
<p>Though the sin of covetousness is addressed in the Ten Commandments, I don’t 
  believe I have ever heard it mentioned in one sermon, and only rarely discussed 
  among any group of Christians as a problem in the Church today. Dictionaries 
  give these definitions for covetousness: "avaricious," "grasping," "greedy of 
  gain," "greed of wealth with a view of hoarding it." Basically, it is desiring 
  what you don’t have, wanting more and not being satisfied. It is that internal 
  urge that pushes people to work harder to get more and better things. Often 
  it is the drive that causes people to go into debt, because they want what they 
  cannot have. It is what causes people to live beyond their means, because they 
  want what the neighbors have. Though some would modernize the word covetousness 
  by using the word "greed," greed is most often considered to be a sin of only 
  the wealthy. However, covetous-ness affects the poor to the rich. </p>
<p>Covetousness is perhaps the primary sin that keeps the American Church from 
  joining God in His heart for those who have never heard the Good News of Jesus. 
  Often our ears cannot hear Heaven’s call, because our hearts are pursuing our 
  earthly desires. We have witnessed many a sincere believer hear God’s call and 
  feel their heart drawn to go to the unreached, only to watch them turn their 
  eyes back to their plans for a bigger house or a better job that makes more 
  money and never respond to the prompting of their Lord. This sin needs deep 
  repentance in order that we, His Church, may be free to obey His call.</p>
<p> -Editor </p>
<p>There is a sin which a Catholic priest once declared that no one had ever confessed 
  to him—a sin so deadly that the wrath of God burns against it. Every person 
  has at some time been guilty of this sin; it is a sin that is so gross in God’s 
  sight that He puts it in the same class with prostitution, idolatry, murder 
  and the like. It is a sin so subtle that most people who are guilty of it seem 
  to be unconscious of it. It is a sin that has led to the ruin of homes, to the 
  doom of cities, the downfall of kings, the overthrow of empires, the collapse 
  of civilizations, the damnation of an apostle, of ministers of the Gospel and 
  millions of less conspicuous men. Men in high positions of authority and trust 
  have, under the spell of this sin, wrecked their good names, have brought shame 
  to their families, and misfortune, destitution and grief to their peers. </p>
<p>When amidst the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai, God gave the Ten 
  Commandments to Moses, one of the them was against this sin. When Lot lost all 
  he had in the doom of Sodom and Gomorrah, it was primarily because of this sin. 
  When Achan and his household were stoned, it was because of this sin. When Ananais 
  and Sapphira dropped dead at Peter’s feet, they suffered the dread penalty of 
  this sin. When World War I burst forth in 1914, enveloping the earth in its 
  angry flame, sweeping away the splendid young manhood of the world in storms 
  of steel and rivers of blood and engulfing the accumulated wealth of ages in 
  a bottomless pit of destruction, the disaster could be traced to the unrestricted 
  and deadly workings of this awful, secret, pitiless sin. In truth, the root 
  cause of every war can most likely be traced to this sin. </p>
<p>But what is this sin that the Catholic priest never heard mentioned in his 
  confessional—this sin that apostles and priests, and shepherds and servants 
  have committed, and upon which the swift, fierce lightnings of God’s wrath have 
  fallen—this sin of which everyone at some time has probably been guilty, and 
  yet which is so secret and subtle that those most captivated by it are most 
  unconscious of it? </p>
<p>When strife arose between the shepherds of uncle and nephew, Abraham, to whom 
  God had promised all the land, said to Lot, "Let there be no conflict between 
  us, we are brothers." Then he offered to Lot any portion of the land which pleased 
  him, and he would be content to take what was left. Lot looked down upon the 
  rich plains of Jordan, and without a thought of his old uncle, to whom he owed 
  all, he drove his herds into the lush pastures of the rich plain, near the markets 
  of prosperous Sodom and Gomorrah, while the rough and stony hill country was 
  left to Abraham. God became, more fully than ever, the Companion and Portion 
  of Abraham; while Lot, through his covetousness, was so entangled in the life 
  of Sodom that in the doom of the city he lost all he had, barely escaping with 
  his life, and accompanied only by two weak and willful daughters. </p>
<p>When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land and the walls of Jericho 
  fell before them, Achan saw gold and garments which he coveted and took to himself, 
