This is covetousness?
Biblical Thoughts
Most of us have probably heard teaching on the sin of "covetousness." But have we ever stopped to think about what covetousness really is?
There are seven different Greek words used in the New Testament that are translated to forms of "covet" in the King James Version. Jesus addressed one of them in Luke 12.
13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Did you catch that? When I think of covetousness, I think of passages like Exodus 20:17 and Acts 20:33. I think of covetousness as wanting what belongs to someone else. Covetousness is wanting what we don't already have, right?
Read those verses again. Jesus is responding to a man who just wants his share of the inheritance. He just wants what's his. Isn't that understandable? And the parable talks the rich man maximizing his crops, as well as his plans to store it. To us, that sounds like good stewardship. Why was what they did wrong?
It's that last statement of the rich man that gets him: "... take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." Apparently that was the attitude of the disciple to whom Jesus responded. Their first priority was worldly things. The Messiah was there, but all the disciple could think of was getting Him to divide a little money or property. The rich man was blessed beyond measure, but his wealth came to be his undoing; he believed that he was prepared for whatever came his way.
Covetousness can be trust in what's already ours. Covetousness can be wanting what we're rightfully due. That's why Paul equated covetousness with idolatry in Colossians 3:5. When we start living for goods instead of God, we're idolaters. Do you think we should learn to get by with a little less?
