Counterfeit Gods -- The Deception of Greed & Covetousness
Counterfeit Gods
The Deception of Greed & Covetousness
March 4, 2023
Larry R Evans
C.S. Lewis wrote,
When I invited Jesus into my life, I thought he was going to put up some wallpaper and hang a few pictures. But he started knocking out walls and adding on rooms. I said, ‘I was expecting a nice cottage.’ But he said, ‘I’m making a palace in which to live.’ --Mere Christianity
Such a statement by C.S. Lewis gives added meaning to Psalm 51:15-17.
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
Few would deny a “palace” if offered to them or a close relationship with God, but who wants “a broken spirit?” Yet even secular authors recognize that while “the world breaks everyone” it is also true that “afterward many are strong at the broken places” (Ernest Hemingway in Farewell to Arms).
What does this have to do with this week’s lesson, “Beware of Covetousness?” Covetousness is a “disease” of the soul and a study of “sin” without the promised “life” doesn’t really help without the assurance of something even better. Jesus promised, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Covetousness and greed are obstacles to the abundant life Jesus offers. Covetousness and greed become counterfeit gods. While greed is a limitless desire for more (e.g., food, money, books) even if you already have some of it, covetousness is a specific desire for what someone else has that you don't. They have something you don’t and you want it! Either way, the desire for more becomes an idol.
Ezekiel saw idolatry as a persistent problem when he wrote, “these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces” (Ezek. 14:3). John Calvin, the Protestant reformer, described the human heart as an internal “idol factory.” Tim Keller reminds us that
counterfeit gods always disappoint, and often destructively so... The greater the good, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. --Timothy Keller in Counterfeit Gods, p.xix.
Keller presents a helpful definition of an idol.
What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give you. Ibid., p.xix
Idolatry, then, is as much of a problem today as ever. Examples from the Bible show how covetousness and greed have ruined lives of both the guilty and the innocent. Many have been deceived and hurt by counterfeit gods.
Achan
Everything was going well. The 40-year-long journey in the wilderness was coming to an end. They were entering the Promised Land. God’s people could taste victory. The conquering of Jericho was clearly a sign God was with them! One of the most dangerous times for individuals and for groups of believers, however, is right after a victory is experienced. Joshua 7 and 8 tell how the next city after Jericho to be conquered in Canaan didn’t go so well. The first words of Joshua 7 are, “But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things.” Contrary to the explicit instruction by the Lord, “one” person took some of the spoils of the Jericho battle for himself and hid them--no doubt because he knew he had disobeyed the covenant that had been made.
The city of Ai should have been an easy victory but instead Israel was defeated. Joshua was humiliated and dumbfounded. Why such a defeat following the victory over Jericho, why! The Lord explained,
Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. (Joshua 7:11)
The future was now at stake.
There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.(v.13)
Results of Achan’s Sin | Results When Sin Eliminated |
1. Men died (7:5) | 1. God’s encouragement (8:1) |
2. Israel’s army/people demoralized with fear(7:5) | 2. God’s presence in battle (8:1) |
3. Joshua questioned God (7:7-9) | 3. God’s guidance & promise of victory (8:2) |
4. God’s presence threatened to be withdrawn (7:12) | 4. God’s permission to keep plunder & livestock from battle for themselves ((8:2) |
5. Achan & family destroyed (7:24-26) |
QUESTION: Why should the greed and covetousness by one man cause 36 men to die and jeopardize the future of the entire people of Israel?
It does seem clear, doesn’t it, that what we do impacts others for good or evil. God’s people were entering Canaan. The danger of following the practices and values of those before them must not be incorporated into the lives of God’s people. The covenant with God brought about a special solidarity. It must not be lost.
A carefully developed process was laid out. A search tribe by tribe was done and the guilty one was found. Achan (meaning trouble or troubler) confessed but only because his deeds were discovered. There was no remorse, no repentance. He had disobeyed the word of the Lord by coveting, stealing, and hiding the items. Coveting involves direct opposition to the Lord (Gen. 3:6; Ex. 20:17). Achan was lost his life because of greed and covetousness. God would have permanently withdrawn His presence from Israel if the sin of Achan were left unpunished (vv. 12,26).
QUESTION: Pretend for a moment you were Achan, what kind of justification could you have come up with for doing what you did?
