The ninth commandment is against covetousness. We shall not covet any of our neighbors "things" that we believe should be ours. This is in principle a repeat of thou shall not commit adultery as we do not covet thy neighbors wife and thou shall not steal. To covet is the fostering of the thought life that can lead to the breaking of several commandments.
At the heart of this commandment, is the premise that we are unhappy with the gifts that God has provided for us. We become jealous of the fact that God has blessed someone else with bigger and better gifts. Cain killed Abel because He coveted God's attention and was angry Abel had the better gift to offer.
The ninth commandment is a call to eliminate all lusts of the heart and take command of our thought life. Actual sin manifests itself when the hearts desires can no longer be controlled. Jesus brought this commandment to a higher light when He told us that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery. As Christians, we are to be content with whatever it is that God blesses us with and not to show a lack of appreciation by coveting others gifts. Besides loving God with all our heart, mind and soul, I can think of no other commandment from God that is so difficult. It is a battle for the heart and it is where we truly can determine our love for God. Can we put away the temptations of the heart and be content. After all, we all might wish riches, but have you ever coveted the position of those suffering from famine and poverty. If we cannot covet the bad, we should not covet the good.
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