle Paul wrote,

Hebrews 13:5 exhorts us,

And First Timothy 6:6 teaches us that

And so, based on these Scriptures, the Children’s Catechism aptly teaches us "to be content with who we are and what we have." What a great way to live life! This doesn’t mean to be passively apathetic, depressingly resigned, with no zeal for living, no desires at all in the heart. No! But it does mean to be free from greed, selfishness, and envy, bitterness, and jealousy. It does mean that we are freed from seeking to find our happiness and our identity in the things of this world, and free to enjoy, with thanksgiving, the blessings we have received from God’s hand.

Now, earlier in this sermon I said that the Tenth Commandment stands with the First Commandment as a sturdy book-end, or as an opposite wall of a fortress. The First and Tenth Commandments stand as great pillars on each end of the two tablets. Think about it: what is the First Commandment? You shall have no other gods before me. No other gods. Do you remember what was one of the key points of the sermon on the First Commandment? It was the human desire for happiness, and the fact that our ultimate and eternal happiness can be found nowhere else except in God. And that is the reason that He forbids us to have any other gods, for none of the false gods of this world can fill us with that happiness for which we were created in God’s own image: the happiness of knowing and being known by, of loving and being loved by, and living in personal fellowship with, the one and only true and living God. And so, because He loves us, God first commanded, "You shall have no other gods before me."

And now, the Tenth Commandment: "You shall not covet (you shall not earnestly desire) anything that belongs to your neighbor." Why? Because, in so doing, you are setting your heart on, and seeking your happiness in, something that cannot satisfy your soul. The Tenth Commandment causes us to ask ourselves: What is it that I really want, that I really desire? What are my goals in life, and why? What is the treasure of my heart? What am I living for? My own pleasure? Do I roam about in this world like a predator, seeking to consume almost everything I set my eyes on and can get my hands on? Do I want to have it all, for my own pleasure, power, and prestige? These are the questions which the Tenth Commandment causes us to ask. In other words, what god am I truly worshiping? Have I strayed from the One and Only true and living God, and am I looking to other false gods for my happiness and my well-being? The Tenth Commandment searches our souls and forces us to ask ourselves the question: Am I, in the depths of my heart, truly, spiritually, sincerely keeping the First Commandment?

And so, the First Commandment and the Tenth Commandment stand together as witnesses, proving to us, in the words of Romans 3:20, that "no one will be declared righteous in (God’s) sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." There is none righteous, no not one. And none of us is made right with God by the law because each of us has broken the law and we stand condemned by it. Even the proud, self-righteous hypocrite who boasts of his morality cannot get past the Tenth Commandment, which proves that he cannot sincerely keep the First Commandment. And so the Commandments show us that we need a Savior — a Savior of sovereign grace and free mercy, a Savior of perfect righteousness who will perfectly fulfill the Law’s demands on our behalf, a Savior who will cleanse us of sin’s guilt and power, a Savior who will take our condemnation upon Himself so that we might be no longer under the condemnation of the Law but under the grace of His blood shed for us.

This is the song of those who know they need, and continually need, a Savior. And what a Savior we have in Jesus Christ our Lord! Out of the riches of His righteousness, grace, and love, we have forgiveness full and free, and the blessing of His Spirit so that we might walk in liberty, and, by His grace and power, live for His glory.

So, let us covet, let us earnestly desire, let us yearn for, and long for, the increasing of His kingdom in our lives; let us seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness; let us covet the eternal treasures of His love, and let us fix our eyes on Jesus, let us look at Him in all His beautiful grace and the riches of His mercy, and let us covet for ourselves His likeness in us, that we may live joyful, obedient, holy lives to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.