Covetousness, Ahab's
1 Kings 21Coveting what God does not will brings sin and curses upon a person.
One may covet and get what it is not God's will for them to have, and then get a curse along with it. Covetousness opens the door to all sin
Covetousness in Christian preaching is the sinful desire for what belongs to others, often leading to deeper transgressions and divine judgment (Exodus 20:17). Illustrations typically depict covetousness as a consuming fire or a root from which many sins grow, highlighting its destructive nature and spiritual dangers (Luke 12:15).
Covetousness, Dangers of
Acts 5Covetousness is a root sin leading to many others, evident from Eden onward.
First sin in Eden (Gen. 3:6). First in the promised land (Josh. 7:21). First in the early church. Some are ambitious to be counted liberal while in reality they seek to retain much for self
Proverbs 21:25-26; Luke 12:15; Ephesians 5:3; Hebrews 13:5
Proverbs 21:25Covetousness and stealing are closely linked sins revealing true character quickly.
Covetousness and stealing are almost like Siamese twins — they go together so often. In fact we might add lying, and make them triplets. “The covetous person is a thief in the shell. The thief is a covetous person out of the shell. Let a covetous person see something that he desires very much; let an opportunity of taking it be offered; how very soon he will break through the shell and come out in his true character as a thief.” The Greek word translated “covetousness” means — an inordinate desire of getting. When the Gauls tasted the sweet wines of Italy, they asked where they came from, and never rested until they had overrun Italy.
THE BOY AND THE NICKEL
Covetousness blinds us to blessings and steals our joy by focusing on what we lack.
A man once found a boy crying on the street, and asked the little chap what he was crying about. The child told him he had just lost a nickel. The stranger gave him another, and then the boy began to cry again. This greatly astonished the man, and he asked him why he was crying again. The little chap said, "Because, if I hadn't lost that other nickel, I'd have two now." That was, of course, a very foolish way to look at it, but that is the way a great many people look at things. This is what is called covetousness. Covetous people always want something they have not, and so they are usually unhappy. The way to be happy is to think of the things you have, and not of the things you have not. A man was once told that Caesar was going to cause him great unhappiness, and he replied that if Caesar could blot out the sun with a blanket he might make him unhappy. But if he had the sun to shine upon him, he would still be happy. We all have the sun to shine upon us, and other things a-plenty to be happy over, if we will just count them up. Let us not be like the little boy crying about the nickel he did not have.
Extravagance, Modern
Modern extravagance in fashion contrasts with biblical calls to holiness and contentment.
Two hundred and sixty dollars were paid this season for a hat! I know this to be true, because I saw the hat and the woman who bought it, and I was told the price. What was it? A handful of straw, a wisp of tulle, and a spray of feather. Two hundred and sixty dollars!
Of course, this is not to be taken as an average price, even among the very rich. But the averages, as well as the single, instances of modern extravagance are startling. Fifteen years ago twenty-five dollars--thirty at the outside--would have bought the most elaborate bonnet in the most expensive shopping center of the world, New York. To-day the Fifth Avenue shops are asking thirty dollars for the plainest domestic toque or shade hat, and have shelves full of French importations at prices ranging from $100 to $175. The ten-dollar “trimmed” sailor hat used to be worn with serge dresses; the mull hats costing five dollars; the big rough garden hats at about the same price; the leghorns that used to run as high as fifteen, even twenty dollars, to-day have been replaced by thirty-dollar round hats, fifty-dollar picture hats, fifty-dollar lingerie hats, and hand-made straws running into the three numerals.--EMILY POST, _Everybody’s Magazine_.