In this lesson, we are going to look at the unforgiving little fox. This is a natural follow-up on the last lesson on the little fox of anger. We observed how destructive the little fox of anger can be.
Not only will it destroy the one who has anger both physically and spiritually, but it can also destroy others. The only real solution to ongoing anger is forgiveness.
Many of us do not understand the importance of forgiveness, yet it is so vital and essential. First of all, for our own personal good. Second is good for the welfare of the one we may hold anger against.
I. God always commands what he knows is best for us.
A. Jesus says the following.
B. This is one of the most difficult scriptures in all the New Testament for a Christian to obey.
The reason is because of our false pride. It is a natural tendency to want to get back at the person we feel has injured our pride. It’s called revenge. On the other hand, if I am the one at fault because of false pride, I do not want to admit I am the one who has offended and is wrong. Pride is at the root of most people who cannot forgive or ask for forgiveness.
C. Seemingly, the only motive for retaining anger is the motive of vengeance.
Obviously, this is a very vain motive.
D. The Bible gives us some good advice about vengeance.
E. We must learn to leave all vengeance to God. It is his prerogative, not ours.
We need to stay out of God’s business. It is unfortunate that we humans spend so much time trying to play God in various ways.
F. An unforgiving spirit makes us unlovely and unlovable.
Bitterness, resentment, and anger don’t usually stay hidden. They boil over at times and tend to ruin our disposition. It robs us of peace of mind.
G. Even a small hurt, left unforgiven, can develop into a terrible spiritual cancer eating away until our lives are bitter and ruined.
The unwillingness to forgive poisons memories, strains relationships with others, and even blocks our communication with God. On the other hand, forgiveness indicates the touch and reign of Jesus in our hearts. It sets Christianity apart from the rest of the world’s religions.
H. God loved a sinful and destitute world so much that he let His Son bear our guilt and pay for our debt, although we are the ones who should have hung on that cross.
Surely if God could be so forgiving of so much, we can forgive things that are small in comparison to what God has had to forgive us of, Matthew 6:14 / Ephesians 4:32 / Colossians 3:13.
II. Must a person repent before we can forgive him?
A. Some will say that you cannot forgive another person until he first repents and asks you for forgiveness.
The scripture that is often quoted is Luke 17:3: “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.” The point Jesus is making is that if someone who has done you wrong comes to you repenting and asking for forgiveness, don’t refuse him that forgiveness. There are those who are never willing to forgive. We have no right to refuse forgiveness.
B. In contrast to this, when the Lord prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” Luke 23:34, they had not yet repented.
It is evident that Christ, in his human state, forgave even though they had not repented nor deserved forgiveness. God may not choose to forgive until there is repentance, but that is God’s business.
C. We are to forgive, even pray for our enemies.
Consider how our Lord treated Peter. There is no indication that Peter sought out the Lord to ask for forgiveness for denying him three times, Luke 22:54-62. Yet, Christ was forgiving and dealt very gently with his sin.
All the disciples forsook Jesus and fled at his trial, but he saw them after his resurrection and dealt kindly with them. Nothing is said about their repenting and seeking forgiveness.
You know it hurt Jesus to see these men who had been with him for over three years desert him at the time he needed them the most, Matthew 26:56 / Mark 14:50.
They were very weak, much weaker than they realised. They needed help, and Jesus was able to restore them. We see them later, much stronger men willing to suffer for the Lord. Jesus’ patience with them paid off.
D. Have you ever had anyone who has done you a wrong come to you asking for your forgiveness?
It probably would be a rare situation with most of us.
E. How many times have our children wronged us but never repented or asked for forgiveness?
Did we refuse to forgive them? How many times have we wronged others but never confessed our wrong and asked for forgiveness? Human pride is obviously overpoweringly strong. It’s hard to face our faults.
F. We want others to be forgiving toward us even if we have not asked for it.
We should be willing to do the same for them. We must forgive even if the one being forgiven does not, in our eyes, seem to deserve it.
