This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘The Ten Commandments’. Her main scriptures were taken from the book Exodus 20:1-17; 2 Kings 5:15-27; Luke 12:13-34.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS – INTRODUCTION

The Ten Commandments are ten laws that God Himself gave to the ancient nation of Israel thru His servant Moses. These Biblical principles apply to men’s relationship with God and with one another. If all people on earth keep at least one of these commandments, the world will be a better place. These Commandments were spoken directly by God at Mount Sinai and written by God’s finger on tablets of stone and given to Moses. This act makes them unique in the Bible. These Ten Laws are commands and not suggestions. They are personal, spoken to individuals.

GOD’S WORD 

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the Sower and bread to the Eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Is 55:10, 11). God’s Word proceeds from God’s mouth. It goes to the earth like a messenger sent by God. The word ‘void’ means useless, without result, or empty handed. The word ‘prosper’ means to push forward against all hindrance, to be mighty and successful. Even if the preacher is weak as a child, God’s Word in his mouth will never be ‘void’ of power. It will always defeat all opposition and become successful to the glory of God! Let us give thanks to God for the Bible!

THE 10^TH COMMANDMENT – YOU SHALL NOT COVET!

“You shall not covet [that is, selfishly desire and attempt to acquire] your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Ex 20:17; AMP). The 10^th Commandment radically forbids every form of covetousness. Covetousness is a very serious sin. It alters the whole personality. “Whoever commits adultery with a woman … destroys his own soul” (PV 6:32). Covetousness is the strong, restless, eager, and excessive desire for wealth. It is extreme greed, a never satisfied lust after material possessions, especially something that belongs to someone else. It is a combination of lust, envy, and greed. Envy is the wicked painful feeling when you wish to have what another person has, and even destroy that person in the process. Greed is a strong selfish desire to have material wealth and power. Both envy and greed are works of the flesh. In the Bible, covetousness is another word for loving the world or loving Mammon. Covetousness is idolatry and makes God angry (Col 3:5) and it is a ticket to hell (1 Cor 6:19). For a believer to be covetous it means that he is backsliding (1 Tim 6:9, 10). A covetous man cannot worship God at the same time. The reason why God gave so many commands for us to take care of the poor and needy is so that we defeat greed by doing good deeds.

The Tenth Commandment is different than the rest because covetousness is hidden in the heart. Covetousness is similar to greed. But there is a difference. Greed desires material possessions. Covetousness also desires material possessions but the ones who belong to another person. Covetousness is connected to sexual lust. A covetous does not lust only after a woman, but he lusts after somebody’s wife. For example, when a man buys a new car, or builds a house, the covetous man cannot be happy for him. He imagines himself driving that very car and living in that particular house. When a man gets married, he can’t be happy for him. Even during the wedding day, he starts to imagine marrying his bride. Covetousness is connected to lust, idolatry, pride, envy, hypocrisy, stealing, adultery, and even murder.  Covetousness is an insult to the All-Sufficient God and His grace given to men. It is an insult to Jehovah Jireh, God, our Provider. A covetous man says in his heart: ‘God does not take care of me. I have to take care of myself.’ A covetous man is bitter and ungrateful. He destroys himself and many others around him.

The opposite of covetousness is contentment. Paul has learned the art of contentment. He was not born with it. He has already learned and mastered it. Apostle Paul does not say that he has no needs. What he says is that by the power of the Holy Spirit he has learned to trust the All-sufficient God until in his spirit, he is satisfied. “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: And a good man shall be satisfied from himself” (PV 14:14; KJ).  God’s grace is sufficient for a believer. Jesus said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2Cor 12:9). A covetous man is not satisfied with God’s grace alone. Ask yourself, is God’s grace (unmerited favor) enough for you?