  regardless of God’s command-ment, thereby bringing defeat to Israel, death to 
  his fellow-soldiers and terrible doom to himself. </p>
<p>Gehazi cast longing eyes upon the gold, silver and rare garments which Naaman 
  pressed upon Elisha, the prophet, out of gratitude for his cleansing in Jordan, 
  and which Elisha refused. But, blinded by the glitter of gold and steeped in 
  covetousness, Gehazi had no heart and no understanding for the difficult self-denial 
  of the fine old prophet, and he said to himself, "As the Lord lives, I will 
  run after him and take something from him!" And run he did, and "something" 
  he received! Then, to hide his sin, he lied to Elisha; but the old prophet’s 
  eyes saw—and he said to the covetous, lying Gehazi, "Did not my heart go with 
  you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive 
  money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male 
  and female servants? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and 
  your descendants forever. And he went out from his presence leprous, as white 
  as snow." (2 Kings 5:20-27) </p>
<p>Covetousness ruled the stony, ashen heart of Judas, and for thirty pieces of 
  silver he betrayed the Master!</p>
<p> Covetousness owned the selfish hearts of Ananias and Sapphira; they wanted 
  the praise and honor of total sacrifice and generosity while secretly holding 
  on to their gold. And God struck them dead! </p>
<p>As we study the historical and biblical examples of this sin of covetousness, 
  we see the deep meaning and truth of Paul’s words to Timothy, "Those who want 
  to be rich fall into temptation and a trap, and into many foolish and harmful 
  desires which plunge men in ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root 
  of all evil." (1Tim. 6:9,10). </p>
<p>This sin led Lot first to ungratefulness and ultimately into ungodly relationships 
  with vile sinners; it led to disobedience in Achan; to greed and lying in Gehazi; 
  to the betrayal of the innocent Christ in Judas; to bold lying to the Holy Ghost 
  in Ananias and Sapphira. Truly, from its poisonous root has sprung up the deadly 
  tree of all evil, and God has poured out His wrath upon it, showing His holy 
  hatred of it. </p>
<p>A close study of the awful ravages of this sin and its many workings would 
  show again and again that it has undermined thrones and led to the downfall 
  of empires; that it has rotted away the strong foundations of purity and honesty 
  and truth and good-will in whole peoples, ending in even the collapse of civilizations. 
</p>
<p>Once its effects begin in a human heart, there is no end to the damage and 
  sorrow it may bring about in that soul and then in the lives of others. There 
  is no height of honor and holiness from which it may not pull men down. There 
  is no depth of unmerciful selfishness, lying avoidance of responsibility, bold 
  disrespect, and self-deception into which it may not plunge men. When proclaiming 
  the Ten Commandments from the flaming mountain, God reserved the last to direct 
  at this sin, not because it was the least of all the sins forbidden, but rather 
  because it was a pregnant mother of them all, an instigator and supporter of 
  all evil.</p>
<p> Covetousness is a sin that reaches out for men of every age. In some of its 
  forms it makes its most successful assaults upon men well advanced in years. 
  A man in zealous devotion to Christ may successfully resist it in his youth, 
  and yet fall before it when his head is crowned with honors and white with the 
  snows of many winters. The fear of poverty in old age, the natural desire to 
  provide for his children and loved ones, may silently, secretly lead him into 
  the deadly embrace of this serpent-like sin; may cause shipwreck of his honor, 
  his faith, his "first love," his simplicity in Christ, his unselfish devotion 
  to the interest of the Lord and the souls of his fellow-men, and thus may cause 
  God to reject him in that final day when the secrets of men’s hearts shall be 
  revealed and their works made manifest by fire. </p>
<p>How may men avoid this deadly, secret, subtle sin? There is only one way; that 
  is, by following Jesus in daily, resolute self-denial, by watchfulness and prayer, 
  by "walking in the light as He is in the light," by openness of heart, by humility 
  of mind, by total surrender to the Holy Ghost, by counting all things loss for 
  Christ, as did Paul; by learning and not forgetting that "godliness, with contentment, 
  is great gain," by seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, by 
  joyfully trusting and obeying those words of Peter, "casting all your cares 
  upon Him, for He cares for you," by keeping the heart clean.</p>
<p> "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."</p>
<p> Jesus said, "Be watchful and beware of covetousness."</p>
<p> <i>Excerpted from his book Love Slaves, 1923. </i></p>