III. Jesus has given us an example to follow.
A. Notice his prayer.
When Jesus uttered this cry, his hands and feet were fastened to the cross by large Roman nails driven by the very ones for whom he prayed. They also had placed a crown of thorns on his head, Matthew 27:29, lashed his body with a whip, John 19:1, and laughingly mocked him, Matthew 27:27-31.
Isn’t it amazing that his first words are not in complaint, nor a plea of his innocence, nor even a cry for vengeance? You know, he could have called ten thousand angels, Matthew 26:53. Instead, it was a prayer for their forgiveness, Luke 23:34.
B. The verb is imperfect, thus literally, “he kept on saying, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” Luke 23:34.
We are left with the impression that with each indignity, the Lord repented his prayer on behalf of his tormentors. Surely I can bring myself to forgive things of a lesser nature if my Lord could forgive his executioners.
C. Just stop and think for a moment.
There is really nothing you can ever do which would enable you to pay back the debt which you owe for God’s Son dying on the cross for your sins. God could, in perfect justice, strike every person dead and condemn us to an eternal hell for all our sins, for none of us, including all Christians, are without sin. It is only because he is merciful, loving and long-suffering that he forgives.
D. It seems from the many examples we have of Jesus in the gospels that he was more willing to forgive and forget than to condemn.
He was not cruel, harsh, stern, exacting, or unrelenting in his dealings with sinful man. If you and I are to follow Jesus, we too must be forgiving toward others.
This does not mean you deny the pain. Sure, it hurts. But you seek them out, don’t hate them. Try to restore your friendship. Don’t take their actions so much as an affront toward you, but see that the real problem may be with them and not with you. Actually, they may need your help.
E. What about the person who refuses to respond to your kindness and forgiving Attitude?
Sometimes there is very little you can do. The main thing to remember is that this person probably has a real problem. People like this need to be rescued from themselves.
Notice that he said, “if it be possible.” With some people, it is not possible. The answer then is to have as little contact with them in any situation which would bring about conflict.
In John’s letter, we have some very strong language about the matter of forgiveness. It may jar you a little, but listen to the apostle John.
This is what the Greeks called “agape” love. It is unconditional love. It is giving love without any strings attached. This verse does not imply we suddenly become affectionate toward someone, but it means we would do what is best for that person, and one of the best things you can do is to forgive.
Here are two more verses that deal with this subject.
Doing spiritual checkups. Looked at jealousy and envy, gossip, selfishness, anger, and forgiveness. Heart grumbles are a concern for doctors. We want to look at a spiritual heart grumble.
Do a checkup on our grumbling. A good synonym for grumbling is grumbling. To use slang, it is gripping. I know of no better example than the Israelites. One passage tells us the story.
One of their besetting sins was that of grumbling. It became their downfall.
It started with the burning bush that Moses saw in the wilderness. God calls upon Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses begins to make excuses. Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11.
We are told that “the anger of the Lord burned against Moses,” Exodus 4:14. God promises to be with Moses, Exodus 3:12. He provides a stick (rod) with which to do miraculous things, Exodus 4:17 / Exodus 4:20. Re-united Moses with Aaron.
The plagues should have increased the Israelites’ faith that God was with them and would protect them. Reaching the Red Sea and seeing the Egyptians following, they begin to panic and complain.
This was followed by the crossing of the Red Sea. Imagine what this must have been like. Put yourself in their shoes. Next complained that the water was not fit to drink, Exodus 15:23-25. Then they complained of no food, Exodus 16:3. When it came time to enter the Promised Land, Moses sent twelve spies, Numbers 13:1-15.
When they returned, ten of them gave a discouraging report, Numbers 13:31-33. The result was that the people began to grumble. As a result, God turned them back into the wilderness where they would wander for thirty-eight more years, Numbers 14:33-34 / Deuteronomy 2:14-15.
God said the following.
