Covet

To covet is to yearn to possess or have (something). From Old French cuveitier, based on Latin cupiditas. Covetous means having or showing a great desire to possess something, typically something belonging to someone else.

Synonym of COVETOUS. covetous, greedy, acquisitive, grasping, avaricious mean having or showing a strong desire for especially material possessions.

The Effects of Covetousness

The effects of covetousness on the part of the people is always a loss of freedom.

Plutarch said, “The real destroyers of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits.”

Polybius believed all democracies fail.

"The masses continue with an appetite for benefits and the habit of receiving them by way of a rule of force and violence. The people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others... institute the rule of violence;^[1] and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder,^[2] until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch."

The authoritarian state uses force and violence to become the Benefactors of the people. They force one class of citizen to provide for another. Christ forbid that type of government. He told us not to make the Fathers of the earth our Benefactors.

Even though this principle was well known in history still we see in Luke 16:16 "The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."

The word "presseth" appears twice in the Bible and both time it is describing the contrast of John's teachingto what was common at that time.

We say the same word in Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

Here it is translated "suffereth violence". It is from the word biazo ^[3]

John spoke about how you provide the needs for the people of society. One way is by forced contributions and the other is by charity. When the people asked John "And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?"

Luke 3:11 "He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise."

There were riots at the time of Christ put down violently by Pilate. The people complained that their new social welfare system started under Herod the Great was being pilfered by the government on other civic projects, such as an aqueduct into Jerusalem.

Free will offerings in support of the welfare of the people's needs has been a theme of the Bible from Abraham to Moses and from John and Jesus to Paul.

Links to articles on coveting

The Nicolaitan who God hates?
Because they covet their neighbor's goods
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/nicolaity.php

Doom, Gloom, and Democracy
The real destroyer is our own covetousness
http://www.hisholychurch.org/news/articles/doomdemocracy.php
Appeared first on NewsWithViews 4-30-09

The Covetous Prayers
From the book The Higher Liberty, Sec. 42
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/thecovetous.php

To Heal Our Land
The Hateful Connection, The Unrighteous Corban, The Indictment
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/healland.php

To Enslave a Nation
How do you enslave a whole nation, even the whole world?
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/enslave.php

The Corban of the Pharisees It made the word of God to none effect. Is our Corban making the word of God to none effect today? http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/corban.php

Baptism, the Ritual and the Jurisdiction Are Christians repenting and getting baptized or are they just all wet? http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/baptismjura.php

Bible quotes on Coveting

Proverbs 23:1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee:
2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
4 ¶ Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
6 ¶ Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

2 Peter 2:3 ¶ And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

2 Peter 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

Psalms 69:22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.

Romans 11:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

Exodus 18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Deuteronomy 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 any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

Psalms 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

Psalms 119:36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.

Proverbs 21:26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.

Proverbs 28:16 The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.

Isaiah 57:17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.

Jeremiah 6:13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

Jeremiah 8:10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

Jeremiah 22:17 But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

Jeremiah 51:13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

Micah 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Habakkuk 2:9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

Mark 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Luke 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

Acts 20:33 I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.

Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Romans 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.

Romans 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

1 Corinthians 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

1 Corinthians 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

Ephesians 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Ephesians 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

1 Thessalonians 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:

1 Timothy 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

1 Timothy 6:10 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.

2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Footnotes

↑ Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
↑ Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
↑ 971 ~βιάζω~ biazo \@bee-ad’-zo\@ from 970; TDNT-1:609,105; {See TDNT 137} v AV-suffer violence 1, press 1; 2 1) to use force, to apply force 2) to force, inflict violence on

[1] Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

[2] Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

[3] 971 ~βιάζω~ biazo \@bee-ad’-zo\@ from 970; TDNT-1:609,105; {See TDNT 137} v AV-suffer violence 1, press 1; 2 1) to use force, to apply force 2) to force, inflict violence on

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Covet

Contents

The Effects of Covetousness

Links to articles on coveting

Related ideas

Bible quotes on Coveting

Footnotes

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Covet

The Effects of Covetousness

Links to articles on coveting

Related ideas

Bible quotes on Coveting

Footnotes

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