Jon Collins

We've been studying the 10 commandments, which are not mere commands.

They're words of life.

They're 10 ways of thinking about how to be human.

And today we look at the very last one.

It's usually translated, don't covet.

But the word for covet is the Hebrew word for desire.

Desire is such an intimate, personal thing, and we often think we can't control it.

Yet, the Ten Commandments ends reflecting on it.

And it's quite fitting, actually, that we end focusing on this deep, energizing force of desire.

So how do we train our desire?

We'll explore this question as we look at the Garden of Eden story in Genesis.

In the garden, God tells the humans that they may eat of any of the good trees and that all of the trees look desirable.

But there is one tree, the tree of knowing good and bad, that they're not to eat from.

Yet, desire isn't a bad thing.

God gave us desires.

He wants them to be fulfilled.

Today, Tim Mackey and I look at the last of the Ten Commandments.

Do not desire your neighbor's stuff.

It's a command that's an undercurrent beneath all of the commands.

Thanks for joining us.