One of the dangers of grumbling is that it often ends up being against God. Moses told the people on one occasion, “Your grumblings are not against us, but against the Lord,” Exodus 16:8.
As already observed, even Moses complained when the Lord asked him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Like Moses, we too can often complain when called upon to serve in some capacity. Listen to what Paul says.
We ought to be thankful that we can do something. Talked to people who were ill or in the hospital and have heard them say how they wished they could be well and able enough to do something in the church. It seems when we are prevented from working, we want to and then when we can and have opportunities slow to respond.
This was true in the early church.
With the Israelites, the grumbling was usually against their leaders. The same is true with us. Our grumbling so many times is against those who take on leadership roles. Don’t like our Bible teacher.
Surely they could have gotten someone better. We don’t like the song leader. We don’t like an elder or a preacher. We can find something wrong with almost anyone because everyone is human. We all have faults. Often, people do not live up to their personal expectations.
Our expectations are often higher than we ourselves are willing to live up to. We often go home after a worship service and grumble about certain ones or the worship in general.
Our children hear our open complaints, and then we expect them to grow up respecting the church and appreciating the opportunity to worship. Without realising it, we do a great amount of harm to our children by this open criticism and grumbling.
Note the following admonitions to Christians who grumble.
We often bewail our own situations and conditions in life. And it is a fact that we often exaggerate. Certainly, life is not perfect, and there are often many hardships. Like Job, there may be times when we may feel we are justified in grumbling about our condition.
Many times our grumbling may be over small matters. We just like to complain about whether it is the weather, our pains, our income, our cars, houses, clothes, and any number of other things. God allows suffering and lets us go through difficulties.
We may not in this life fully understand all of the whys of our sufferings and difficulties. After all of Job’s complaining and questions about his sufferings. God never did give him a direct answer.
Grumbling and complaining are contrary to the spirit of Christianity. It limits fellowship. Members begin to avoid one another. It can destroy good works. All it takes to destroy a good work is for one person to start complaining. It creates an undertow of criticism. It can crush the spirit of worship. Where there is constant grumbling, a congregation cannot grow and develop.
There are times when there are justifiable complaints. They should be directed to the proper persons.
Luke 17:12-19 is an interesting story. Ten miserable men, outcasts from society, covered with the dread disease of leprosy, are standing afar off from the rest of the people at the entrance to a certain village.
Seeing Jesus, they cry out, “Master, have mercy on us,” Luke 17:13. Jesus tells them to go and show themselves to the priests, Luke 17:14. On the way, their leprosy completely disappears, Luke 17:14.
But only one of them, a Samaritan, turned back to thank Jesus for his cleansing, Luke 17:15-15. Jesus said, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” Luke 17:17. To return was the least they could have done.
Leprosy was a terrible disease. It was a slow, agonising way to die, with the flesh literally dropping from the bones. Leprosy of that day seems to have been far worse than what we know about leprosy today.
The law required lepers to be isolated from the masses of people. Leviticus 13:46. They had to remain outside the camp during the years of wandering in the wilderness.
When approaching a city had to cry out, “Unclean! I am unclean!” Leviticus 13:45. No one could come any closer than about fifty yards. Often travelled in groups begging. The thing that stands out in this story is that only one of them returned.
They cried out for mercy, Luke 17:13. They were in destitute circumstances with certain death knocking at the door. Now their voices have become silent, and they have expressed no gratitude.
Ingratitude is a despicable sin. In this case, the nine completely ignored the source of their healing and the new life they now had. This seems almost unthinkable. We are quick to forget when illness leaves us.
How could these men not come back and show their gratitude? There seems to be a note of sadness in the voice of Jesus as he thinks about how unappreciative these men are. Where were the nine? Luke 17:17. What happened? Someone has suggested the following possibility.
