The Ten Commandments
Q18. What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not try to trick our neighbor out of their home or property. Instead, we should help them keep what belongs to them.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Micah 2:1–2
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.”
Romans 7:7–8
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.”
Parent Guide
Discuss this question together
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does Luther say we should do instead of coveting our neighbor's property?
- 2
How can someone "trick" another person out of their home or belongings?
- 3
What does it look like to help someone keep what belongs to them?
Illustration
Two siblings share a room. One slowly starts putting his stuff on the other's shelf, moving the boundary an inch at a time. He never makes a big grab. He just takes a little more each day. Coveting often works quietly like that. You scheme, you angle, you push, and before long you have taken what was never yours to take.
Application
This week, look for a way to help protect what belongs to someone else. If your sibling leaves something out, put it back for them instead of claiming it. Because God gave you what you have, you can be generous instead of greedy.
Read Luther’s expanded teaching
From the Large Catechism (1529)