Different Life: 9th & 10th CommandmentsPrimjer

What do you want? And how far would you go to get it? That’s what the 9th & 10th Commandments are about.

Here’s how Deuteronomy 5:21 puts it: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” It’s slightly different in Exodus, though the spirit is the same: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17).

Augustine, that amazing theologian who stands behind every expression of Western Christianity, numbered these as two separate commands (nine and ten – it’s his order we’re following in this plan). He followed Exodus 20, where the phrase “You shall not covet” hits twice. You’ll find some diversity on the numbering in different Christian and Jewish traditions. What matters most is the content. Because even though there may be more than ten actual commands found in the list, the Bible calls them “10 Commandments” (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 10:4). A more literal interpretation of 10 Commandments is “10 Words” or ten big ideas.

What is the big idea? It’s not just what you do that matters. It’s also what’s in your heart. All the other commands are action-based. This final command is all about an inner disposition. For God, it’s not just what we do that matters. What we want and what we prize matters just as much.

Some people can live outwardly righteous lives. That’s not enough. For God, what’s driving you counts.