For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is an exhortation to covetous persons not to be too solicitous, but to trust in Providence. "The commandment requires moderation in respect of all worldly goods, submission to God, acquiescence in His will, love to His commandments, and a reliance on Him for the daily supply of all our wants as He sees good. Hebrews 13:5. It is a divine adage. One of Satan’s worst enemies is a man on his knees. It is by all agreed that the coincidence is too peculiar to be accidental. "Thou shalt not covet." The love of money is a source of sin. We note again that Scripture is quoted as what God has said. That which is here forbidden is concupiscence, or those imaginations, thoughts, and desires, which precede the consent of the will. See Acts 1:11. without, &c. Greek. (278), For he has said, etc. The Divine law expressly declares, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's ( Exodus 20:17). The codensed one-volume classic commentary. tropos. Jesus Christ is the Same Yesterday and Today and Forever (Hebrews 13:8) Hebrews 13:9-10. There seem to have been two other Debirs (Joshua 15:7; Joshua 13:26).This one is identified by Dr. Rosen with Dewirban, near the spring Ain Nunkûr south-west of Hebron. Proverbs 19:6 speaks of someone that is not a true friend. Coffman Commentaries on the Bible. Covetousness in life INTERFERES WITH CONTENTMENT. It is by all agreed that the coincidence is too peculiar to be accidental. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. What the apostle means Isaiah, I had never discovered my inward depravity unless the Spirit had enlightened my understanding, convicted my conscience, and made me feel the corruptions of my heart. It is an insatiable lust, for when covetousness rules, the heart is never satisfied: "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase" ( Ecclesiastes 5:10). Such things as ye have, [ tois (Greek #3588) parousin (Greek #3918)] - 'present things' (Philippians 4:11). The apostle has simply put them in the first person. The author of Hebrews quotes from the Old Testament here with God’s statement that “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). [⇑ See verse text ⇑] In this passage, the writer of Hebrews has offered direct, practical instructions for Christian living. The quotation is fromDeuteronomy 31:6; and other places. There is a miserliness which clings to money as a drowning man to a log. That we may be quite practical let us mention one or two. Hebrews 13:5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. "In those days saw I in Jerusalem some treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. Close. Philo (De Conf. 2. The scope of the Greek verb is much wider than a lusting after material riches. "Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have" (v 5). go. Quiet Time Ministries / myPhotoWalk / Hebrews 13:5. Other examples in Kypke. Remember Your Leaders and Imitate Their Faith (Hebrews 13:7) Hebrews 13:8. See Acts 16:26. nor. 9:22 The Scarlet Thread That Runs Through the Bible. Never leave’ forsake thee—In substance this promise repeatedly occurs in the Old Testament, but never in exact words. Hebrews 13:5. Does the fourth commandment interdict all unnecessary work on the Sabbath? To covet is to think upon and hanker after anything which my acquirement of would result in injury to my neighbor. (Homilist.) Herein, too, we may recognize one of the fundamental errors of Romanists, who, following the Pelagians, deny that these lustings are sinful until they are yielded to, and who affirm that evil imaginations only become sinful when the mind definitely assents to them. December 2, 2015 Catherine Martin No Comments myPhotoWalk. Hebrews 13:5, ESV: "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”" Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, " I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]! Hebrews 13:5, ESV: "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”" So also there is a prudence and thrift which is legitimate, as is clear from, "There is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty" ( Proverbs 11:24). To acquire wealth becomes the dominant passion of the soul. Go To Hebrews Index . The thought is that while we are making lawful efforts to produce the desirable things of life, we should not be fretting because we are not as successful as others or as much so as we had expected to be ourselves. The appositeness of these words and those which follow (Hebrews 13:6) will be seen if we remember the trials which the Hebrew Christians had already endured (Hebrews 10:32-34). Fourthly they were to beware of covetousness, especially the love of money. Money is spiritually poisonous. Herein we may perceive the exalted holiness of the Divine Law—far transcending all human codes—requiring inward purity. Again. Neither the possession nor the retention of wealth is wrong in itself, providing it be acquired honestly and preserved with a justifiable motive. The longing is caused by the heart's being enticed by the delight promised. Pernicious. Jesus Christ is the Same Yesterday and Today and Forever (Hebrews 13:8) Hebrews 13:9-10. An insatiable greed possesses the heart. This document has been generated from XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) source … [ Read Chapter | Show Context | Study Tools | Multi-Translations ] [ Strong's Interlinear Bible ] Let your. Covetousness—The enemy of hospitality, liberality, and peace. While he seeks to correct covetousness, he rightly and wisely bids us at the same time to be content with our present things; for it is the true contempt of money, or at least a true greatness of mind in the right and moderate use of it, when we are content with what the Lord has given us, whether it be much or little; for certainly it rarely happens that anything satisfies an avaricious man; but on the contrary they who are not content with a moderate