Session 12

November 22, 2020

Unit 1: The Ten Commandments

Be Content

A lifestyle of contentment counteracts an unhealthy desire for more.

The Word

Exodus 20:17; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 1 John 2:15-17

Session Outcome

To experience the contentment that comes from loving God, not things.

Discover:

Illustrated Bible Life describes the challenges and joys of everyday life in ancient Israel, and provides verse-by-verse commentary on the Scripture passage.

Last Week:

We saw how truthfulness is characteristic of those who walk with God.

This Week:

We will see the importance of experiencing the contentment that comes from loving God, not things.

Watch:

Dr. Edlin introduces this session on what it means to be content.

Listen:

What was a typical day like in ancient Israel? This week’s Illustrated Bible Life podcast on FoundryLeader.com explains.

Discover:

We have learned much about the ancient Israelites from archaeological excavations and Scripture passages. So, what did daily life look like for God’s people in biblical times? This week’s Illustrated Bible Life article gives us a glimpse at what we know of “Domestic Life in Ancient Israel.”

Engage the Word

Misplaced Desires
Exodus 20:17

The 10th commandment forbids intense desire for anything that rightfully belongs to a fellow Israelite (Deuteronomy 5:21; in the New Testament only in Romans 7:7; 13:9). The command lists seven things not to be coveted, probably intending to cover everything of another one might crave. As with the commandment prohibiting stealing, this command takes for granted personal property rights.

Unlike Platonism, Stoicism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, neither Judaism nor Christianity considers all desire sinful. The God-given desires for food, water, and clothing, for example, are not sinful. Covetousness is not simple desire, but illicit and insatiable desire—wanting the wrong things far too much. But how much is too much? Does the expression, “I want your life,” indicate a problem with envy or covetousness? Which is worse?

Like the first commandment, the 10th addresses inward attitudes and emotional states and not overt actions (see Matthew 15:19). Covetousness is forbidden because it encourages us to violate other commandments—stealing others’ possessions, committing adultery, lying about it, and murdering to cover up our crimes (see 2 Samuel 11).

The Desire to Get Rich
1 Timothy 6:6-10

There have always been some who claimed that “godliness is a means of financial gain” (1 Timothy 6:5). In response to the perverse view of the Christian faith as a means to become rich, Paul wrote: “godliness with contentment is great gain” (v. 6). Let’s consider the key terms:

The word translated “godliness” does not refer to especially “godlike” persons, but particularly religious people who profoundly respect and are devoted to God (see 1 Timothy 2:2; 4:8; 6:11).

“Contentment” is the satisfaction that comes from realizing we have enough “food and clothing . . . [to] be content” (v. 8). Contentment falls somewhere between subsistence and affluence—not too little, not too much. It is to have enough not to be dependent on the generosity of others. We are “content” when we are satisfied to have our basic needs met.

The Greek word translated “gain” in verses 5 and 6 appears only here in the New Testament. It literally refers to the means of making a profit or earning a living. In verse 5, “gain” has the sense of making money. In verse 6, its metaphorical sense is making a good life.

In this passage, Paul offered no indictment of those who are rich and possess lots of money (see James 1:10-11; 2:5-7). His concern was with the dangers facing “those who want to get rich” (1 Timothy 6:9)—poor people “eager for money” (6:10). He did not identify money as “the root of all kinds of evil.” Rather, he insisted, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (6:10). John Wesley reminded his early Methodists that Paul was not referring to those who wanted to get rich by evil means—by theft, robbery, oppression, extortion, fraud, or dishonesty (see his sermons, “The Danger of Riches,” “On Riches,” and “On the Danger of Increasing Riches”).

The deeper problem Paul confronted was covetousness. Those with misplaced desires for wealth “fall into temptation and a trap” (6:9) of diabolical design (see 3:7). The trap consists in the “many foolish and harmful desires,” which drive those who love money to pursue even more.

Covetousness—the insatiable craving for more, the inordinate passion for wealth—can “plunge people into ruin and destruction” (6:9). Paul knew former Christians who had chased after “financial gain” (6:5). Their all-consuming desire to “get rich” (6:9) and love for more money and all it could buy, caused them to wander “from the faith” and to pierce “themselves with many griefs” (6:10).

Loving the World
1 John 2:15-17

The “world” God loved enough to send His only Son to save from destruction (John 3:16-17) is not “the world” readers of 1 John 2:15 are urged not to love. Scripture sometimes uses “the world” to refer to this earth and all who inhabit it. But more often, as here, “world” refers to the systems rebellious humanity creates and perpetuates, which challenge God’s rightful claim to be the owner of His good creation.

To love this God-defying “world” is to join the rebellion—to want too much what belongs to another. The Greek verb translated “lust” in 2:16 is used in the Septuagint (sehp-TOU-uh-jihnt: the Greek translation of the Old Testament) to translate “covet” in the 10th commandment (Exodus 20:17). “Love for the Father” and the covetous desire to possess “everything in the world” are incompatible.

We might prefer to assume that “the lust of the flesh” (1 John 2:16) condemns preoccupation with sexual pursuits. We could plead, “Not guilty!” But John Wesley (“The Use of Money”) thought it applied to a more “respectable kind of sensuality”—over-indulgence in food—a waste of money and health.

We might prefer to assume that “the lust of the eyes” (2:16) condemns pornography and plead, “Not guilty!” But Wesley (“The Danger of Riches”) thought it challenged fallen humanity’s insatiable acquisitiveness. We use our excess money to indulge ourselves with frivolous expenditures on new clothes, bigger houses, and useless decorations. God entrusts us with more than enough so we can enjoy the blessing of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.