1. One wanted to see if the cure was real.
2. Another wanted to wait and see if the cure would last.
3. Still another decided he would see Jesus later when he had more time.
4. One of them may have decided that he had never had a bad case anyway.
5. Still another said he would have gotten well anyway.
6. One may have given glory to the priests.
7. Ungratefully, one said, “Oh well, Jesus didn’t really do it.”
8. Still another ungrateful soul said, “Any Rabbi could have done this.”
9. Still another said, “I was already much improved.”
Of course, we really don’t know what they were thinking or saying. The tragedy of this story is the great insult they returned to Jesus for such a wonderful life-saving gift. What else but an insult?
The truth is, Israel did forget. They forgot all that God had done for their fathers and for them. God gave them a land of plenty, a land flowing with milk and honey.
He even promised them protection and peace from the nations around them. Yet with all their blessings, they forgot all about God’s goodness. Times have not changed. We still forget today, even though our blessings are far greater than what they had. We, too, can be very ungrateful.
Our very existence depends on God. Every breath we take, every beat of our heart, everything about us is dependent upon the Lord.
We noticed in our last lesson the spiritual sin of grumbling. We go through life complaining and criticising, but rarely complimenting and being thankful. This distracts us from our blessings. We have far more to be thankful for than things to complain about.
We need to be careful that we do not allow our blessings to become a liability and lead us away from God. It is easy to get into the frame of mind that I am personally responsible for my blessings.
We may think that because we work hard, we are responsible for the blessings we have. We do not stop to think that God furnishes us with opportunities, health, strength, and resources so we can have what we have.
First, we need to be thankful toward our parents. There were times when we would have died if we had been neglected for a single day. For years, we were totally dependent upon them for everything.
Think of the tragic cases we read about today where children have been abandoned by their parents. Be thankful you were not born into a family that would have abandoned you. Think of the millions of abortions that take place in our country alone.
Be thankful you had a mother who would never have aborted you. Think of the many hours that were spent raising you. Think of the work and sacrifices that were made on your behalf.
Many forget the debt they owe their parents. They considered the needs of their parents as an unbearable nuisance. Be thankful for your family, husband, wife, brothers, and sisters, even aunts and uncles. Be thankful for people who have helped you.
At some point, most of us have been helped immeasurably by a friend. He may have encouraged, inspired, motivated us, or had confidence in us. At the time, we did not think we would forget, but now that better days are here, we have forgotten.
Be thankful for a God who loved us and gave up his Son for us to die on the cross. There have been times of desperate need when we fervently prayed, and God answered our prayers. Now that time has passed, and we have forgotten that some of those prayers were answered.
In becoming a Christian, think about the people who influenced you to become a child of God, a wife, husband, friend, or someone who just happened to be at the right place at the right time. In your development as a Christian, who encouraged your growth?
If you were ever unfaithful, who helped to win you back to the Lord? No doubt many Christians have played a big part in our lives. Let’s be thankful for fellow Christians who cared about us. Take time to say “thank you” to those who have helped you.
There are many little foxes that can destroy the vineyard. We have given consideration to about eight of these little foxes so far. In this lesson, we want to look at still another little fox, the little fox of favouritism. This little fox is a major cause of many of the major problems we have in the world today. He needs to be dealt with because he is so dangerous.
The words “partiality” and “favouritism” are obviously sins, and Timothy is warned not to allow himself to become involved. Favouritism means to prejudge. It is a predisposition or bias that interferes with correct and fair judgment.
It is to judge before all the evidence is before one. Favouritism is “an opinion or judgment formed without due examination; a leaning toward one side of the question from other considerations than those belonging to it.”
To act with favouritism is to act without good judgment, to act in ignorance, to err in judgment, to sin. Favouritism is one of the most common but ignored sins among us.
It even feels natural. It always seems easy to justify it. In fact, it is very difficult to be without some favouritism. Favouritism blinds us to the true facts that are evident.