portion, always seek more even when they enjoy the greatest affluence. Third, covetousness also manifests itself in spending. such things, &c. = the things that are present. For in this way it can be that no depraved desires will importune us; for faith alone is that which can quiet the minds of men, whose disquietude without it is too well known. Covetousness is the vice of old age. The most common form of this sin Isaiah, of course, the love of money, the lusting after more and more of material riches. Look at Gehazi: lusting after the money his master had refused, and in consequence, he and his seed were smitten with leprosy ( 2 Kings 5). There are no less than five negatives in this short sentence, and these connected with two verbs and one pronoun twice repeated. But the holy Law of God condemns that which instigates unto what is forbidden, condemns that which inclines toward what is unholy, and denounces that which inflames with cupidity. Having in our last article dealt at length with the merciful provision which God has made for the avoidance of moral uncleanness—the ordinance of marriage—we now turn to the second great sin which is here dehorted against, namely, covetousness. First, that which is fundamental to the discharge of all Christian duties is exhorted unto: the continuance of brotherly love (verse 1). . Click the Bible for the all new StudyLight.org!! Hebrews 12:19 - and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. All irregular desires are forbidden. Should we also seek God’s manifest presence? By Rev Charles Seet. It is a devouring sin: "the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word" ( Matthew 13:22). In one of his sermons Spurgeon mentions a prominent man who had a great many people come to him to make confession, and this man observed that while different ones acknowledged all sorts of outrageous crimes, he never had one who confessed to covetousness. God is the One who "giveth thee power to get wealth" ( Deuteronomy 8:18), and therefore is His goodness to be acknowledged when He is pleased to prosper us in basket and in store. Yet even then we need the exhortation, "If riches increase, set not thine heart upon them" ( Psalm 62:10). For such soon takes hold on men and becomes their idol. American King James Version ×). In the poor, it works envy, discontent, and fraud; in the rich, pride, luxury, and avarice. Ὥστε θαῤῥοῦντας ἡμᾶς λέγειν κ. τ. Remember Your Leaders and Imitate Their Faith (Hebrews 13:7) Hebrews 13:8. —Our happy equanimity is not based on a stoical reliance on self, but on a divine basis. Second, covetousness evidences itself in keeping. This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail" ( Ecclesiastes 4:8). ( Mark 10:23). He appointed his Son to be the owner of all things. We may always have the assurance that we will be cared for in some way. There are still those the language of whose actions Isaiah, "I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. But it is so contrary to the desires of our hearts by nature, and so superior to the actual attainments of the best Christians on earth, that it is very difficult to persuade them that God requires such perfection, and still more difficult to satisfy them that it is indispensable to the happiness of rational creatures, and most difficult of all to convince them that everything inconsistent with this or short of it is sin; that it deserves the wrath of God, and cannot be taken away, except by the mercy of God through the atonement of Christ" (T. Scott). 3. It is the very nature of the depraved heart to hanker after that which God has forbidden and to crave after what is evil, though this spirit may be developed more strongly in some than in others; at any rate, a larger measure of restraining grace is granted to one than to another. aphilarguros, literally without love of money. Let the Christian buy only what he needs, and when he needs it, and so far as possible only from upright traders, and then he will be more willing to pay according to the value received. or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain" ( Proverbs 30:8, 9). 5.Conversation—Your daily course and character in life. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you. Does the third commandment interdict any blasphemous oath upon the lips? Jesus now gives two metaphors or similitudes (salt and light) that depict those who represent the kingdom. This takes on many forms: men lust after honors, wealth, pleasures, knowledge, for Scripture speaks of "the desires of the flesh and of the mind" ( Ephesians 2:3), and of "filthiness of the flesh and spirit" ( 2 Corinthians 7:1). . Who is largely responsible for this commercial dishonesty? A few words next upon the heinousness of covetousness. ou me. If there be those who condemn the miser for his stinginess, often they are guilty in turn of wreckless prodigality. For here he swore, not more for Abraham’s sake, than ours, as the apostle shows. He and I, as Delitzsch tells us, are used in post-biblical Hebrew as mystical names of God. ", To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Let your conversation be without covetousness, And be content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, And be content with such things as ye have -, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee -, Αρκεισθαι παρεουσι, και αλλοτριων απεχεσθαι·, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee -, Obsolete or obscure words in the english av bible. Recently we read a faithful article wherein the writer took to task the lies and deceptions practiced by many shopkeepers and their assistants in palming off upon the public various forms of merchandise by misrepresenting their quality and value; the writer concluding with a solemn emphasis upon "all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" ( Revelation 21:8). God will not be mocked with impugnity. With Him as our banker we can never finally run short. 