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Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : Covetousness and idolatry

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TMK
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Joined: 2012/2/8
Posts: 6650
NC, USA

 Covetousness and idolatry

Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

From Matthew Henry: "II. The love of the world: And covetousness, which is idolatry; that is, an inordinate love of present good and outward enjoyments, which proceeds from too high a value in the mind, puts upon too eager a pursuit, hinders the proper use and enjoyment of them, and creates anxious fear and immoderate sorrow for the loss of them. Observe, Covetousness is spiritual idolatry: it is the giving of that love and regard to worldly wealth which are due to God only, and carries a greater degree of malignity in it, and is more highly provoking to God, than is commonly thought. And it is very observable that among all the instances of sin which good men are recorded in the scripture to have fallen into (and there is scarcely any but some or other, in one or other part of their life, have fallen into) there is no instance in all the scripture of any good man charged with covetousness. He proceeds to show how necessary it is to mortify sins, v. 6, 7."

Questions:
1) did not David covet Uriah's spouse;
2) is the amassing of wealth synonymous with covetousness? Solomon amassed wealth and God told him beforehand that he would be blessed with riches.
3. If amassing material wealth is not prima facie covetousness at what point does it become so, and therefore idolatry? After all in the vast majority of cases amassing wealth requires much work and time often at the expense of family life.
4. Can something like watching too much tv be covetousness and therefore idolatry?

I think covetousness needs to carefully defined from scripture since it is akin to idolatry.


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Todd

 2017/9/15 18:14Profile
brothagary
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Joined: 2011/10/23
Posts: 2556


 Re: Covetousness and idolatry

Just some scripture regarding idolatry in the heart which some would say included covetous......


New American Standard Bible
Idolatrous Elders Condemned

1Then some elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me. 2And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 3“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all? 4“Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols, 5in order to lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who are estranged from Me through all their idols.”’
6“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7“For anyone of the house of Israel or of the immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, I the LORD will be brought to answer him in My own person. 8“I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am the LORD.

9“But if the prophet is prevailed upon to speak a word, it is I, the LORD, who have prevailed upon that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. 10“They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be, 11in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares the Lord GOD.”

 2017/9/15 19:12Profile
Gloryandgrace
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Joined: 2017/7/14
Posts: 1165
Snoqualmie, WA

 Re:

Deu 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbour's.

A couple of Hebrew words. Chamad, Avah. the one denotes what you consider precious, beautiful and to be desired, the other...more directly to lust after, strongly desire.
This is not explicit but implicit testimony regarding idolatry. Whereby when one covets his neighbors' wife ( he thinks she's a hotty and finds ways to be with her) is lusting after her and implicitly committing idolatry.
Adultery and Idolatry in the heart are committed long before the dirty deed is done.
As I see it, the idea is setting that woman as a more precious thing than God, therefore in taking her to the bed one has put "another" before God.
This is in my understanding a dramatic and clear explanation of Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
As I see it, the explicit law broken is adultery, the implicit is Idolatry. Either way we are guilty of sin when this is done.
Jesus words about "lusting in the heart is equal to adultery" brings a crushing indictment against any of us who technically forsake the deed but engage in secret lusts.
Edit to add.
I would be remiss not to mention Pauls teaching. Rom 7:7 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.


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Marvin

 2017/9/16 14:36Profile
savannah
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Joined: 2008/10/30
Posts: 2265


 Re: Covetousness and idolatry





Sunday morning in America is the greatest hour of idolatry in the whole week. Why? Because most people who are even worshiping God, are worshiping a God they don’t know. They’re worshiping a god that looks more like Santa Claus than the God of Scripture. They’re worshiping a god that is a figment of their own imagination. They created a god in their own likeness and they worship the god they’ve made.
—Paul Washer

 2017/9/16 18:51Profile
Gloryandgrace
Member



Joined: 2017/7/14
Posts: 1165
Snoqualmie, WA

 Re:

This is a sin that hits to close to home.

This is Americas sin, the vast majority own it because our culture incubates it after it has been seeded in our hearts. We get want to get paid more and we buy more, we want to have better cars because who likes driving an old clunker?
Why buy salvation army clothes when new ones, finer ones, ones that depict the status of our position in our culture display the true-self?
It's ok for other Christians to be poor but not you and I. It's perfectly fine for other Christians to suffer without food or clothing or clean water but not you or I.

Covetousness...how to spot it? Does your giving increase when you are debt free? Or do you finally get what you've been wanting? When you get a healthy pay raise do you find ways to serve the poor and afflicted or do you plan for retirement, a new house or a new car, maybe college for the kids. Remember its ok for other Christians to be uneducated, without transportation, and without any hope of income when they get old.
The best way to hide covetousness is to condemn it on websites like this one and then practice it as though God does not see our hypocrisy or care that we have and can give but we will not.
I have heard some vehement postings on false teachers, damnable heresies, soft-minded deluded Christians or people who go to Church and are no better than idolaters. Yet are we so blind as to ignore the log in our own eyes? We must be blind to our logs and satisfied no one would dare to damn one of our favorite idols. Yes we are quick here to damn every last Word of Faith teacher to a hot hell and anathematize anyone promoting health and wealth pseudo-gospel...yet, I don't see any condemnation of covetousness from our prophets here, no, just acquiescence to the current state of affairs since repenting of it is every bit as painful to our flesh as it is for those who should repent of W.O.F. teachings.
Want a revival? Then the first step is not talking about how all those idolaters going to Church on Sunday are deluded and the God they worship is akin to Santa. Its got to be more than that. Its got to be more than finding the right prophet and certainly more than avoiding bad doctrine.
I'm surprised in the Spirit of Delusion thread no one has mentioned the impact of delusion upon all of us...as if we are immune and above such a shameful thing.
God have mercy on us for looking at everyone else needing repentance and yet we on this blessed website which is devoted ( Thank God )to the finest preaching on earth seems to show little humility when approaching subjects like this one. The fact that this does occur is evidence in part that we hear and forget our great teachers, we rejoice in those skin-em and get-em sermons designated as repentance sermons. Yet, are there any repenting of covetousness? Are there any repenting of spending their money as though they have no stewardship toward God? You all know how covetousness works right? It says " If I got a million dollars I would give such and such to the poor, to the church and to help others" but God gave us 20 bucks and we cannot find a way to give that to anyone anywhere at any time.
Im not trying to say no one gives or no one tithes, Im not implying anything like that, I am saying that when the choice came to give to help someone in need, we bought hobby stuff or we ate a nice dinner or we got the wife or hubby a piece of clothing or a gift, but we don't prioritize our brothers in need.

Those who do prioritize their funds, time and giving to do such things are the exception and Praise God for them.
Let us all be the exception, be the example and be what Jesus made us to be...those who carry the cross for love to God and our neighbor.


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Marvin

 2017/9/20 19:12Profile





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