Coveting Will Sink You:
The 10th Metaphysical Commandment and
the 10th Law of Prosperity

Moses was an amazingly clever man. He wrote the 10 Commandments to be taken at their face value as true and valid for those who had a certain level of consciousness. Yet within these commandments he concealed the deeper laws for those who were consciously ready for them. “And within those again,” says Emmet Fox, “he concealed the deepest and highest Spiritual teaching for those who were ready for that level.” In other words Moses designed these “Laws of Life” so that the higher one went Spiritually, the more one got out of them.

Now let us look more closely at the last of the 10 Commandments, which reads: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbor's.” Exodus 20:17.

We looked at all this once before, when we looked at the 8th Commandment, “thou shalt not commit adultery”; therefore, perhaps Emmet Fox, as well as Moses when he wrote them, felt so strongly about this commandment that they gave it attention twice. Emmet Fox tells the story of Peter's dream in the Bible regarding eating all types of creatures, metaphysically showing us that all are equal in the eyes of God. This dream had nothing to do with food for us today. We are not traveling through the desert today with difficult, unsanitary conditions; thus, today the dream is not to be taken literally. It simply means that “Spirit is no respecter of persons”. We are all equal in the eyes of God.

The reason that this commandment is so important is that we know so much of the evil in this world is caused by coveting something to which we are not entitled. Moses knew what covetousness does to people today, where it lives in us. It lives in our unconscious mind. Coveting affects the soul of man. It separates us from Spirit. Why? Because to covet something meant that one does not understand the “Law of Being”. One does not understand that whatever he is getting or lacking is the out picturing of his consciousness; for, there is nothing in the world that you can conceive of having, that Spirit does not have in abundance. Spirit has an inexhaustible supply of everything imaginable; and, denies us nothing. To envy someone because he seems to have more than you do is to deny your own connection with Spirit. You have lost your faith in what is, and what could be for you.

Thus the metaphysical 10th Commandment in a shortened version is “Coveting will sink you”.

As we have studied the Ten Commandments over the past few months we have found that the first four have to do with our right relationship with Spirit.

The next six have to do with our right relationship with one another.

Right action toward our fellow human beings begins with service, being willing to be of service to each other in any way necessary.

Being of service is a result of the necessity of the entire universe to give and share with one another. Until we put giving, and sharing, and being of service first in our lives, we will always have the feeling that something is missing, and it is missing. As long as we walk around with our hand out, wanting someone to fill it, whether it be emotional filling, mental filling, or even money, we are always in a position of need; and , we continually find ourselves in a position of lack. The only way to change that is to change to a giving consciousness, to find ways to give and share of ourselves, instead of wanting. Wanting result is such things as killing, stealing, adultery, and lying. These are all forbidden by Commandments 6,7,8, and 9. No wonder Emmet Fox gave this commandment so much attention. It is the root of so much evil. Killing, stealing, adultery, and lying are all actions done mainly outside of ourselves, usually to someone else. But, when we come to the 10 Commandment, we look at the mental cause of these actions, “Coveting”.

To covet is to wish for enviously, to feel an ordinate desire for another persons possessions. From this definition, we can see that coveting can lead to all types of deviant behavior; killing, stealing, adultery, lying, and so forth. How many wars have been fought because one nation coveted the possessions of another?

Our own recent war had its true cause in coveting. In truth, many people feel that we coveted control of the Middle East oil and we fought to maintain that control.

How many murders have been precipitated by coveting?

Desiring another person’s husband or wife has lead to many killings, as well as, coveting another's household possessions, has lead to robbery and sometimes killing. We read about those kinds of occurrences all the time. In fact, how many people have security systems in their homes just to prevent such robberies? Stealing, adultery, killing, and lying all follow coveting. So when we get down to it, coveting is a root cause of our unhappiness and the fear of someone coveting something you own can cost you a lot of money and mental energy.

The 10th Commandment points to the mental cause of our misery. It tells us that what the other person has was not meant to be ours. Its theirs, plain and simple. So what is ours to be then? Where do we get ours, if not from him or her? That kind of question always follows a getting consciousness, one that is focused on getting mine and let the other guy get his. In truth, one who has a getting consciousness, never gets enough, whatever it is, it's never enough.