3 Remember R623 the R624 prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. So it is here in our text: let not covetousness rule your heart nor regulate your life. Here he quotes two testimonies; the first is taken, as some think, from the Joshua 1:5 of Joshua, but I am rather of the opinion that it is a sentence drawn from the common doctrine of Scripture, as though he had said, “The Lord everywhere promises that he will never be wanting to us.” He infers from this promise what is found in Psalms 118:6, that we have the power to overcome fear when we feel assured of God’s help. also Genesis 28:15; Joshua 1:5; 1 Chronicles 28:20.) That which most effectually strikes at our innate selfishness is the love of God shed abroad in the heart. 28:15; Втор. never = by no means. oud" ou me. Notes to explain the letter to the Hebrews 1 Jesus, son of God, greater than all 1:1-2:18 The greatness of the son 1:1-3. v1 In the past God spoke to our *ancestors. Hebrews 13: 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (NASB: Lockman). John Piper @JohnPiper. Click the Bible for the all new StudyLight.org!! Let your conversation be without covetousness. then the tenth prohibits our desiring anything which is our neighbor's. The year is almost over. C. Christian love does not love money (Hebrews 13:5-6). It tells us that God will never lose His grip on us (John 10:29). so that we boldly say (namely, in the words of Psalm 118:6): the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear; what can a man do to me? He hence infers afterwards that as long as we have such a helper there is no cause to fear. Yet how difficult it is to strike the happy mean: to be provident without being prodigal, to be "not slothful in business" and yet not bury ourselves in it, to be thrifty without being miserly, to use this world and yet not abuse it. (5) In these two verses (Hebrews 13:4-5) we have the same connection of thought as in Hebrews 12:16; Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:3. “Impurity and covetousness may be said to divide between them nearly the whole domain of human selfishness and vice” (Lightfoot on Colossians 3:5). Substantially the same expression is found in each of those places, and all of them contain the principle on which the apostle here relies, that God will not forsake his people. How appropriate is the prayer, "Remove from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Those who believe the Scriptures must perforce expect that soon a far worse war than the last is likely to be sent as a scourge from Heaven upon the present Sabbath profaners. A comment or two also requires to be made upon the term "conversation." (6,7) Be strong and of a good courage . The strongest negative possible. Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? Text: Hebrews 13:5,6. The words quoted under are from Psalms 118:6, the first word and the last being brought into strong contrast. Thus, not only is covetousness a fearful sin in itself, but it is also the prolific mother of other evils. It has been called “The Fifth Gospel.” Four describe Christ’s ministry on earth, this describes His ministry in heaven.It was written to Hebrew disciples, probably of Jerusalem, to avert the danger of their drifting back into Judaism. Either our love for God will result in money becoming unimportant except as a tool for doing good and showing love to our brothers and sisters, or the love of money will become idolatry and take away our thoughts from Christ and His ways and will destroy Christian love both for God and for men. Thrice we are asked to remember those who bear office and rule in the church, Hebrews 13:7; Hebrews 13:17; Hebrews 13:24. The Apostle teaches us that "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that "we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope," Romans 15:4; and as "all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us," 2 Corinthians 1:20, all believers are encouraged to appropriate this precious promise in all their straits and difficulties. It is very probable that this thought supplies the link of connection between Hebrews 13:5-6, and Hebrews 13:7. 5.Let your conversation be without covetousness, etc. This concupiscence or evil lusting of the heart is called "the law of sin which is in my members" ( Romans 7:23). But covetousness is only too often winked at, and some covetous persons are regarded as very respectable people. It may well be that he knew that some of them had lost their wealth for Christ’s sake and were deeply affected by their situation, and so is seeking to ensure that they recognise how important it really is. It is a gnawing and fatal sin: "But they that will be (are determined to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition... which while some have coveted after they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" ( 1 Timothy 6:9, 10). Keep Yourself Free From the Love of Money and Be Content (Hebrews 13:5-6) Hebrews 13:7. This Presence pervades the arrangements of our life, III. This exists in varying degrees in different persons, and is demonstrated in numerous ways. Let us now go deeper and solemnly observe the comprehensiveness of God's searching law, "Thou shalt not covet" ( Exodus 20:17). Psalms 34:4-10. 13:4–5). What can man do to me?" Because of their Sabbath profanation, the sore judgment of God fell upon the nation. Proverbs 17:17 speaks of a true friend that is a friend at all times. Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me: they walked not in My statutes neither kept My judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them: they polluted My Sabbaths: then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them" ( Ezekiel 20:20, 21). Home > Study Desk. When therefore the Apostle is seeking to cure us of the disease of covetousness, he wisely calls our attention to God’s promises, in which he testifies that he will ever be present with us.