Let us examine a few of the Bible passages that bear down on this sin,
and see what are God's thoughts about it.
"_Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of
God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
nor thieves,_ nor covetous, _nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God_."
Notice that the covetous are named between thieves and drunkards. We
lock up thieves, and have no mercy on them. We loathe drunkards, and
consider them great sinners against the law of God as well as the law
of the land. Yet there is far more said in the Bible against
covetousness than against either stealing or drunkenness.
Covetousness and stealing are almost like Siamese twins--they go
together so often. In fact we might add lying, and make them triplets.
"The covetous person is a thief _in_ the shell. The thief is a
covetous person _out of_ the shell. Let a covetous person see
something that he desires very much; let an opportunity of taking it
be offered; how very soon he will break through the shell and come out
in his true character as a thief." The Greek word translated
"covetousness" means--an inordinate desire of getting. When the Gauls
tasted the sweet wines of Italy, they asked where they came from, and
never rested until they had overrun Italy.
"_For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor
covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom
of Christ and God_."
There we have the same truth repeated; but notice that covetousness is
called idolatry. The covetous man worships Mammon, not God.
"_Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as
fear God, men of truth,_ hating covetousness; _and place such over
them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of
fifties, and rulers of tens_."
Isn't it extraordinary that Jethro, the man of the desert, should have
given this advice to Moses? How did he learn to beware of
covetousness? We honor men to-day if they are wealthy and covetous. We
elect them to office in church and state. We often say that they will
make better treasurers just because we know them to be covetous. But
in God's sight a covetous man is as vile and black as any thief or
drunkard. David said: "The wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and
blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth." I am afraid that many
who profess to have put away wickedness also speak well of the
covetous.