You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Exodus 20:17
The tenth commandment strikes at the root; Thou shalt not covet. The others forbid all desire of doing what will be an injury to our neighbour; this forbids all wrong desire of having what will gratify ourselves.–Matthew Henry
What does the Tenth Commandment teach us?
First:
“Contentment is a virtue, whereby the mind rests in that portion that God has given him.” –William Ames*
Second:
That we are to be content for the prosperity of our neighbor.Third:
Contentment is the foundation of all obedience
Consider and Ponder: Contentment is the perfection of righteousness and godliness. Whatever we do should be joined with the good of our neighbor, therefore contentment is our first duty to our neighbor and the foundation of all the other commandments.
*See The Marrow of Sacred Divinity by William Ames, translated by William H. Gross, OntheWing.org.