Covetousness is called “the mother of sin and the greatest of monsters”, because envy and greed first arise in the heart before they find expression in outward deeds.  Covetousness may not appear as bad as adultery or murder, but in fact it is one of the worst sins because it is a very fruitful root. It produces many other sins. Breaking the Tenth Commandment means breaking them all. The Ten Commandment is the final test of obedience. Covetousness happens when you are ready to pay any price to have something, even when you know that it is against God’s will. We covet when we set our hearts upon something which belongs to another and wish we had it instead of them. It is a common sin among Christians. The reason is because they foolishly compare one with another concerning mode of dressings, cars they drive and other achievements. Comparing with one another leads to competition and covetousness. It is the dangerous road of fools. “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Cor 10:12). Most of the time this covetousness is the effect of preaching the so called ‘prosperity gospel’. Under its influence, the people use their faith to pray mostly for material things and not for spiritual gains. Going to church only to hear about how to make money and having no desire for heaven, is a snare to many souls. These people have ‘itching ears.’ They love to hear prophecies about material wealth and have no interest in the true Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected. This is a spiritual Law: as the leader is, so are his followers. As the pastor is, so is his congregation. Ask yourself? Why do you read the Bible? Why do you pray? What do you want to hear when you go to church? Empty religion is a hindrance to true spirituality. The Love of money has wrecked the lives of many believers and made many churches become dens of robbers. May God have mercy! 

The world is the system where human beings live like God does not exist. The devil is the ruler of this world (Jn 14:30). All men are born sinners and they are slaves of sin, under their master, the devil. The world is a great idol. We are born to love the world and to worship its prince. God commands us to stop loving the world and start loving Him. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 Jn 2:15, 16). Religion is a cover up for sin, especially for covetousness. Sin dwells in the heart before it manifests as deeds. A covetous man is a worldly man. He only thinks and boasts of the things of this world (his successful business, his achievements …). He does not think or speak about spiritual things. Heaven is too far for him. He does not make plans to go there. He assumes that just by doing some good deeds, he will arrive in heaven. The people around the fire in the courtyard accused Peter of being a disciple of Jesus. They said: “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you” (Matt 26:73). In the same way, man is betrayed by his speech. A covetous man may hide his greed thru religion, but eventually, he is betrayed by his speech. Covetousness is dangerous. It is a moral sin polluting the whole soul. Men think that just because they provide good things for their families, they are free from this sin. Covetousness chokes the God’s Word in the heart. “The ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (Lk 8:14). A covetous man does not grow spiritually. This is a great test, but it takes time to prove it.

Covetousness breaks all the Ten Commandments. The covetous man has many gods. He is always filled with anxiety about his wealth and his future. He dreams big, to fly high, but his wings do not carry him above the earth.  Covetousness is like the captain of a boat who for the sake of money, he takes too many passengers and his boat sinks in the middle of the sea. His only hope is his money and that hope always disappoints.

GEHAZI’S COVETOUSNESS (2 Kings 5:19-27)

In the bible, we see many instances of people coveting. They all ended badly. For example, The false prophet Balaam coveted the money promised by Balak and was ready to curse God’s people. He died an untimely death (Jude 1:11). King Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard and killed him (1 Kings 21:1-16). According to the prophesy, Ahab, and his wife Jezebel both died violent, disgraceful deaths. David coveted Bathsheba and also ended up committing murder (2 Samuel 11). His family suffered after that. Achan coveted the fine things of Jericho and ended up stealing them. He and his family were killed for that sin (Joshua 7). God judges and punishes covetousness. “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase” (PV 13:11). Anaias and Saphira both lied and coveted leadership positions. They were stroked dead by God (Acts 5:1-11).

