The Ten Commandments: An Expression of God's LovePrimjer

Have Contentment

In the tenth commandment, God tells us to not lust for things that don’t belong to us. We should not become obsessed with things that belong to others. Don’t let something become an idol to you, don’t let it become too important. 

The tenth commandment takes us from actions to attitudes. It concerns the desires of our heart. To be clear, the problem is not with desire itself, but with desiring the wrong things, things that don’t belong to us, and giving free rein to our desires. 

The problem with coveting things that don’t belong to us is that we believe a lie. We believe the lie that what we covet could make us happy. But life doesn’t work that way, does it? We get what we want and then we want something else. Our desires and longings are satisfied only in Jesus. Bruce Marshall, in his book The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith, sagely observed, “The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God.” 

The opposite of coveting is contentment. God had blessed King David in many ways. But when David saw Bathsheba on the roof, he violated the tenth commandment by coveting. That in turn led to the violation of the seventh commandment by adultery, and finally, the sixth commandment by murder. God’s way is always best.

Whenever we break God’s commandments, we hurt ourselves—and so often, we hurt others. In contrast to David, Paul could say, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” That is contentment, and that is where joy and peace are found. God’s way is always best.