Judas
The deteriorating heart of Judas can be seen in his response to Mary’s anointing of Jesus feet (John 12:1-8) Why was Judas upset? Note verses 5 and 6. What was the real reason he was upset?
QUESTION: Do you think he was covetous or just stingy? Why?
By quoting this verse from Deuteronomy 15, what might Jesus be implying about Judas?
“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” --John 12:8
QUESTION: Compare this with Deuteronomy 15: 1-2 and 4, 7-8. Why did God say the poor would always be among them?
Ananias and Sapphira
Achan fell to covetousness following the victory over Jericho. The story of Ananias and Sapphira also comes at an exciting time for the forming church. It was the time following the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. No doubt they were caught up in the excitement of the blessings of the Lord being poured out. Acts 4:34,35 describe the prevailing spiritual atmosphere.
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land and pledged to give it all to “the cause.” The pledge wasn’t necessary but they made it public. They were taken up in the moment and such a pledge seemed the popular thing to do. Unfortunately, Satan had filled their hearts (Acts 5:3) and their generosity was motivated by the prestige that would come with the large gift than the ministry it would be part of. Like Achan (Joshua 7:1) they secretly decided to keep back some of the money for themselves.
When asked directly about it, they lied. Their sudden deaths indicate their deaths were part of the divine judgment. They had failed to recognize that God sees and knows all, and that people are ultimately accountable to Him for their actions. It is only the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart that makes it possible to live one’s faith with integrity.
QUESTION: Do you think the time of the severe judgment regarding the lies of Ananias and Sapphire was related to the recent outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Is there a possible correlation with the timing of Achan’s judgment?
Satan: The Chief of Sinners
See Isaiah 14:12-14.
To covet is to wish to have what others have. It goes beyond simply admiring someone else’s possessions or thinking, “I’d like to have one of those.” Coveting includes envy—resenting the fact that others have what you don’t. This is why there is such a close connection between covetousness, envy, greed, and idolatry. Each turns the focus on self to the exclusion of others. It is no wonder that God saw this so concerning that He included “Thou shalt not covet” as one of the 10 Commandments (Ex.20:17), Since only God can supply all our needs, true contentment is found only in Him and while covetousness replaces self for God. This is not only what caused Satan to be expelled from heaven but Scripture so that all the associated traits of covetousness remain with him to the end of his time (See 2 Thess 2:3,4). In Greek for Christ means "anointed one," "anti" means not only anti in the sense of "against" and "opposite of", but also "in place of".The word antichrist literally means in the claim to be the anointed one in the place of Christ. Isn’t that how Isaiah portrays Satan? (Isaiah 14:12-14)
God’s reasons for condemning covetousness are good ones. At its very core, envy is love of self. Envious, selfish citizens are unhappy and discontented citizens. A society built of such people is a weak one because envious malcontents, as stated before, will be more likely to commit crimes against one another, further weakening the societal structure. Furthermore, the New Testament identifies covetousness as a form of idolatry, a sin that God detests (Colossians 3:5). In the end, envy and covetousness are Satan’s tools to distract us from pursuing the only thing that will ever make us happy and content—God Himself.
Conclusion
How to Make Room for the Promised Palace
(Overcoming Covetousness)
We began our study with a quote from C.S. Lewis who reminds us of God’s plans for us which are bigger than we can imagine--as different as a little cottage is compared to a magnificent palace. (See John 14:1-4). Given the nature of coveting the following can be helpful steps for combating the very traits that kept Satan from living God’s dream for him.
- Discern your coveting attitude and repent.
- Remember who you are and the source of your identity. Ask the Lord to establish you in your identity in Christ and in the truth formula: you + Christ = enough.
- Seek the Lord for a clearer vision of who you are, your unique giftings, calling, and responsibility.
- Believe what the Lord says and let Him imprint and establish the vision in your heart and life.
- Commit to becoming this vision and version of yourself.
- Seek the Lord for your own path He has crafted for you and your life. (Psalm 16:11).
- Re-direct your desires and dreams to the Lord and align them with His vision for you. (Proverbs 16:3, Psalm 37:5)
It is only when Christian motives are fully acknowledged, and the conscience is awake to duty, when divine light makes impressions upon the heart and character, that selfishness is overcome, and the mind of Christ is exemplified. The Holy Spirit, working upon human hearts and characters, will expel all tendency to covetousness, to deceptive dealing… -- Counsels on Stewardship, p. 313
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