Deuteronomy 19:14 – Contentment is key to harmonious living

Deuteronomy 19:14 deals with the issue of land allocation. To enable His people to co-exist harmoniously in the promised land, every tribe and family were apportioned their own piece of land. What was allotted to each was a gift from God and they would have absolute right over their apportioned land. Thus, no one had the right to shift the boundary markers of a neighbor’s land. To do so would tantamount to stealing a neighbor’s property and could lead to unnecessary strife.

This instruction might seem like a small thing, but it would go a long way to prevent a person from coveting his neighbor’s goods. In our context as believers of the Lord,  we can see this as a call of God not to eye the gifts or talents of fellow believers. Each of us has been gifted and granted different talents by God. We should seek to do our best to maximize our God-given gifts and talents instead of envying what other believers’ may have. The tenth commandment explicitly demands that no one should covet what belongs to one’s neighbor.

This simple instruction teaches us to focus on what God has given us instead of what God has given to others. This makes perfect sense because when we eye what someone may have, we can become jealous and unhappy with them. Worst still, we can become unhappy with God. Instead of focusing on what others have, we should concentrate on making the best of what we have been given. This can in turn bring the best out of us. Contentment brings about harmonious living. So do not covet our neighbor’s goods!