I have said over and over in these lessons that the Universe will always maintain a balance. One can not get and get and get without giving in return. If one does not give and share willingly, the universe will do it for him, and not necessarily in a way that will be pleasant for him..

Rest assured that balance will be maintained, as long as we maintain a giving and sharing consciousness. Giving always precedes receiving. The Beloved has an inexhaustible source. Ours will come, if we have faith with belief; but, it won't be what belongs to someone else. We are not entitled to that; it already belongs to someone else. If you are seeking, you have a consciousness of lack; and, if you give to others, you have a consciousness of abundance, not just sufficiency, but actual abundance.

By placing our attention on wanting the possessions or relationships that belong to another, we deny our ability to bring the right things and people for us into our own lives. That car, or that woman, or that man, or that house are certainly not the last ones to be produced by Spirit. Yes, Spirit has an inexhaustible supply; but, you must have an open consciousness to receive it.

The 10th Commandment of Prosperity is “Thou shalt not limit thyself by coveting that which is another’s; thou shalt claim thine own.”There is no limit to the creations in Gods world Do we want to make the mistake of longing for someone else's something, that which is perfect for them instead of us? Think about it, do someone else's shoes really fit you as well as your own? Are you really comfortable in them?

As a counselor for many years and then a minister, I can tell you that I have seen into the lives of many people; and, as painful as their situations have been, in the long run they would rather have their own than someone else's problems, and. so would I.

I certainly do not covet my neighbor's adversities; so, why would I covet their possessions? Have you ever watched two seagulls struggle for some bit of food? They pull and pull and pull against each other as if that is the only food in existence. They fail to realize that the sea beneath them is filled with juicy, tempting fish and other foods. And usually, before the tug of war is over, a bigger bird comes along and takes the food away from both of them. That is what happens to us, when we focus all our attention on what rightfully belongs to another. Let's face it, we're miserable. We're certainly not happy.

We are so focused on what they have that we forget to notice what Spirit is trying to give us. Spirit has for us what is rightly ours and perfect for our lives. We simply need to turn away from that which is another's; and. focus in a different direction with faith, activated by belief, and joy.

In coveting we are merely showing our lack of understanding of the limitless Spiritual Substance of the Universe. This limitless substance will flow into whatever thought form that you hold in your mind and energize with your feelings and emotions. It is not any kind of magic; it is merely the way creation was designed.

All things were first thoughts and then those thoughts were filled with substance from Spirit and lastly you manifest a chair in which to sit. You have clothes to wear and so on. That's how it works. If we covet something of another's in our fear that there is not enough to go around, we create more fear and more lack in our lives. We feel lost and alone most of the time.

We have not learned the secret that faith in Spirit and Spirit's want for us to be happy will always cause Spirit to bring into our lives whatever we desire. If we have forgotten to have faith in Spirit's limitless, inexhaustible supply, we're lost. Love and faith are the keys that open the door to that unlimited supply and the less specific we are the better. It gives Spirit more doors to open for us. For instance we ask for housing, or for love; but, we don't draw a picture of it regardless of what the book “The Secret” tells us to do. You can do it that way. For example, draw a picture; but, once more I say, that way limits what Spirit can do. There is nothing wrong with visualizing, just know that when you do it , the ego, not Spirit, is in control. Who do you want calling the shots?

Yes, love and faith are the keys that open the door to limitless supply. Coveting is the result of fear and doubt. It closes the door. Here's an affirmation: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's whatever, I claim my own”. Finally Margaret Tree West in her book “Prosperity’s 10 Commandments gives us 10 powerful affirmations out of these ten Commandments. They are:

1. I Look Only to Spirit for my Prosperity.
2. I make no mental images of lack.
3. I speak no word of limitation.
4. I let Go and Let God Work in my Affairs.
5. I deal Honorably with Spirit and All Spirit's Pay Clerks.
6. I keep my wealth circulating Wisely.
7. I use my wealth for Good Purpose Only.
8. I never strive to get something for Nothing.
9. I never talk poverty; I tell the Truth about Source's Abundance.
10. I take my eye off my neighbor's wealth and claim my own.

Namaste,

Barbara