Matthew 5:17-20

The 10th commandment focusses on our desires…specifically the covetous desire for more than we have. By giving us a commandment that governs our desires, God reveals how deep the other 9 commandments really go…that they too were intended to govern not only our behaviour but our desires as well. This is precisely Jesus’ point when he describes a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees–that law keeping isn’t merely about external conformity but internal transformation. By focusing on coveting, the 10th commandment forces us to consider the powerful role that discontentment plays in our lives. So much of our lawbreaking is born out of a desire to have or experience something more or better than we currently have. The anecdote to coveting, and by extension, the discipline that helps empower us to keep all the law of God, is gratitude–to daily dwell on the undeserved and unmerited generosity of God.