Favouritism is so common that often we make no bones about our being favouritist. Often someone will say something like, “Don’t confuse me with facts, my mind is made up!” Or they may even say, “I know I am showing favouritism about this, but I can’t help it.” Again, we will sometimes say, “I’m very partial about this.”
This is just another way of saying I have closed my mind and refuse to think any other way. When our mind is made up, then regardless of logic, facts, or truth, we will not change.
Sometimes, before a jury trial can get underway, more than a hundred prospective jurors must be interviewed before twelve people can be selected who have not already shown favouritism in the case.
The tragedy is that when one is favouritism, he has already formulated an opinion, and has closed his mind to any further reasoning and new evidence, and the consequences of this are that it can be very damaging to himself and to many innocent people.
The way Jesus was perceived and treated is one of the greatest examples of favouritism we have. A study of this perception can show us the many facets of favouritism. Jesus probably had more favouritism shown against him than any person who has ever lived.
I. There was favouritism against his background.
A. They were biased against him because of where he came from, his home.
Favouritism nearly kept Nathaniel from becoming a disciple of Christ. He said when told about Jesus, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46.
No doubt he was thinking Jesus was just a country hick of no significance. How many times do we make light of others because of where they come from? Some of the greatest people the world has known have come from humble backgrounds.
B. The Jews of Judea looked down on those who lived to the north in Galilee.
They were considered uneducated and uncultured. They said they could not even speak the language correctly. The disciples were recognised as Galileans because of their speech, Acts 2:7 / Matthew 26:73 / Mark 14:70.
II. The jews were showing favouritism against Jesus because he was poor.
A. Jesus had no social credentials to show he was from a high-ranking family. He was not rich, and he did not act or look like someone of royal rank. His clothing certainly did not portray a person of influence or importance.
Jesus himself said that “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head,” Matthew 8:20 / Luke 9:58. He was a poor man and religious sects like the Pharisees and Sadducees looked down on the poor, Matthew 23:4-14 / Luke 18:9-14.
B. How do we look upon the poor? Are they too dirty, too smelly, too awful-looking for us to associate with?
C. It is interesting that those who were poor were the most receptive to Jesus and his teaching.
A nicely dressed, clean, middle-class person is welcome in our services today, but what about the one who is poorly dressed with unattractive features? How welcome do we make this person feel?
D. They must have had a problem with this in the early church.
Notice what James writes to some Jewish Christians.
E. Again, I ask, how do we treat those who are not middle class?
We say, well, we don’t require them to sit in some designated area. True, but do we greet them? Do we make them feel comfortable? How many have we driven away because they did not feel comfortable sitting among us?
F. God has warned us that man “look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart,” 1 Samuel 16:7.
Yet we ignore and violate this truth time and time again. Most of the time, it never occurs to us that we have sinned by such actions.
G. Somehow, we can’t seem to get it in our heads that that person of a different colour of skin or poor quality clothing or strange customs has a soul inside him and that God is not looking on the outside as we do but is looking on the inside at the soul of that person which is in his image.
III. There was favouritism against Jesus because he was a Jew.
A. The Roman soldiers were showing favouritism against him.
This is so obvious when they took him and put a robe on him, Matthew 27:28, a crown of thorns, Matthew 27:29, and a reed in his hand and then began mocking him as the king of the Jews, Matthew 27:29. There was no love between Jews and Romans. The Romans hated the Jews, and the Jews hated the Romans.
B. Favouritism plagued Paul when men tried to favour others against him. They said the following on one occasion.
Note the contrast, Jews and Romans.
C. People of that day had all kinds of racial problems.
The Jews had all kinds of racial names and slurs, such as barbarians, dogs, and unclean. The Jews and the Samaritans had a tremendous racial problem, John 4:9.
A Jew would circumvent the little country of Samaria in order to evade coming into contact with this half-breed race of people. Jesus did not do this, John 4:1-42 / Luke 9:51-56.
