How does coveting lead to breaking the ten commandments?
The commandment 'Thou shalt not covet' is the one that must be committed first. It triggers breaking the rest: no one kills, steals, commits adultery, or destroys another's character with false gossip unless coveting comes first. Covetousness is therefore the underlying impulse that leads to breaking the Ten Commandments.
Les explains that Paul deliberately chose 'Thou shalt not covet' rather than 'Thou shalt not kill' or 'Thou shalt not steal.' The reason is that coveting is the one commandment out of the ten that must always be committed first. It is the trigger: a person cannot kill, steal, commit adultery, or destroy someone’s character with false gossip unless coveting has already occurred. Les says that all the way through the Ten Commandments, coveting is the thing that triggers breaking the law. He also notes that someone might object about taking the Lord’s name in vain, and he says coveting fits there perfectly, then begins to ask why people curse and swear; the supplied excerpt stops at that question.