In the chambers of the Supreme Court of the United States, previous serious Americans have placed the Ten Commandments. They are there both to memorialize one of the first set of codified laws and to recognize that our freedoms are a gift from our Creator. Although the King James language, for some, seems to set these laws apart from our present day life, it is clear that they are a rock solid foundation for people to live together. Unfortunately, living by the Commandments is more difficult than displaying them. Perhaps that is a reason why many on the Left are doing all they can to remove the Ten Commandments from public view.

In the King James translation, in Genesis 20:17, the 10th Commandment reads “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” The point is that “coveting” is destructive to both the individual and society. In the individual, coveting can be seen as envy. More significantly, it means jealousy and resentment for the things that your neighbor has and you don’t.

Politicians have found that they can use this resentment as a tool to unite voters. There are clearly more people in the “99%” than in the 1%. And in any election, 99 will always beat 1. As long as the politicians use this policy of jealousy, we will have unending tension between those who less and those who have earned or inherited more. Hopefully, some politicians will live by another verse:

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.