Sometimes he walked right through the land have contact with the people. Jesus tells the story of the man who fell among thieves and was rescued by a Samaritan to illustrate the seriousness of the sin of favouritism, Luke 10:25-37. Everything in this story deals with favouritism.
C. Times have not changed, have they?
In India, we called them “wogs”, and in China, they were called “sloppies” or “chinks.” In America, the land of the free, where, according to our constitution, all men are created equal, we have our racial slurs and names. We degrade, slander, and put down other races.
D. In Red Bank, six out of ten who move in are not white.
What will be our reaction when the majority of our neighbours are of another race? Many churches where this has happened have fled to the suburbs in order to escape another race of people moving into their community.
IV. There was favouritism against what Jesus taught.
A. According to Romans 11:7.
It was because of the blindness of heart that the Jews received not the salvation of their souls. Had they been open-minded as were the Bereans, Acts 17:11, they, by their investigation, could have seen that the scriptures testified of Christ.
B. Jesus said concerning them the following.
C. These people had prejudged before that Jesus was not the Son of God, and all the reasoning and miracles Jesus did could not convince them as to who he was.
D. Favouritism is one of the worst enemies of the truth.
If one could list all the enemies of truth, surely one would not leave out favouritism. Favouritism would stand out prominently amidst all of the enemies of truth.
E. If one has a background of religious error, it is difficult to read scripture which may plainly teach against certain false religious practices and still not see the truth.
Open-mindedness is a trait greatly to be coveted. Open-mindedness welcomes investigation. It is not fair to ourselves to accept or reject a proposition before we have investigated thoroughly all of the facts, principles and truths that may be at our disposal.
F. Favouritism abhors an opposing view. Open-mindedness welcomes investigation.
Neither of these traits is inherited; they are formed. At one time, people believed the world was flat. They said the Bible could only be in Latin. When translated into English, some were put to death.
V. They were showing favouritism against the good works of Jesus.
A. Their response to the many good works of Jesus was as follows.
B. This is almost beyond comprehension, yet it is a vivid demonstration of what favouritism will do to the minds of men.
C. Even today, brethren are showing favouritism against good works.
Many are prevented from doing good because of favouritism. When one is biased against any good work, one will not give the support and encouragement to that work that should be given. Often, he will even oppose the work. Favouritism makes one an enemy of good work.
D. Sometimes brethren are favoured against a good work because they did not have anything to do with starting the work.
Sometimes they become offended because they were not asked to take a part in it at first, or their advice was not sought, and they became frustrated with the work, even opposing it to the disturbance of the peace of the congregation.
Favouritism is so common that many have failed to appreciate its sinfulness. They even offer their favouritism as an excuse for their course. But the fact that one is conscious of their favouritism ought to alarm one to the degree that desperate efforts will be put forth to remove the favouritism. Favouritism will blind us to the truth, direct us in the ways of error, bring about injustice to others, and can keep us out of heaven.
The historian, James Harvey Robinson, has written the following.
“Of all human ambitions, an open mind, eagerly expectant of new discoveries and ready to remould convictions in the light of added knowledge and dispelled ignorance and misapprehensions, is the noblest, rarest, and the most difficult to achieve.”
We want to look at the little fox of covetousness. In both the Old and New Testaments, covetousness is condemned.
This sin has been prevalent among people from the beginning of time. Yet it seems few of us are not willing to recognise it or ignore it. No doubt many of us feel we are immune to it.
It is always somebody else; it could not be me. By nature, it is deceptive. It is somewhat like a cancer growing in someone. You can be almost dead without knowing that you have it.
Covetousness is obscured by a curtain of misconception so that it is rarely recognised for what it is. If you were to ask the average person what covetousness is, they probably would answer. “To covet is to want something that belongs to someone else.”
However, this is a very inadequate definition. This definition implies stealing, and we say I would never steal anything. Thus, we need to understand it because it is so sly and cunning evil that slips upon us and, before we know it, has a grip on us. This is why the Lord warns us.
