IDEA: Envy focuses on people and covetousness focuses on things.

TEXT: "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s" (Exodus 20:17).

"You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s" (Deuteronomy 5:21).

PURPOSE: To help listeners distinguish between envy and covetousness.

What do you think is the difference between envy and covetousness?

I. Envy is the side-long glance that focuses on other people that we feel are better or are better off than we are.

It has the sense about it that we say that life is unfair and God is unfair. God does for others what he hasn’t done for us.

Envy can be very destructive because it takes a keen delight in other people’s failures and faults.

Envy seldom is satisfied unless someone else is hurt.

Genesis 4 gives us the result of Cain’s side-long glance: envy, rivalry, conflict, hatred, and ultimately murder.

II. Covetousness focuses on things or possessions.

In the tenth commandment it is the neighbor’s house, spouse, servants, animals, etc.

Its sin doesn’t necessarily lie in wanting the other person to fail or fall. It lies in having an inordinate desire to have what belongs to your neighbor.

Ahab coveted the vineyard of Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-21).

III. Both envy and covetousness can lead to theft and murder, but out of different inner motives.