IDEA: Covetousness is at its root a theological problem. TEXT: "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s" (Exodus 20:17).

PURPOSE: To help listeners see that covetousness shows our distrust of God.

"But they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy. Yes, they spoke against God: they said, 'Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Behold, He struck the rock, so that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?' " (Psalm 78:17-22).

I. What is it that made God furious?

Do you think that what happened in the hearts of the people of Israel could happen in the hearts of Christians today?

What is involved in the remark of the people, "Can God spread a table in the desert?" What exactly were they saying?

II. Why is it when God has provided for us richly in the past, we can sometimes doubt whether or not He can provide for us in the future?

We fail to look at God’s provision in the past to help us trust Him today for His provision for the future.

It is an insult to God to ignore completely what He has done. We can sit down at a table filled with food, but the conversation can be hand-wringing about provision for tomorrow

III. When we turn away from God and focus on the things that God has provided, it often causes us to live in unbelief.

Do you think this is necessarily a social problem that poor people face? Or is it a problem with the human heart?