Have you ever heard of anyone who has confessed to being covetous? It is reported that the famous Catholic priest Francis DeSales, known for the large number of people who confessed their sins to him, said that in all his experience, he did not recall a single person who had ever confessed the sin of covetousness. They had confessed the vilest of sins but never covetousness.
Have you ever known of anyone being withdrawn from and disfellowshipped in the Lord’s church for covetousness? Yet we are commanded to do this. Corinthians is clear-cut about this.
The interesting thing about this sin is that it is looked upon as a respectable sin. This is all the more reason why we need to look at this little fox and find out what it is all about. The fact that this sin is mentioned so many times in God’s work is an indication that we need to examine it and understand what it can do to us.
I. First, let us define covetousness.
A. Our English word covetousness comes from a Greek word which means greediness, the wish to have more.
It is an insatiable love or craving for any number of things. It is one who is never satisfied with what he presently has, regardless of how much that may be, he still wants more. Covetousness is selfishness personified.
B. It is interesting that Paul says that covetousness is idolatry in Colossians 3:5.
Anything or person that is exalted above God and is made the chief object of our devotion and affections becomes the god we worship. We have substituted something or someone else for God when God must take first place in our hearts and minds.
C. Covetousness does not always involve money or material things.
It can be defined as any type of false desire. It can be an unlawful desire for gain, control, power, position, recognition, etc. It is perfectly right to desire any number of things.
I might desire food, maybe some particular kind of food, but this would not be covetousness. This is just a normal desire God has placed in all of us. In covetousness, our desires go beyond what is normal to become excessive desires.
D. Covetousness is the excessive laying up of money and things.
Those who hoard money love it for its own sake. It is the love of money that the Bible condemns, and in so doing, it also condemns the love of the things that money can buy.
E. The man who covets money, things, pleasure, ambition, and power is all wrapped up in himself.
He makes these things little gods, which he has placed before the one and only true God. Thus, he has replaced God Almighty with a little false god that will end up being a great disappointment to him.
F. A fly landed on a nice strip of gooey, sweet-smelling flypaper.
Not seeing a challenger in sight, he happily announced, “My flypaper!” Sinking his nose in the syrupy stuff, he dines sumptuously. Then, deciding to leave, he began hopelessly beating his wings against the air, and the paper announced, “My fly!” This is often the way it is with covetousness. Man says, “My possessions!” and the possessions announce, “My man!”
II. Some biblical examples of covetousness.
A. This sin first appears in the Garden of Eden.
God had provided the first couple with everything they needed, even more than was necessary. It was a literal paradise. The most beautiful and wonderful place on earth. Only one fruit was not to be partaken of.
Eve looked upon the forbidden fruit and said, “I want that.” She thought it would make her wiser, Genesis 3:6. She was not satisfied with what God had so bountifully given her. She wanted more. This was exactly what she needed. More than she had or needed.
B. King Saul looked upon the spoil of the Amalekites and said, “I want that.” God’s clear order was against taking any of the spoils, 1 Samuel 15.
Saul was ordered to “kill and destroy” the Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15:3. But Saul saw the great plunder, and he could not resist wanting it, 1 Samuel 15:9, for it would give him much more than what he already had. Saul was already rich and had everything he needed. He paid a supreme penalty for his greediness, 1 Samuel 15:19-23.
C. Judas became disillusioned about the coming of a material kingdom.
The Jews had turned against Jesus, and it seemed no early kingdom would be established. So he looked for a way to compensate for his poor lifestyle. He would now betray his leader for thirty pieces of silver, Matthew 26:14-16.
After he got it he found out he really did not want it and it would not bring him the satisfaction he thought it would. It was stained with the blood of the Son of God. He took it back, but it was too late, Matthew 27:3-10.
D. Demas was a faithful Christian, a very valuable companion and associate with the apostle Paul.
But he looked at the world and what he felt he was missing out on. He beheld its pleasures, and no doubt thought “I want that,” 2 Timothy 4:10. What he gave us was worth far more than what he thought he was gaining. Many today follow the world to their own destruction.
