An employee works only half the time he's on the job, but he receives full salary and benefits.

An accident victim becomes independently wealthy by launching an aggressive court case against an insurance company.

A widow is confronted with a sales agent who won't take "No, thank you" for an answer. Too weary to contend with him and too polite to dismiss him, she signs the papers and closes a deal she never wanted.

What do these scenarios have in common? If each were done with a gun, it would be a felony. Yet, they are so commonplace that if you raised an eyebrow, you would be howled down. Larceny has found its legal loophole.

Hearts set on felony

God closed the loophole with the command: "You shall not covet."

Here God shows us what he sees: Like buzzards on fence posts, each waits for something to happen--death, misfortune, a moment of inattention, ignorance, confusion, weakness--anything that can be turned into an opportunity for gain. When it does, everyone swoops down to fight over the carcass.

One man secretly revels in the neighbor woman's divorce. Another lies awake at night thinking of ways to contest the estate of a deceased relative. A third knows how to save his friend's business, but says nothing so he can buy him out at a rock-bottom price. Another amasses credit card charges irresponsibly, hoping he can avoid his creditors by declaring bankruptcy. When he files, others chide themselves for not have taken advantage of the bankruptcy laws sooner.

Policemen won't arrest you for it. In fact, the world will praise you for being shrewd. But God sees that our hearts do not have our neighbor's best interest in mind, and condemns us for such lovelessness.

We could pass stricter laws and enforce more severe punishments, but that doesn't get to the heart of the problem. Have you ever seen a movie where the criminal is bound and gagged? Usually he's thrashing on the floor, screaming muffled obscenities. Police may have kept him from hurting society for the time being, but everyone knows if he ever gets loose, he'll be seven times the rogue he was before he was arrested. Why? Because handcuffs don't change a man. They only inflame the wickedness in his heart.

Coveting has more to do with who we are by nature than what we do. Jesus said that the heart we were born with is a polluted well from which every evil flows: ". . . out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" (Matthew 15:19).

When God tells us not to covet we begin to understand just how impossible it is to live the holy life God demands. We stand guilty of breaking all of the commandments. As St. Paul said to the Romans in chapter 3, "There is no one righteous, not even one. . . . Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law: rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."