The 10th Commandment and the Green-Eyed Monster

 There's one book that gives my son nightmares.  He had a string of nightmares from this book and refuses to let us read it again.  Perhaps this book should give us agitation, too.

It's The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster.

In the book Brother Bear gets a brand new bike with hand breaks and multiple speeds for his birthday.  Sister Bear sees it and gets extremely jealous.  Her parents tell her beware of the green-eyed monster of jealousy.  That night she dreams an actual green-eyed monster convince her to steal Brother's new bike and she wrecks it.  The next day she realizes that the bike is too big for her and that brother's old bike is perfect for her to move on to now that she's too big for her trike. 

This children's story fairly adequately explains the 10th Commandment.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house.  You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." 
-Exodus 20:17

Not coveting makes the 10 Commandments.  Coveting is the yearning to have the possession of another.  Coveting is a heart issue and it made God's Top 10 list.  But why?  I believe it does because coveting disrupts our relationship with our community and with our God.

Coveting Disrupts Relationships in the Community:

When we covet the things of others we bring an awkwardness into that relationship.  We turn our heart away from happiness for them and toward wishing disaster upon them.  When we covet we cannot truly be pleased that they have something we deem of value.  We can't rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15) if we wish we had it instead of them.  

Can you truly be fully happy for a friend who has the truck you can't afford?  Can you really rejoice at the pregnancy of your former roommate when you're stuck in infertility?  Can you celebrate the wedding of your brother when your last several relationships crumbled?  Can you be happy for the good of others?  If not, you have a coveting issue.  

Do you even rejoice when others mourn the loss of their possessions because it relieves you of your jealousy?

In the Berenstain Bears book, Sister Bear should have been able to experience joy that her brother received a gift that gave him joy, but a covetous heart robbed her of that ability.  She also robbed her parents of the joy of giving a good gift because they had to deal with her sin.  Coveting spoils our relationships with others.

Coveting Disrupts Relationships with God:

The root problem with coveting is that it accuses God of mismanagement.  When we covet we tell God that His gift was delivered to the wrong address.  When we covet we tell God, in our heart or out loud, He doesn't know how to do His job.  Our coveting screams at our Heavenly Father that He doesn't really love us that much.

Think about The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster.  If Sister had received the bike that Brother did she wouldn't have been able to use it.  She was too small.  She didn't even know how to ride a bike with training wheels yet, let alone a bigger bike.  Mama and Papa bear got their children exactly what they needed and wanted at exactly the right time.

God is the perfect Father.  He knows just who needs what and when.  God knows His children better than they know themselves.  God never neglects His adopted kids and never gives them less than the absolute best things for them at no less than the exact perfect moment.

Trust your Heavenly Father.  Rejoice with those who rejoice.  Don't buy the lies of the Green Eyed Monster today.