Naaman was a famous rich general in the Syrian army. But he was leprous. At that time leprosy was incurable. Prophet Elisha healed him miraculously. When Naaman wanted to pay him, Elisha refused. He wanted Naaman to know that Jehovah God healed him. The glory must go to God alone. Lesson: here you see a true servant of God. He does not do ministry for personal gain of fame. As Naaman departed in peace, Elisha’s servant Gehazi, who was also an apprentice in training, ran after him. He lied that his master sent him to take the gift he had previously refused. Naaman gives him money and expensive clothes. Gehazi comes back pretending that he has not gone out. But Elisha has seen in the Spirit realm. He gives his verdict. Because he has taken the gift from Naaman, his leprosy will cling to him and to his family. The curse took immediate effect. Gehazi’s punishment was deserved. He not only lied, but he despised God’s omnipresence, His Word, His holiness, and God’s position as the Judge of all men. He also damaged the testimony of Elisha as a servant of Jehovah. All the Syrians will hear about the miracle and the payment given to the prophet. A fool is someone who loses more than he gains. Gehazi was a fool. What gain is to him to have money, and vineyards, and sheep and oxen when he is a leprous man! He gained money but he lost his health, his family’s health, his reputation, his position as a servant to a great man of God, and possibly, he lost his soul. From that time on, as a leprous, with his family, he had to leave all his friends and live outside the town as an outcast. Naaman lost his sickness and Gehazi picked it. He experienced a reverse miracle. He discovered too late that he can deceive Naaman, but he cannot deceive God or His prophet. Beware of hypocrisy and covetousness! This curse can bring spiritual leprosy to your soul! Oh, you foolish Gehazi! It is better to have a simple coat on a healthy body and a clean conscience! “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim 6:9, 10). Lying, covetousness, and stealing are serious sins. The devil is always behind them. God always punishes these sins with visible judgment. Selah!

THE RICH YOUNG RULER (Matt 19:16-30)

A rich young ruler met Jesus. Possibly, he was a member of the Sanhedrin. We are not told that he made his money through fraudulent means. Maybe he was born into a rich Jewish family. He seems humble. He knelt before Jesus as a sign of respect. He recognized that Jesus is a Man of God. He called Him ‘Good Teacher’. Jesus gently rebuked him saying that only God is good. This is because the man did not see Jesus as God, only as a good teacher. He wanted to serve God and go to heaven. He was a good citizen and a religious man since his youth. But he believed in a wrong doctrine, that salvation is by works. He did not understand that salvation is only by Grace and thru Faith in Christ. His question was: “what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ He is concerned with ‘doing’. Interestingly, Jesus tells him to ‘keep the Ten Commandments’. Why did Jesus tell him that? It is because the man is still a proud boastful sinner. Jesus tells him to obey the commands that concern the relationship between people. Jesus replaces The Tenth Commandment that forbids covetousness with the fulfilment of it saying, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’. This command can only be obeyed by a true believer in Christ who is Spirit filled. The man says that he has kept these commands. He is deceived and he does not even know it. To prove that this man is lying, Jesus tells him: ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me’. Hearing this, the man goes away sorrowful because he could not give up his great wealth. He chose his money instead of Jesus, proving that with all his religious deeds, in his heart, he does not love Jesus. He is not saved. He failed the Tenth Commandment. Therefore, he failed them all. Jesus uses this encounter as a lesson for His disciples. He tells them that it is hard (not impossible) for a rich man to be saved. It is easier for a poor man to have faith in Jesus. The disciples were astonished. What is the lesson? Conviction of sin, godly sorrow that leads to salvation, and faith in the Gospel, is the unique work of the Holy Spirit. No man can save himself and no man can save another man. Material wealth and good deeds cannot save. They may even be a hindrance to the faith necessary for salvation. God’s Law convicts us as lawbreakers. We must make a choice. We cannot serve two masters, God, and mammon. Face to face with Jesus, this young successful man, went back to serve Mammon. The covetousness in his heart was stronger than his desire to go to heaven. See how strong sin is in the human heart. Only Christ can break that stronghold. Peter wanted to know what his gain will be for him leaving his family and business to follow Jesus. Jeus tells him that salvation is by grace and thru faith. Then there is reward for all who have sacrificed pleasures on earth for the sake of Jesus and His Gospel. There is a treasure in heaven for them. God does the accounting. Not only that there is compensation for losses, but a multiplication of reward manifested on earth. Lesson: nobody has followed Jesus and regrated it. Following Jesus and doing God’s work, can only lead to true joy, prosperity, and fulfillment in life. To God be all the glory!

