The Envy of Eve : Finding Contentment in a Covetous World

by Melissa B. Kruger

The last characteristic to help us understand the seriousness of coveting is the notion that it is a sin that begets other sins. Thomas Watson called covetousness a ‘mother sin’ because it leads us to break each of the Ten Commandments.21 He explains that coveting leads us to break the first commandment because the object of our desire becomes another god that we worship and love. We break the fourth commandment to obey the Sabbath because our covetous desires lead us to spend our time on our own pleasures instead of the worship of God. Adultery begins first with the covetous desire of lust. Stealing begins with envy of that which belongs to another. Our covetous desires do not simply stay in the inner reaches of our hearts. James tells us, ‘But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.’22 As we contemplate these wrong desires and set our hearts upon them, they will give birth to outward sins that will eventually lead to death. We need to take seriously the effect that these inner desires have on our physical, emotional and spiritual life. If left unchecked, they eventually will lead to great sorrow and consequences in our own lives and the lives of those around us.