The book of Exodus tells the story of God’s liberation of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The people wander in the desert for forty years, being reshaped into the people of God. There are many bumps along the way, but the covenant establishes a relationship between God and the people. In this covenant, God gives the commandments and promises faithfulness. The ten commandments can be found in Exodus 20. Take a moment to find and read the ten commandments. These are considered the foundational commitments of our moral lives as Christians. When Jesus gave the great command to “love God and love one another” (Matt. 22:36-40) he summarized the law.

Here is one paraphrase of the ten commandments: 1) Love, worship, and fear God alone. 2) Don’t be convinced by the ultimate power of human-made things. 3) Speak faithfully and genuinely of the Lord. 4) Honor God and God’s creation with rest and worship. 5) Give respect to the wisdom of your parents and all who have come before you in the human family. 6) Do not kill anyone, but cultivate life. 7) Do not break the covenant of marriage and family by unfaithfulness, but honor your commitments. 8) Do not take what belongs to another person. 9) Do not lie, but be authentic and truthful with other people. 10) Do not be tempted by worldly possessions so that you would envy another person’s possessions, job, home, family, or life situation, but seek simplicity, satisfaction, and wholeness in what you already have.

Which of these commandments is hardest for you today? Each of us falls short of this covenant, and together as a community, we all have fallen short. Knowing this can be a source of pain and shame, or it can be a catalyst for conviction.

I have often struggled with rule #10, the commandment not to “covet”. Covet seems to be a fancy word describing jealousy, and I am no stranger to jealousy. Talking with my sister, I know I’m not the only one. We both have an odd habit, when we are not feeling satisfied with our lives, to look at houses online and imagine living somewhere else.

If I lived somewhere cooler, I could spend more time outside in the summer. Here, it’s so hot I can hardly think. If I lived somewhere quieter, I would sleep better at night. Here, there are car alarms and fireworks and leaf blowers at all hours of the day. If I lived with a partner I would never be lonely. Or, if I lived alone, I would finally have some space to breathe. My sister shared the story of leaving one apartment because the rats were too much to bear, only to learn her new apartment had rats, too! How often do we ignore the metaphorical “rats” in the things we covet?

It has been said that “comparison is the thief of joy”. This is especially true in an image-driven culture, where we often project the best of our lives. We do not see the “rats” in each other’s lives, so we imagine we are the only ones facing struggles. In effect, jealousy can even cause us to dehumanize one another to the point of hatred.

We imagine the lives we want for ourselves, but it often doesn’t help us make changes in our own lives. All it seems to do is make us more and more disappointed in our own circumstances. God must have known that jealousy just isn’t good for our spirits. If we are to live at peace with ourselves and one another, we must recognize the good that we already have. We must let go of the desire to compete and come out on top. We must will the good for our neighbor as ourselves. This is hard and worthwhile work.

God of Covenant Promise, You have called us into new life and life abundant. Free us from the fear of losing what we have, the fear of missing opportunities, and the fear of not being enough. Give us what we need to face today, and help us trust that You will be with us still tomorrow. In the Strong Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.