Matters of the heart

Is greed good? Are you a conspicuous consumer or would you like to be one? God’s words thus far have dealt with how you relate to Him and to the people around you. The prohibitions have been against actions: idolatry, Sabbath breaking, lying, stealing, adultery, killing and so on. The tenth set of God’s words shifts the focus slightly from actions to intent. This commandment deals with your heart and its desires. “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour’s,” (Exodus 20: 17). Covetousness is the desire to have and to possess what someone else has. It is dissatisfaction with what you have, and envy of people and those things that you consider to be better. It…