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL (Lk 12:13-21)

A man came to Jesus asking Him to be the judge between himself and another. Jesus refused the request because it was out of the sphere of His purpose. But this man’s request gave Him an opportunity to warn His disciples about the sin of Covetousness. He then shared with them the parable of the rich fool. There was this wealthy farmer. His land was fruitful. With each harvest he became richer. He decided to destroy his barns and build bigger ones, to store the bigger harvest. His plan was to be so rich that he will have no need to work in the future. He will only rest, eat, drink and be merry. To him, work was a burden. For him, enjoying his wealth and resting is the perfect happy life. But that night God takes his soul. He leaves behind all his wealth. This man is rich for himself and poor towards God. Why did Jesus call this man a fool?

The man is a fool because he only thinks about himself and his riches. He never thinks about God who gave him the power to make wealth. He forgot God! “You shall remember [with profound respect] the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deut 8:18; AMP). This man is a wicked fool because he did not see God as the source of his life and wealth. He did not seek God. He did not care about God. “The fool has said in his heart: There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one” (Ps 14:1-3). The man is a fool because he trusted his wealth to be happy. He made wealth his god. But material wealth cannot save your soul and cannot give you peace and joy. This man is a fool because he did not know the purpose of his wealth. He did not know that money is to be used to promote God’s Kingdom and help the needy. The man is a fool because he is too selfish. He wants to enjoy his wealth alone. Read his words: there are 6 I, 5 my, and 4 I will. He even calls his soul ‘my soul’. He did not know that God is the owner of his soul. God says: “Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). At the point of death, this foolish man could keep his soul inside his body. He was boasting about things he cannot control. This man is a fool because he was sure about his future when he is not the owner of the future. We are commanded not to boast about tomorrow. “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:13-17). This man is a fool because he ignored God’s grace as the only way for salvation. The worse mistake he made is that he ignored God for the needs of his soul. He did not think that he may go to hell. He did not make plans to go to heaven. At last, his riches were left behind. They could not help him. What a fool! Selah!

The resurrected Christ warned the believers in the church of Laodicea to repent from trusting their wealth. “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent” (Rev 3:14-19). Selah!

COVETOUSNESS IS A GREAT SIN IN A PASTOR 

Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians that he never preached the Gospel from impure motives. “For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children” (1 Thess 2:1-7). God’s servant must preach the true Gospel, free of greed, deceit, or manipulation. The preaching must be done to please God who sent him. He must be faithful to God. He must not be intimidated by his congregation. He must not flatter people to gain their favor and must not work to please men. He must not soften the Gospel. He must preach God’s Word as it is in the Bible, without fear of favor to men. Why? Because God tests the hearts. God tests the motives for ministry, and rewards according to the work done. Men may testify that their pastor does not use flattery. But no man can see inside his heart if there is wicked greed or not. God rewards purity of heart with higher anointing in ministry. No pastor should preach hidden under ‘a cloak of covetousness’. This cloak means an excuse, a pretext, something to hide the real motives of the heart. When a pastor tells the people that he loves them, but at the same time he manipulates them to give him money, that is a coverup, a cloak of covetousness. God sees and God judges! Selah!

BEWARE OF THE FALSE DOCTRINES AND HYPOCRISY OF GREEDY RELIGIOUS RULERS

“Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt 16:5-12). “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation… Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt 23:14; 25-28). ‘Extortion’ means to obtain money by threats or force. “Jesus began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known” (Lk 12:1-2). “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” (Lk13:10-15)

Our Lord warned us about ‘the leaven’ of religious rulers. This leaven is called hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is false, deceptive behavior. A hypocrite is an actor. He pretends to be a good Christian, but he is greedy and wicked in his heart. He is a handsome thief. She is a beautiful criminal. These religious rulers do not do what they preach. Our Lord’s greatest condemnation was to these religious rulers. As you see, they use religion to steal money from people. Therefore, hypocrisy is a sign of covetousness. It also manifests as preaching false doctrines. A Pharisee loves money in his heart, but he hides that. He wants men to think that he is a generous person who cares for the poor. He is a hypocrite. These people serve Mammon in their hearts but pretend to serve God in the church. These false brethren are not easy to detect. When Jesus confronted them with their hypocrisy, they ‘derided’ Him. To deride it means to mock, to speak with proud contempt. Bullies do that. Politicians often deride one another. Jesus calls this proud religious spirit ‘a leaven’. He commanded His disciples to beware of it. The warning is to reject every form of religious pride, greed, covetousness, and hypocrisy. Like leaven rises the dough, so this demon makes even the believers proud and destroys their testimonies. To stay humble and prayerful under slander or mocking is a great achievement. It is done only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

THE LEAVEN HINDERS THE RACE (Galatians 5:7-18).

