Reaching for Other Men's Goods

When Moses came down from the mountain with his code for the conduct of men, prominent among the ten basic laws was one which read⎯and still does⎯”Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbor’s.” As we look out upon our times we are forced to conclude that one of the contributing causes of difficulty is in ignoring the commandment not to covet. There aren’t many things that any of us have that someone would not or does not covet. There are those who covet other men’s goods and properties and possessions, of course. But there are those who go even beyond this and covet his way of life, his beliefs, his loyalties, his freedom, his very physical and spiritual heritage, and even his country. If they are strong they take what they want. If they are weak they let desire canker within them. It is one thing to appreciate the desirability of what someone else has, but it is quite a different thing to covet. The one may lead to the work and sacrifice necessary to create the means to acquire like things for ourselves, which is spur to productivity and takes nothing from any one, and enriches the world. But he who reaches, by reason of covetousness, for what is not his, blights all he touches⎯including his own peace and his own soul. The ancient prophet spoke strongly on the subject, when he said, describing a covetous man, “He is a proud man,…and cannot be satisfied…Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his!…Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee.” Such is one scriptural appraisal of a covetous man, and that is why, in this old-fashioned comment on the world and its troubles, we sense a deep need for the leadership of those who, as Jethro describes them, are “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.”