Have you ever desired something someone else had so badly that it caused you to have negative feelings toward that person? Have you felt threatened that a relationship with someone is being infringed upon by someone else? These two feelings are envy and jealousy. Envy is a reaction to lacking something. Jealousy is a reaction to the threat of losing something. This means that when you are feeling jealous, you are often feeling envious as well. They are not exactly the same, yet envy and jealousy usually go hand in hand. Jealousy is a sin that causes us to see things totally different than what they are. It has often been called the green-eyed monster. Both envy and jealousy are emotions that are consuming. When they are at their peak they can jump ahead of all other emotions and cause you to do things you never thought you were capable of doing. There is nothing about envy or jealousy that is helpful to us. If not handled God’s way these two emotions can destroy us.
Proverbs 14:30 “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.”
Proverbs 14:30 says it is harmful to our physical wellbeing. One commentator states it like this; “envy or jealousy is like a consuming disease, into the very bones and marrow of a man’s moral life”
This was fully exhibited in Saul’s life. All had been well with Saul until the Philistines were raging an attack. Goliath was taunting them, and when a young shepherd boy said “is there not a cause” Saul was willing to allow him to take up the battle. David refused the armor and spear that Saul offered. They were to heavy for him to maneuver. He chose to depend on the Lord. He used five smooth stones and a slingshot, led by the power of God.
When David killed Goliath the giant, and helped Israel to defeat the Philistines, the people praised him in the streets. Saul became very jealous. He was happy to have help with the enemy, but now he was jealous because David was getting the praise he wanted.
I Samuel 18:5-8 “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?”
Saul’s jealousy of David grew out of a feeling of insecurity and fear. Saul was afraid David would take his kingdom from him. David later became the king, but that was never the intent of David. Saul would not deal with his sin of jealousy, and it grew to the point he tried to kill David.
I Samuel 18:11 “And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.”
Saul’s jealousy was out of control and by giving into it he separated himself from God. He chose to yield to the flesh instead of the spirit. The root cause of Saul’s death was his envy and jealousy of David. In I Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul tells the church at Corinth that their jealousy is a sign of immaturity. They are still on the milk.
So, how are we to handle these feelings of envy and jealousy. Sooner or later it will happen to all of us. The key is to recognize what we are feeling and to acknowledge it as sin. We need to change our thinking and renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2). Philippians 4:8 also tells us what to think upon. II Corinthians 10:5 says “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” We are to take all our thoughts captive. We need to seek to have the mind of Christ thinking of others before ourselves.
If you have a jealous heart or you feel envy creeping in ask for forgiveness, ask God to reshape your heart. Be severely honest with yourself.
We need to do as we are instructed in James 4:7 and submit to God.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
If Saul had followed God in obedience, he would have realized David was there to help. He would have understood he was a friend provided by God. Then, Israel’s history would have been very different!
