Deuteronomy 5:21-27: a reflection

21“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” 22The LORD spoke these words to all your assembly on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice. He added no more. He wrote them on two stone tablets, and gave them to me. 23When you heard the voice out of the middle of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 24and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire. We have seen today that God does speak with man, and he lives. 25Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the LORD our God’s voice any more, then we shall die. 26For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27Go near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say, and tell us all that the LORD our God tells you; and we will hear it, and do it.”

The tenth commandment reaches deeper than the others, past outward action into the inward desires of the heart. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, God says; neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, his field, or anything that is your neighbor's. Where other commands forbid outward acts, stealing, killing, this one forbids the very desire, the coveting, the wanting of what belongs to another. It reaches into the heart, to the desires that no one else sees, and names them as subject to God's command. Coveting is a sin of the heart's desire, and God's command reaches even there, to what we want, not only to what we do.

Notice how this command reaches the heart: it forbids not an act but a desire, the coveting itself. One can keep from stealing while still coveting what is another's; the outward act may be restrained while the inward desire remains. But God's command reaches past the outward act to the inward desire, forbidding the coveting itself, the wanting of what belongs to another. God's law is not satisfied with outward conformity while the heart covets; it reaches to the desires of the heart, naming coveting as sin. The command against coveting shows that God's concern is not only with what we do but with what we desire, that his law reaches into the heart, to the wants no one else can see.

That is worth taking to heart, for God's command reaches the desires of our hearts, not only our outward actions. We can restrain our outward actions while our hearts still covet, wanting what belongs to another, and think ourselves clear because we have not acted on it; but the command against coveting reaches the desire itself, showing that God's concern is with the heart, not only the outward act. Coveting is sin even when it is never acted upon. Do not think yourself clear because you have not acted on your coveting; God's command reaches the desires of your heart. Attend to the desires of your heart, not only your outward actions, remembering that God's command against coveting reaches even to what you want, not only what you do; for God's concern is with the heart, and coveting is a sin of desire that his law names even when it is never acted upon, so that we are to guard our hearts' desires and not only our conduct.

Lord, the tenth commandment reaches deeper than the others, past outward action into the inward desires of the heart. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, you say; neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, his field, or anything that is your neighbor's. Where other commands forbid outward acts, this one forbids the very desire, the coveting, the wanting of what belongs to another. It reaches into the heart, to the desires that no one else sees. Show me how this command reaches the heart: it forbids not an act but a desire, the coveting itself. One can keep from stealing while still coveting what is another's; the outward act may be restrained while the inward desire remains. But your command reaches past the outward act to the inward desire, forbidding the coveting itself. Your law is not satisfied with outward conformity while the heart covets; it reaches to the desires of the heart. Your concern is not only with what we do but with what we desire. Take that to my heart, for your command reaches the desires of my heart, not only my outward actions. I can restrain my outward actions while my heart still covets, wanting what belongs to another, and think myself clear because I have not acted on it; but the command against coveting reaches the desire itself. Coveting is sin even when it is never acted upon. Keep me from thinking myself clear because I have not acted on my coveting; your command reaches the desires of my heart, Lord. Help me attend to the desires of my heart, not only my outward actions, remembering that your command against coveting reaches even to what I want, and help me guard my heart's desires and not only my conduct.