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.
This passage of scripture contains a warning, coming directly from Christ to us, that we should shun the sin of covetousness, in all of its varied forms and manifestations. This sin lies at the root of all other sins, and therefore must be uprooted from our hearts in entirety, if we are to reflect God's image in any meaningful way. Covetousness is what led Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, and it leads to Sabbath breaking when we usurp for our own use, the sacred time that belongs to God alone. It is also the root cause of adultery, stealing and idolatry in all of its various forms, according to the Bible. Let's read:
Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
This fundamental sin is what led Balaam to accept bribes and rewards in exchange for cursing Israel, a situation that had to be forcibly restrained by the power of God. The king of Moab had trembled as he beheld God's deliverance of His people, and therefore he came to Balaam with a proposal to have him utter curses against the Hebrews, even though the prophet already knew that it was not God's will. Let's read:
Numbers 22:7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. 12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
However Balaam made no effort to overcome this sin, and thus it was allowed to grow, mature, and fester, until it became the all-controlling power of his life, driving him literally to insanity, to the point where he could have an argument with his own donkey, without realizing what was going on. Let's read:
Numbers 22:27 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? and he said, Nay.
What is remarkable about this entire episode is that after all of these manifestations of God's displeasure with his actions and purposes, Balaam still persisted in the way of covetousness, until he was slain at the hands of the Israelites, whom he had succeeded in seducing into gross idolatry.
This experience of Balaam has tremendous implications for us who are living in a world that reeks of covetousness. It is present in the political arena, it is present at the shopping malls, it is present in the way contracts and repair orders are written up, and we are bombarded with it in the many songs that promulgate idolatry, and encourage us to covet. One song writer even penned the words "If loving you is wrong, I don't wanna do right". Covetousness is at the root of the many recent recalls issued by General motors, for when the current problem with their ignition switches was discovered nine years ago, they did nothing to fix the problem, because it would cost them money, and so they knowingly let people die, when the problem could have been corrected for approximately sixty five cents per vehicle.
As Christians and as individuals, we should be very careful lest this sin take deep root in our consciousness and drive us to do that which is strictly forbidden in God's word. When our bills come due, we should pay them promptly, and not use the funds for any selfish purposes. If we have workers in our employ we should remunerate them according to the services rendered, and we should not try to squeeze the most work out of them for the lowest price. All of these so-called gimmicks and schemes are an offense in God's sight and He is now calling upon all Christians everywhere to live and deal by a much higher standard, even the scriptural laws pertaining to judgements and transactions between us and our fellowmen.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls us back to honesty, integrity, and godly living in all of the affairs of life, for the religion of Christ is one that enters into all of our thoughts, motives, actions, and daily experiences. Let's read:
Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
May this passage of scripture find true meaning and fulfillment in our lives. "Good night" and God bless!