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Ben, don't you know that God judges the heart? Isn't it repeated over and over again to Love the Lord your God with all your heart? Wasn't David so profound and blessed because he had a heart after the Lord? Did not God refuse to acknowledge the rituals and sacrifices of the Jewish people because they only went through the motions while their hearts were hard and uncircumcised?
The Jewish people broke their covenant with God because they didn't Love God with all their hearts - they went and chased other gods and the women of other nations who led them astray. To separate your heart from the following of the Law, from following God, is to make the same mistake as those before you.
The same thing happens among Christians: you get a generation or two where there are some true genuine followers of God, followed by corrupt and worthless generations who just go through the motions - not knowing or loving God.
If you have material wealth, but do not give to those in need, then the love of God is not in you. Whatever you have done for the least of these you have done for HIM. To give to the poor is to lend to the LORD.
Last edited by csuguy; June 14th, 2012 at 10:33 PM.
Ben, don't you know that God judges the heart? Isn't it repeated over and over again to Love the Lord your God with all your heart? Wasn't David so profound because he had a heart after the Lord? Did not God refuse to acknowledge the rituals and sacrifices of the Jewish people because they only went through the motions while their hearts were hard and uncircumcised?
The Jewish people broke their covenant with God because they didn't Love God with all their hearts - they went and chased other gods and the women of other nations who led them astray. To separate your heart from the following of the Law, from following God, is to make the same mistake as those before you.
The same thing happens among Christians: you get a generation or two where there are some true genuine followers of God, followed by corrupt and worthless generations who just go through the motions - not knowing or loving God.
Furthermore, in the OP you break the 2nd commandment into two in order to fit with your theology. Yet those two clearly go together and the final commmandment, to not covet, clearly belongs to the same list of commands as the rest. There is no distinction made by scripture between it and the rest in the list.
If you have material wealth, but do not give to those in need, then the love of God is not in you. Whatever you have done for the least of these you have done for HIM. To give to the poor is to lend to the LORD.
He is my favorite poster. For a young man he has great wisdom. God has blessed him.
Psalm 1[/color] and Job 28:28
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Joh 4:23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
David coveted Bathsheba, where does jealousy fall into that? Its wanting what belongs to someone else, not wishing to have something like they have.
No they are not synonymous and there are more than one definition of jealousy as well.
Jealously like you mean though can lead to coveting though.
Although I have seen first hand that sin can very easily be derived from jealousy. I believe proverbs or psalms brings up the issue of jealousy. I dont think either are good.
Do warnings have to do with me doing or not doing a thing?
Oh, most definitely yes! That's a chance we have not to hear later "I told you." When Cain was conjecturing about doing some kind of violence to Abel, the Lord warned him: "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen? (I warn you) If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if you don't, sin is a demon lurking at the door; his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." (Gen. 4:7) Cain did not take that warning seriously and we all know today what happened.
Ben
When you covet you treat people differently, like if you were friends with someone for a long time and found out later on they made 200k a year and you were jealous/covetous you would interact with them in a less favorable way. Maybe make some off hand remark around the camp fire about pfft I cant afford that but stingy Joe over here can, maybe thats it.
One who covets does not have to treat people differently if he or she is not a fool. That's an extra reason to avoid coveting because we never know ourselves good enough. Coveting could turn into anger, which is anather fence, insult another person, start a contention and end up in a crime. Then, and only then, we have the transgression to the Law.
Ben
Slogan/motto:
Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.
Reputation:
June 16th, 2012, 01:50 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Masada
THOU SHALL NOT COVET
According to Halachah - Jewish law - a sin is not a sin as long as it remains in the mind and never materializes into action.
Now, if sin, by definition, is a transgression of the Law, and to covet is not a sin, how can we harmonize the apparent contradiction...
Wait...what? Why aren't these two things already in harmony? If God commanded "do not covet", how can the Halachah say that is not a sin to do so? Either God didn't say this or the Halachah is wrong.
I don't see the wisdom in this. One's right and one's wrong. There shouldn't be any harmony here.
So, let me ask you Ben, when you die (your body ceases to have life) then what?
I know that if I give you a straight answer to your question, you will find it ridiculous and brush it out. Let me used the Scriptures and blame them in case you discard me. Just two texts:
Genesis 2:7 - The Lord God formed man out of the dust and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 - And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the breath of life returns to God Who gave it.
Yes, when we die, the body ceases to have life. Then we are gone.
Ben, don't you know that God judges the heart? Isn't it repeated over and over again to Love the Lord your God with all your heart? Wasn't David so profound and blessed because he had a heart after the Lord? Did not God refuse to acknowledge the rituals and sacrifices of the Jewish people because they only went through the motions while their hearts were hard and uncircumcised?
The Jewish people broke their covenant with God because they didn't Love God with all their hearts - they went and chased other gods and the women of other nations who led them astray. To separate your heart from the following of the Law, from following God, is to make the same mistake as those before you.
The same thing happens among Christians: you get a generation or two where there are some true genuine followers of God, followed by corrupt and worthless generations who just go through the motions - not knowing or loving God.
When you talk about the sinful acts of the Jewish People, you have no exceptions but to go straight to "the Jewish People." When you talk about Christians, you remind us of "a generation or two," not all of them. What's your point? Aren't the Jews humans too? Not all of them are uncircumcised in the heart. Nevertheless, if you read Jeremiah 46:28, "Of the other nations, the Lord will eventually make an end of them; but of Israel, He will only chastise as we deserve. How do you take that distinction, was the Prophet racist perhaps?"
Ben
Furthermore, in the OP you break the 2nd commandment into two in order to fit with your theology. Yet those two clearly go together and the final commmandment, to not covet, clearly belongs to the same list of commands as the rest. There is no distinction made by scripture between it and the rest in the list.
Interesting that rather the opposite is true. IMHO, the Scripture does make distinction between the first and the second commandments.
Let us take a look at the first commandment:
Exodus 20:3 - You shall not have other gods besides Me. That's the first and greatest of the commandments, which Jesus used to give answer to the guy who asked him about the first and greatest of the commandments. (Mark 12:29) That's the commandment about the absolute unity of God enhanced by Deuteronomy 6:4, which we, Jews, confess more than several times a day. Now, to the second commandment:
Exodus 20:4,5 - You shall not carve idols to bow down before them. That's specifically a commandment against idolatry. It has nothing to do with confessing the absolute unity of God. After these commandments one has no choice but to come to the conclusion that "Not to covet" is not a commandment but a fence, or something to avoid to prevent the break of a commandment. Otherwise, we will have 11 and not 10, which would not be true to what the Decalogue is supposed to mean.
June 16th, 2012, 01:33 PM
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