The flesh is the part of man that is not under the influence of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit does not help the flesh, but fights its selfish desires. The flesh tries in vain to obey God’s Law. The Law was not given to save man. It was given to prove that man is a sinner, cannot obey God’s Law and cannot please Him. Once the Holy Spirit fills a believer and takes control in leading him, the flesh becomes weaker and weaker. That is when man can obey God’s Law, not only outwardly, but in his heart. This holy process is called sanctification. Being filled and led by the Holy Spirit is the only way to kill all religious hypocrisy. If you are daily led by the Spirit, you are not under the condemnation of the Law. The work of the Law is to convict of sin and to lead the man to Christ. It is only in Christ, that we become free and strong to obey God’s Law.

The leaven is the religious spiritual pride. It attacks the believer who runs the race by obeying the truth as he carries his cross daily. The leaven comes telling him to use the liberty of Christ to satisfy the desires of the flesh. If he is not careful, he backslides, becoming a religious hypocrite. He looks down on the faithful believers. He still goes to church and worships God, but not with all his heart. He becomes a hindrance to other Christians. He is now a greedy and proud believer. He pleases himself and other men. He does not please God. He gossips and slanders others. He starts quarrels and divides the church. He needs to repent of his sins and come back to the Cross. By the Power of the Spirit, he must kill the desires of the flesh, especially pride, greed, and hypocrisy. These are like weeds that quench the Word of God. Once the weeds are gathered and burnt with fire, the Word in his heart can grow. Love for God and love for man will again bloom like flowers in the springtime. Praise the Lord!

COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY

Covetousness and gossip are some of the most common sins even among the Christians. These days, there is a higher pressure for people to covet things. Technology is improving faster. Every year, there are new phones, cars, and computers. People become jealous of others for having them. The devil deceived Eve. Her sin was a combination of covetousness and desiring the have other gods before God. “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them” (Col 3:1-7). Covetousness is idolatry because the greedy man loves money more than God. Covetousness is deceptive. Like pride, it creeps slowly into your heart, and you may be ignorant of it. Lucifer coveted God’s throne and His position. Why is covetousness so terrible? You become ungrateful for the things you have. Secondly, you will never be happy and never satisfied. That is torment. Ask yourself ‘when is enough, enough?’

THE EVIL SPIRIT OF GAMBLING

Gambling is defined as playing a game for money or for property. It means to bet, to take a chance, to expose yourself to danger and proceed in the face of it. Simply put, you risk money to win more money. Gambling is a major international commercial activity, with the legal gambling market totaling an estimated $335 billion in 2009. Gambling is a form of covetousness and a manifestation of the love of money. To be rich quickly without doing any labor is the dream of all sinners. That is the foundation of gambling. The attraction of gambling is entertainment and the love of money. The victims are people who are lazy, covetous, foolish, and ambitious at the same time, a deadly combination. Gambling is the fastest growing addiction in the world. 1/7 teenagers and 1/10 adults that gamble end up as addicted to it. Gambling wrecks homes and marriages. Research done says that poor people spend 13% of their small income on lottery. The rich people spend less than 1% of their income for the same lottery. The poor neighborhoods have the highest number of locations for gambling and lottery. These are sold in poor grocery stores to attract the people who buy food. Many times, a poor man has gone home to his family without food and just with a lottery slip that promises millions. The casinos machines are built in such a way that 80-90% of the winning numbers go to the patron. The chance of winning there is minimal but the attraction of making money without work is very high. Even the few that win, statistics say that they will lose all their money in maximum two years, and they are back to gamble again, ready to sell even their soul to Satan.

