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Understanding Desire vs Coveting
Tuesday, January 20th, 2015 10:25am
Keywords: Desire, Coveting, Right Way, Wrong Way, Bible, Life Lesson, Morality
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Some have asked me over the years, "What is the difference between simply desiring (ie, wanting) something vs coveting it?"  That's a very good question, and is in response to the 10th commandment as listed in the bible which says, in summary, "Do Not Covet".  But what is the difference between desiring (wanting) something and coveting (lusting after) it?  The simplest explanation is this.  To desire something is to wish to have something similar or identical to what someone else has.  To covet something is to want a specific thing someone else has.  Not a copy of it.  You want that particular thing, and no clone or copy will satisfy you.

But let me break this down further for you so you get a better picture of the idea I'm trying to express here.  Let's say your neighbor has a sports car, a Porche for example, and you like everything you see about it.  To simply desire that item is to want something like or similar to it, a copy if you will, but not specifically what they have.  It'd be the same idea as seeing someone with an iPhone 5 and wanting a copy of your own.  Not theirs specifically, but rather one like it.

Now inversely, to covet, you'd want that specific Porche your neighbor has.  You don't care if someone were to come up to you with a thousand free Porches that were a thousand times nicer and better.  You want only that one specific car that your neighbor owns, period, and nothing else.  That's coveting.  Sorta like, "I don't want an iPhone 5.  I want your iPhone 5."  So in summary, desire is wanting "an item" whereas coveting is wanting "your item".  One is general, and one is specific.

God does not ban us from wanting something like what our neighbor has.  He does however ban us from wanting the specific thing our neighbor has.  I hope this helps you in better understanding this principle.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 (KJV) - "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

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