Coveting Is A Sin

The world will never know whether or not
Bathsheba wanted to catch David's eye,
By taking a bath on her own rooftop,
But she did; and with her he wanted to lie!
Thus, he coveted a wife not his own,
Sent for her forthwith, and took her to bed.
One sin in his mind kept not long alone;
Two followed, and many more quickly spread!
Evil mushroomed, as she became with child;
Panic-stricken, they brought Uzziah back
To bed her; but honor, he'd not defile;
So they murdered him, in a sneak attack!
Coveting had the affair first begun;
Their sin's effects could never be undone!

The Tenth Commandment of God is: "Do not covet anything or anybody that is another's." "Covet" is defined as, "excessively longing for something that belongs to another". To covet something or someone that belongs to another seems to be harmless in itself, but it is a sin that usually ends up in egregious transgressions of God's law---and man's. A very great many sins begin in the mind, if not all of them. By controlling your thoughts, you control your activities. God will forgive sins, if properly asked, but He will not obliterate the consequences that follow sin. David and Bathsheba began with a "simple" adultery, but the consequences included murder, illegitimacy, civil war, and scarred Israel forever. Read the story of the two in 2 Samuel Chapter 11; then read Psalm 51 for David's confession to God and pleas for mercy.

Coveting is not the same as wanting. Wanting something is not a sin. It becomes a sin when what you want belongs to your "neighbor", which can be any other person; and when you want it so badly that you are willing to stop at nothing to get it. In modern times, it applies very much to relationships. Other men's wives and fiances are not to be coveted nor surreptitiously courted. An employer or supervisor is not to covet the women under his supervision in any circumstance, but especially if they are married or engaged to another. Do you begin to understand what "Love your neighbor as yourself" means? You would not want your wife to be sought as a partner in a relationship by her boss; therefore, you must not do so to those ladies under your supervision.

David was king of Israel, which gives him an automatic obedience by any woman in the kingdom. Poor Uzziah, Bathsheba's husband, was at the front defending Israel from her enemies. David was a great Godly man, but he was not above yielding to the temptations of the flesh.