I had a thought recently about coveting. It’s always puzzled me as at
the level of just being envious of something that someone else owns it
seems different from the other commandments and yes, “just” a heart
issue.
However I was observing the behaviour of our 2 dogs. The
least dominant one was lying on something and the other decided she
wanted it. She stood there, a bit too close, clearly in eye line until
the less dominant complied and reluctantly gave up the coveted position.
The more dominant is capable of getting the less dominant to concede
almost anything just by staring or standing too close for comfort. I’ve
never seen any actual violence between them yet the power relationship
is clear.
I’ve come to believe that coveting has more to do with coercion and power relationships than just heart desire.
