Take Heed, And Beware Of Covetousness: For A Man's Life Consisteth Not In The Things Which He Possesseth (Luke 12:15)
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A: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5) "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints." (Ephesians 5:3) Covetousness is idolatry, and is so serious that we are not to have it even once named among us. It is unclean, and something that will keep us out of God's kingdom. (See Ephesians 5:5,6, 1 Corinthians 6:10)
Q: Are greed and covetousness somewhat rare, or are they actually very common?
A: "For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely." (Jeremiah 6:13) Because of the deceitfulness of riches (Mark 4:19), and the deceitfulness of the heart (Jeremiah 17:9), many are given to covetousness without even being aware of it.
Q: How does God view covetousness?
A: "For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth." (Psalm 10:3) It's unrighteous, and it is something God abhors.
Q: What are some effects of greed upon a person?
A: "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." (2 Peter 2:3) "Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter." (Isaiah 56:11) "Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." (Ephesians 4:19) Since "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10), we can see how greed causes people to err and "work all uncleanness." It blinds and distorts judgment, at times reducing people to do event he basest of deeds unto their neighbor.
Q: Is greed a dominating force?
A: "He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not." (Proverbs 21:26) "There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail." (Ecclesiates 4:8) It absolutely is a dominating force, having become a master of may people's lives. Few ever prevail against it. A man that had a large amount of possessions once acknowledged to a brother that he had lost control of it, adding, "It now tells me what to do."
Q: Does covetousness affect how people respond to the Word of God?
A: "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him." (Luke 16:13,14) Covetousness hinders many from being able to listen to and obey the teachings of Jesus.
Q: Should a disciple of Jesus not desire the material goods of the world?
A: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15) "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5) Greed and covetousness are the opposite of contentment. We should have our affection "on things above, not one things on earth." (Colossians 3:2)
Q: Is desiring to be rich necessarily being greedy?
A: "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." (1 Timothy 6:8-11) The "American dream" as it is often called, is the very epitome of covetousness -- desiring houses and cars, and various other material possessions that are not necessary. The instruction here is to flee covetousness and the will to be rich, consequently eliminating the sorrows that follow it.
Q: Is there an association between greed and the sin of adultery?
A: "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." (Romans 7:7) "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." (Exodus 20:17) As mentioned earlier, greed is the opposite of contentment (see Hebrews 13:5). Many men and women, not being content with one spouse, begin to lust after new flesh; and some have been completely overcome by their desire to get more and more.
Q: What should be our attitude toward covetousness?
A: "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." (Exodus 18:21) "The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days." (Proverbs 28:16) We are to hate covetousness. In fact, the Scriptures exhort us to have no fellowship with those who are given to this sin (1 Corinthians 5:11).
Q: What example do we have from Jesus?
A: "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35) His example was one of giving, serving, and preferring others, which is in direct opposition to the greed of carnal people. It seems many cannot understand how receiving could be a lesser thing than giving. (See Isaiah 55:8,9)
Q: Did Jesus tell His disciples to sell what they had?
A: Yes He did. "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth." (Luke 12:33) The brothers were subject to this commandment: "And all that believed were together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." (Acts 2:44,45) "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.... Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet." (Acts 4:32,34-37) Because of greed, many refuse to be obedient to this, twisting the Scriptures to their own destruction.
Many who profess to know Jesus have been taken by "the deceitfulness of riches" (Mark 4:19). They gather and seek after property, cars, boats, and other material things while declaring that they are not coveting after them. Jesus told us not to lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). To covet something simply means to desire it, as can be seen in Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21, and 1Corinthians 12:31, 14:1,39. And since the Scriptures teach to be content with food and raiment, obviously those things are not necessary. IF therefore they neither need nor desire those possessions, then wh are they holding on to and seeking after them? Nevertheless what saith the Scripture? ... "How hard it will be for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of heaven!" (Mark 10:23) The Scripture also speaks true when it warns that those that seek and covet such things reap destruction, perdition, and many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:9,10). We see abundantly the fruit of it in this nation: family problems, health problems, spiritual problems, mental problems, etc. May He help us to flee form these things.
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