III. How do we become covetous?
A. Given the numerous times covetousness is mentioned in the Bible and how common it must have been, it must still be just as common.
Jeremiah speaks of Israel and is in great measure applicable to the people of our day, including those of us in the church.
I never thought of Israel having the material prosperity we have today. I cannot help but believe that if anything, this sin is more prevalent today than it was then. Given the generalised understanding that covetousness is “to want” something that belongs to someone else is certainly misleading.
This in no way fully explains what it is. Maybe this is why we don’t recognise it in ourselves. Certainly, one of the things involved is wanting what belongs to others.
Ahab is a good example of this. He saw the vineyard of Naboth. He wanted it and wanted it very much, 1 Kings 21:15-16. So much so that he would do anything to get it. He wanted it so much that he sulked and pouted like a little child when Naboth refused to give it to him. It finally led to the murder of Naboth, 1 Kings 21:13-14.
We see no remorse on the part of Ahab. He gladly took it regardless of what it took to get it. This is an extreme case; however, we can be guilty of covetousness in the same way.
I have a good car. It is dependable, and it looks ok, but it is a few models old, and my friends have new cars. Will pride prevail? Will covetousness win? Or will good common sense prevail? Must I always have the newest and best?
I have good clothing. Are they still adequate? Is it the latest fashion? But is it all right? I think I might look better in something new or something I just saw in a store. I saw something on sale, and you just can’t turn a good sale down.
We see a piece of furniture. It would really look good in my house. I have plenty of furniture, but this would add to the overabundance I already have. What shall I do? It is rather expensive, but it sure looks good. Do I really need it, or do I covet it?
My point is that we often spend needlessly where we could have diverted the money to the church and the spreading of the gospel, or given it to someone who is really in need.
We may end up heavily in debt because of our covetousness, which demands more money out of our pay checks which results in less giving out of our prosperity for the work of the church.
B. One can covet another man’s wife. David did this.
He saw Bathsheba, 2 Samuel 11:2-4. Evidently, she must have been a very beautiful woman. He must have thought, “I want this woman.” He wanted her so much that he committed adultery, 2 Samuel 11:4, and then, when she was found with child, 2 Samuel 11:5, he planned for her husband to be killed. 2 Samuel 11:14-15. This was covetousness in its worst form.
C. Parents can covet their children to the point of not wanting them to be too much involved in the Lord’s work.
Remember, George Benson tells of speaking to parents about sending their children to Harding. Sometimes their response was, “I’m afraid to send her there; she might marry a preacher.” Some parents try to discourage their children from doing mission work.
They don’t want them to go a long distance from home. They want them near and close. A man should love his family, but any man who puts loyalty to his family ahead of fidelity to God has made an idol of his family.
D. Members can covet the authority God has given to elders.
While one might be too pious to grab authority outwardly, as a covetous person, he might undermine the work of an eldership in an effort to gain his ends. This could be done in subtle ways, such as malicious gossip and slander.
They may bring certain threats to one or more elders trying to get their way. Sometimes they are constantly giving advice to an elder, hoping he will move the other elders in line with his personal wishes.
E. Hoarding up money is covetousness.
This is excessive laying up of money or material things. The person loves it for its own sake.
After making this statement, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool who was caught up in hoarding, Luke 12:16-21.
F. A man ought to be devoted to his vocation or profession.
But any man who sacrifices his convictions in order to advance himself in his profession or vocation or in order to keep his job, has made an idol of his work.
G. Covetousness causes world wars, gambling, defrauding, stealing, lying, murder, selfishness, and on and on the list could go.
1. Learn to be content.
2. Adopt the attitude of Paul.
3. Trust in God that he will provide all those things we need.
Far more important is the fact that he supplies us with rich, abundant spiritual blessings.
4. Remember that covetousness never satisfies.