John Wesley (“The Use of Money”) believed “the pride of life” (2:16) referred to our vain pursuit of honor, admiration, and praise that comes from conspicuous consumption. We must avoid the desire for people to notice our huge piles of “toys” and instead develop a thankfulness for how God has blessed us.

Did You Know?

John Wesley wrote: If those who gain all they can, and save all they can, will likewise give all they can, then the more they gain, the more they will grow in grace (“Thoughts on Methodism”).

Think About It

Covetousness is an evidence of an unsanctified, if not an unconverted heart. Whether expressed as the love of money or the desire for more money, it is contrary to the pure love of God (John Wesley, “The Danger of Riches”).

Reflect

In light of the message of today’s passages, take time this week to evaluate the way you view and value “things.”

George Lyons

Discussion Guide

Insight

It is important to remember that when the author refers to the world, it is not a reference to all created things. It is not a command to hate that which God has made. Rather, it is a condemnation of the darkness at work in the world until the consummation of the kingdom of God.

Connect to My Experience

Television and Internet ads are filled with images portraying people experiencing their version of the good life. They claim that we too can have that life if only we wore this brand of shoes or drove this style of car or had a home with a little bit more space, or . . .

What images of the “good life” are most appealing to you?  What feelings do these images awaken in you?

Why are so many searching for the “good life,” including Christians?

Is there anything wrong with wanting to have money and material possessions? Why or why not?

Transition:

The final commandment in the Ten Commandments forbids coveting, the inordinate desire for what others have.  Today, we will see that followers of Jesus are called to reject covetousness and pursue contentment.

Connect to the Word

Invite someone to read Exodus 20:17, then discuss the following,

The command against covetousness is an appropriate conclusion to the Ten Commandments as the violation of this commandment inevitably leads to the violation of many, if not all, of the others.

What might be examples of someone coveting outwardly? What might be examples of someone coveting inwardly?

How might covetousness lead us to violate the other nine commandments? 

What biblical stories exemplify this “slippery slope”? (Cain and Abel; David and Bathsheba)

This command is not a condemnation of desire in and of itself.  It is rather the condemnation of inordinate desire, an excessive desire for that which you do not possess.

In what ways can a healthy desire misshapen into inordinate desire? 

What is the measure of appropriate versus inappropriate desire?

What cultural influences might deform our desire into something dishonoring to God and dangerous to our souls?

Invite someone to read 1 Timothy 6:6-10, then discuss the following,

Paul presents the alternative to covetousness: contentment.  He reminds his readers that the possessions they have so eagerly sought will not pass from this life to the next, the life of the age of the kingdom of God. 

Contrast people consumed by covetousness and people living into contentment. What might some of the differences be in their inner lives?  How might the fruit of their lives differ?

What effect might these different postures toward possessions have on their relationship with God and with others? 

Can we conjure contentment in ourselves or is it something that must be developed through the work and power of the Holy Spirit? Explain.

In the same way that desire is not inherently evil, riches are not inherently evil. However, a fixation on acquiring wealth and material possessions leaves us vulnerable to a multitude of “temptations and traps” that often result in “ruin and destruction.”

How might a fixation on acquiring wealth (and material possessions) dull our spiritual awareness?

In what ways can we consistently evaluate our perspective on our definition of financial success and security?

Invite someone to read 1 John 2:15-17, then discuss the following,

The writer’s instruction not to love the world or anything in it is not a command to withhold love from the fallen world God loves.  Rather, it is a call to reject the sinful systems of the world that produce sinful, all-consuming desire within us.  We cannot love the self-promoting, stuff-acquiring systems of this world and love the Father. The two loves are directly opposed to one another.

In what ways might we try to “ride the fence,” participating in the systems of the world that advocate the acquisition of stuff and the gaining of wealth, while at the same time claiming to love and be devoted to the way of God?

How might the church resist the subtle infiltration of the patterns and values of the sin-sick world concerning wealth? 

How might we embody an alternative love and desire?

Like Paul, the writer reminds us once again that the things that elicit inordinate desire in us will pass away. Those whose hearts and desires are rightly oriented toward God and the will of God will experience abundant life in the age to come.

How can we encourage one another to take the long view instead of devoting ourselves and our energies to the empty pursuit of temporal desires?

Connect to My Life and the World

Desire is a natural part of the human experience. It is good and right to appreciate beauty and comfort as they are gifts from God. The power of sin takes what is good and distorts it, causing us to worship the gift instead of the Gift Giver.  When desire dethrones the Lord in our hearts, covetous leads us into sin of all kinds.

Think together of the good and beautiful things that you appreciate.  How do these gifts reflect God’s generosity to humankind?

How can desire for good things be distorted by the power of sin?  What are examples of this you have seen?

Often, unfaithfulness comes not in giant leaps but in small steps away from God. What small “yeses” can we offer to God in this area to strengthen our ability to obey?

Contentment is faithful response to desire: choosing gratitude for what you have instead of allowing yourself to be consumed by that which you do not have. Contentment is not an innate skill but a discipline requiring practice.

Have you seen someone practice contentment well?  If so, what did that look like in his/her life?

How might you practice contentment well? What practices might help you resist the allure of inordinate desire and instead submit to the gift of enough?

Consider playing “Only Jesus” by Casting Crowns as your group silently reflects on today’s scripture and discussion. Then, close in prayer.

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