Sermonette: Covetousness

Sermonette: Covetousness

#313s
Martin G. Collins
Given 15-Nov-97; 19 minutes

listen:

description: (hide) Martin Collins, citing a news story about a rash of prom gowns stolen all over the nation last spring by girls ‘driven’ to theft by covetousness, asserts that covetousness (wanting something with a deep,greedy, envious burning) has reached epidemic proportions. When Naaman was healed of his leprosy after he was told by Elisha to wash in the River Jordan, he offered a reward valued in today’s world in excess of 3 million dollars, a tantalizing temptation to Elisha’s servant Gehazi, through deceitful lies made a ‘humble’ request of a portion of that reward (approximately 300 thousand dollars), an act which took away the glory from God. Consequently, his covetous was rewarded with Namaan’s leprosy on himself and his descendants, in effect, putting an end to Gehazi’s genealogy. Covetousness is also idolatry, as witnessed by the bizarre fetish of people hoarding Cabbage Patch dolls, or reselling them at a ridiculously high price( a phenomenon cleverly stoked by advertising to engineer maximum greed). We are commanded to put to death covetousness and greed or anything that puts self-interest in the place of God. Covetousness ultimately takes a person’s life. We combat covetousness by being content with what we have rather than obsessing to satiate the self. God will provide what we need.