Marriage is to be honored among everyone, and the bed undefiled. But God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Let your lives be without love of money, and be content with the things you have. For He has said: “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:4-6

In Deuteronomy 5:21, Moses reminds Israel of God’s command against coveting (Ex. 20:17), restating the commandment in these words: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor shall you covet your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

And what God is teaching us in this commandment is to trust Him in all things and to be content in Him and in all His blessings. We are not to covet or desire what God has not given us but to trust in Him and rejoice in His blessings.

Therefore, we are to honor the covenant of marriage and keep it holy and undefiled, which means we should not covet our neighbor’s wife (or spouse), and we are not to commit adultery or engage in any kind of sexual immorality. We are not to be adulterers or sexually immoral (pornos) persons. Rather, we are to abide by God’s institution of marriage in Genesis 2:18-25 — a lifetime union of one man and one woman unto one flesh.

And, if you think about it, when we desire our neighbor’s spouse or seek to gratify our fleshly desires outside of God’s institution of marriage, what we are really doing is questioning and rejecting the truthfulness of God’s Word, which forbids both committing adultery and coveting (Deut. 5:18,21). We are yielding to the lies and deceptions of the devil and not being content with the blessings God offers and gives to us through the institution of marriage.

The writer to the Hebrews adds the warning, “God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers” (13:4).

As the commandment against coveting teaches us, we are not to desire money or the goods of this world which God has not given us, but we should live in faith, trusting that our God will meet all our needs and is working for our good.

And so, the writer to the Hebrews exhorts us: “Let your lives be without love of money, and be content with the things you have” (13:5).

This, of course, is completely contrary to the thinking of the world and our own selfish and sinful nature which is never satisfied and always seems to desire more — something better, the latest and the greatest.

Yet, the Bible cautions us against the love of this world when it says: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

The Bible urges us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).

The writer of the book of Hebrews reminds us of God’s promises (13:5,6): “‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Cf. Deut. 31:6,8; Josh. 1:5; Ps. 118:6-7.

Therefore, as we live by faith in the promise of God’s Word to grant us forgiveness, access to God the Father, and the eternal joys of heaven through faith in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for us on the cross, so we are also urged to live our lives here in this world in faith that God’s Word is true and right, that His commandments are for our good, that He will provide us with all our needs and will never leave or forsake us. We are urged to be content with what God provides us and to trust Him in all things, confident that He will lead us safely through this life to Himself in heaven!

Grant to us contentment in Your blessings, O Lord, and take from us our faithless longings for those things you have not given to us and which are not ours to have. Deliver us from the sinful lusts and desires of our own flesh and keep us from breaking Your good and holy commandments by desiring our neighbor’s spouse, loving money, or being discontent with the blessings You have given to us. Grant us faith in Christ Jesus for pardon, forgiveness and life eternal, and move us to walk by faith in Your Word. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.]