Gambling, betting, or lottery are not forbidden in the Bible. But the Bible warns against the love of money. Gambling gives hope to people that by playing a game, they will get rich without working. Gambling in moderation may not be a sin, but it is a waste of money. It is in the same category as going to eat at a very expensive restaurant, buying ‘designer’ dresses or shoes, or buying things you don’t need. In the Bible, God prescribed the casting of lots for some activities like the choosing of the scapegoat or choosing the portions of land for each tribe in the Promised Land. The Apostles cast lots to decide who will replace Judas. But none of these examples applies to casting lots to make money. Why gambling is wicked? When you gamble, you win at the expense of others, who lose money. Gambling encourages laziness, selfishness, and greed. Most gamblers live in anxiety, depression and many commit suicide. The greedy men trouble their families. “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live” (PV 15:27). In reality, gambling is an evil spirit that steals, kills, and destroys.

Gambling violates God’s law because of the following:

1-The foundation and the attraction of it is love of money, which is evil. “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Ecc 5:10)

2-Gambling encourages laziness. We should work and be good stewards of the income we make. We tithe to God and use the remaining to take care of the family. Any surplus we save is for emergencies in the future. “Lazy hands make a man poor but diligent hands bring wealth” (PV 10:4)

3-Gambling may be entertaining but it is addictive. All addictions are sins. “A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2Pet 2:19)

4-Gambling gives false hopes. “When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power come to nothing” (PV 11:7)

5-Gambling does not give glory to God but to the idol of ‘luck or fortune’. There are things in this world that may not be bad in themselves, but they are not beneficial to the kingdom of God and to our testimony as believers. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Cor 6:12).

6-Man was created in the image of God. Gambling spoils that image. It makes a man to be a fool. “Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is gone, they will desert him and in the end he proves to be a fool” (Jer 17:11). Gambling is the backslider’s god and the fantasy of the rebellious.

Gambling in Nigeria is common, especially online sports betting. Nigeria is now home to more than 40 sports betting sites, indicating that about 60 million Nigerians actively participate in sports betting. That’s close to a third of Nigeria’s population. Next to South Africa, Nigeria is the second largest online gambling country in Africa. I read that the biggest betting online site in Nigeria is Bet9ja. Its net Worth 2023 is estimated at $1 billion. We pray for revival in Nigeria! God have mercy!

THE CURE FOR COVETOUSNESS

Covetousness is a secret sin of the heart. These are some signs that you are covetous and are under the influence of Mammon: You are always worried about your finances; you are always broke; you buy things on impulse; you are greedy; you are always in debt. These are all negative emotions. The cure for covetousness is genuine repentance. The believer needs faith in Christ crucified and resurrected. He then needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The result is Contentment in life. Another way to destroy covetousness is by desiring spiritual things more, by loving God’s Word. Pray for a spiritual mind. Contentment is the opposite of Covetousness. It is defined as quiet happiness and satisfaction in life. It is not an exciting type of happiness. It is a deep stable peaceful joy that is not disturbed by circumstances. You are happy with God and the life He has given to you at the present. Money cannot buy contentment and peace. That is the gift of God. Money is good to buy the basic things of life: food, a roof over your head, paying for education and medical bills. But once you have enough money to pay for these basic needs, money loses the power to make you happy. For a man who has these basic needs supplied, he has to learn how to spend his money to become happier. Greed is a massive hindrance against happiness. Money is meant to be spent not just to be gathered. Giving money to God’s work and helping the needy will produce a new type of happiness that the poor man has never known. This is contentment, fulfillment, and true success in life. He now spends money to gather eternal treasures in heaven. This is true happiness. It is also wisdom. “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Ac 20:35). There are many stories of wealthy men who died, and their children foolishly squandered their wealth. They were not wise with their money. This is the truth: the earthly riches will leave us, or we will leave them. Do not be like the rich fool. Think more of heaven than of earth. Be content! Be grateful for your life as it is now, even as you pray for your dreams to come true in the future. May God help us! May we fulfill destiny! Worship the Lord!