Thou shalt not covet

“He who covets the mere material ‘things’ of life may have ‘other gods before him,’ and may ‘bow down before them,’ in thought and in spirit, if not in physical fact.

“He who covets may become coarse and careless in other things also, such as taking ‘the name of the Lord God in vain.’

“He who covets may desecrate the Sabbath day to get gain.

“He who covets may fail to sustain his father and his mother in their need.

“Some who have coveted have killed to get gain.

“Many who have coveted a ‘neighbour’s wife’ have committed the grievous sin of adultery.

“He who covets is more likely to steal (or to swindle or embezzle or engage in sharp practices).

“He who covets may bear false witness to get gain.

“And so again: The tenth commandment is inseparably integrated with all the others, and coveting could lead to infraction of all the others—for there is a wholeness in life in which each part complements the other. And there is a wholeness and harmony in the word of God, and it all comes from the same source. And whenever we ignore any divine counsel or commandment, we can be sure that we weaken ourselves and increase our susceptibility to other sins. . . .

“The commandment against covetousness does not mean that we should not have a wholesome discontent or a wholesome desire to improve ourselves or our situation. It does not mean that we should not have an honest ambition to have more of the better things of life. It does not mean that we may not admire what our neighbor has, and seek by our own industry to earn things of like worth. The earth holds plenty for all—and the urge to acquire for ourselves such good things as other men have is a productive quality of character—provided that we acquire them by honest effort, by lawful means, and by keeping life well-balanced. The danger comes when mere ‘things’ begin to matter too much.” (Richard L. Evans, in “The Tenth Commandment,” Part 1, The Ten Commandments Today, p. 142–44.)

One part of coveteousnes I was thinking about is ingratitude. When you are ungrateful usually you covet something someone else has. Whether that be a job, an item, someone’s family, good health, etc. In these times we are ungrateful we fail to see what God truly has given us. Job in the Old Testament is an awesome example of being grateful in the midst of some crazy trials.

Thou Shalt Not Kill

A primary teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother," she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"

Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family of seven) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

From a collection of LDS jokes on Lightplanet.

I don't know about you, but killing is not something I have really ever been tempted with. I can't watch it on TV or in a movie, (I turn my head away and/or turn off the show), and I can't even fathom killing someone, even in self defense, or worse on accident. I feel this is the most serious of all crimes we can commit. And I know in the scriptures this is actually true as in Alma 39:5, Alma is talking to his son Shiblon about chastity and says "Know ye not, my son that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost." So it ranks right up there. Killing and denying the Holy Ghost are the worst sins we can commit, and then the breaking law of chastity is a close third. (I wonder how many people in the world think sexual sins are as bad as killing someone? Obviously not the media. Although I do find it interesting that in murder cases on tv often the killer/victim have been involved in some type of illicit sexual relationship with each other and/or others. This then inspires the same passion to kill. Obviously an important thing to live this law of chastity. But we're talking about killing, so back on topic.)

As I stated before in the thou shalt not commit adultery post, God is VERY concerned with how we get in and out of this world. Elective abortion falls under this killing category. (And again a law of chastity and thou shalt not kill connection.) From lds.org- "Human life is a sacred gift from God. Elective abortion for personal or social convenience is contrary to the will and the commandments of God. Church members who submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions may lose their membership in the Church."

I also wanted to say that I know SEVERAL people that cannot have children of their own, and if you do have an unwanted pregnancy, adoption is an incredible gift you can give to someone else. An amazing gift that will change your life and theirs forever. Read more about that here.

O.k. so onto how I can apply thou shalt not kill to my life and the funny joke that prompted this next train of thought for me at the beginning. I was thinking about how in New Testament Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount and says in Matthew 5: 27-28

"27. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

And I thought. That same principle can be applied to killing! And while looking up these references for adultery I remembered that the Savior beat me to my thought. In Matthew 5:21-22 he says

"21.Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22. But I say unto you, That whosever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgement..."

It's not enough to just not kill. We shouldn't even come CLOSE to where we could kill someone. This means that rather than wishing someone was not in your life, (a form of wanting to "kill" them) we need to figure out how to love this individual and maybe that's why they are in your life to help you learn how to love more fully. (Besides unhealthy/abusive relationships. But even then you can still love the person even if you aren't around them anymore.) And that comes in learning to love others like the Savior did.

No Graven Images

This one seemed so easy to me at first. Brooke have you been melting down any metal into shapes of things and bowing down and worshiping them? Nope, I can check that one off my not a problem to do commandment list. Well that is until I read D&C 1:16 where we learn that in a modern world “every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol."

President Spencer W. Kimball said:

“Modern idols or false gods can take such forms as clothes, homes, businesses, machines, automobiles, pleasure boats, and numerous other material deflectors from the path to godhood. What difference does it make that the item concerned is not shaped like an idol? Brigham Young said: ‘I would as soon see a man worshiping a little god made of brass or of wood as to see him worshiping his property’ [ Journal of Discourses, 6:196].

“Intangible things make just as ready gods. Degrees and letters and titles can become idols. Many young men decide to attend college when they should be on missions first. The degree, and the wealth and the security which come through it, appear so desirable that the mission takes second place. Some neglect Church service through their college years, feeling to give preference to the secular training and ignoring the spiritual covenants they have made.

“Many people build and furnish a home and buy the automobile first—and then find they ‘cannot afford’ to pay tithing. Whom do they worship? Certainly not the Lord of heaven and earth, for we serve whom we love and give first consideration to the object of our affection and desires. Young married couples who postpone parenthood until their degrees are attained might be shocked if their expressed preference were labeled idolatry. Their rationalization gives them degrees at the expense of children. Is it a justifiable exchange? Whom do they love and worship—themselves or God? Other couples, recognizing that life is not intended primarily for comforts, ease, and luxuries, complete their educations while they move forward with full lives, having their children and giving Church and community service.

“Many worship the hunt, the fishing trip, the vacation, the weekend picnics and outings. Others have as their idols the games of sport, baseball, football, the bullfight, or golf. These pursuits more often than not interfere with the worship of the Lord and with giving service to the building up of the kingdom of God. To the participants this emphasis may not seem serious, yet it indicates where their allegiance and loyalty are.

“Still another image men worship is that of power and prestige. Many will trample underfoot the spiritual and often the ethical values in their climb to success. These gods of power, wealth, and influence are most demanding and are quite as real as the golden calves of the children of Israel in the wilderness.” ( Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 40–42.)

What idols might be getting in your way?

The First Commandment

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3) This first commandment was to help us prioritize our life. There is nothing else more important than God, not even our own life if it comes in the way of him.

One Bible scholar put it this way: “This commandment prohibits every species of mental idolatry, and all inordinate attachment to earthly and sensible things [things which appeal to the senses]. . . God is the fountain of happiness, and no intelligent creature can be happy but through him. . . . The very first commandment of the whole series is divinely calculated to prevent man’s misery and promote his happiness, by taking him off from all false dependence, and leading him to God himself, the fountain of all good. ” (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 1:402–3.)