Episode 53: The Ninth and Tenth Commandments

Episode 53: The Ninth and Tenth Commandments

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Ninth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.

The Tenth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or his maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.

  • What does it mean to covet? “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander…” Matthew 15:19
    • To covet is to sinfully desire from the heart what God has not given to you.
    • “Therefore, God has added these two commandments in order that it be considered sinful and forbidden to desire or in any way to aim at getting our neighbor’s wife or possessions.” LC 1:294.
    • “So these commandments are especially directed against envy and miserable greed.” LC 1:310.
    • “But here it is also forbidden for you to alienate anything from your neighbor, even though you could do so with honor in the eyes of the world, so that no one could accuse or blame you as though you had gotten it wrongfully.” LC 1:296
    • “This last commandment, therefore, is given not for cheaters in the eyes of the world. It is for the most pious, who want to be praised and to be called honest and upright people. For they have not offended against the former commandments, as especially the Jewish people claimed to live, and are even now many great noblemen, gentlemen, and princes.” LC 1:300
  • What do these commandments forbid?
    • “Woe to those who devise wickedness. … They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.” Micah 2:1-2
    • “Jesus said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
    • “We should not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right.”

    • “We should not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him.”

  • Rather, what does God want you to do according to these commandments?
    • “If we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” 1 Timothy 6:8
    • “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4
    • “Help and be of service to him in keeping his inheritance or house.”
    • “Urge his wife, workers, or animals to stay and do their duty.”
  • What do these commandments say about lawsuits?
    • “Now, this happens most often in cases that are brought into court, where it is the purpose to get something from our neighbor and to force him from his property. For example, when people quarrel and wrangle about a large inheritance, real estate, or such, they help themselves and resort to whatever appears right. They dress and adorn everything so that the law must favor their side. They keep the property with such title that no one can complain or lay claim to it. In the same way, if anyone wants to have a castle, city, duchy, or any other great thing, he makes many financial deals through relationships, by any means he can, so that the owner is legally deprived of the property [1 Kings 21]. It is awarded to the other person and confirmed with deed and seal and declared to have been acquired by princely title and honesty.” LC 1:301-302
  • 1 Corinthians 6:1-8:
    • When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

  • What do these commandments say about gambling?
    • “God does not want you to deprive your neighbor of anything that belongs to him, so that he suffers the loss and you gratify your greed with it.” LC 1:307
    • “If it is not called stealing and cheating, it is still called coveting your neighbor’s property, that is, aiming at possession of it, luring it away from him without his consent, and being unwilling to see him enjoy what God has granted him.” LC 1:307
  • What do these commandments say about divorce and remarriage?
    • “If one took a fancy to another’s wife, he might declare any reason both to dismiss his own wife and to estrange his neighbor’s wife from him, so that he might get her in a way that appeared right.” LC 1:195
    • “They know such tricks, that if one were pleased with another woman, he personally or through others (as there were many ways and means to be invented) caused her husband to become displeased with her. Or he had her resist her husband and act in such a way that he was obliged to dismiss her and let her go to the other man.” LC 1:305 Luther goes on to say that this was common under the Law, such as with King Herod (Mark 6:17-20), but that in the New Testament, divorce is forbidden (Mark 10:9).
  • What is idolatry? Why does St. Paul call covetousness idolatry?
    • “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  Colossians 3:5
    • Idolatry is to worship another god. Whatever you fear, love, and trust in most is your god.
  • Read 1 Kings 21:1-16. Where did the evil that resulted in Naboth’s death begin?
    In the king’s heart.



  • Is the desire to sin a sin?
    • “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5
    • Yes. The desire to sin is sin. This means that we must repent of our very sinful nature.


  • These two commandments should teach you that you are by nature sinful and unclean (Psalm 51:5) and that your sinful flesh continues to fight against the Holy Spirit.
    • Read Galatians 5:16-25.
      • 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
      • 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
      • Who gives us the ability to do what is right?
      • The Holy Spirit.
  • Read Psalm 37.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
    though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in abundant peace.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous
    and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
    and their bows shall be broken.

16 Better is the little that the righteous has
    than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
    and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
    in the days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked will perish;
    the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
    but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord upholds his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
    and his children become a blessing.

27 Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
    he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
    and dwell upon it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
    and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
    his steps do not slip.

32 The wicked watches for the righteous
    and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
    or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
    spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
    though I sought him, he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
    for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
    the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

Biblical Examples of Coveting

  • 1 Kings 21
  • 2 Samuel 11
  • Mark 6:17-20
  • Acts 5:1-11
  • Luke 12:15-21
  • Colossians 3:5
  • Romans 7:7-8

Luther’s Hymn

“You shall not crave your neighbor’s house

Nor covet money, goods, or spouse.

Pray God He would your neighbor bless

As you yourself wish success.”

Have mercy, Lord! (These Are the Holy Ten Commands, LSB 581:10)

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