As we have been going through I Corinthians chapter 13, the last two devotions were on long-suffering and kindness. These are attributes love must have for it to be a healthy love that grows. Today we will look at an attribute that verse 4 says we should not have. This attribute is envy. Envy is a feeling of discontentment because of the desire for what someone else possesses. It may be an item they have or a quality they possess.
I Corinthians 13:4 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,”
As always, God doesn’t leave us guessing what he is talking about. He gives us examples. Acts 7:9 tells us Joseph’s brothers were envious of him and they sold him into slavery. Joseph’s father showed Joseph favor over his other sons, and it caused trouble among his sons. They also were angry because Joseph had dreams where his brothers would bow down to him. Most often envy is accompanied by anger or resentment. These brothers were envious, but it did not prosper them.
Act 7:9 “And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him”
In Acts 17:5, again people were moved with envy. Paul was preaching in Thessalonica in the synagogue of the Jews. As usual, when he would enter a city, he would first go to the Jews to preach before he preached elsewhere. The Jews were furious and sought to kill Paul. When they couldn’t find Paul at Jason’s house, they brought out Jason and their acquisition was that he “turned the world upside down” by harboring Paul and Silas. Paul and Silas were successful in spreading the gospel and the envy of the men threw them into a rage.
Act 17:5 “But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.”
Envy is one of those emotions that can consume and cause a person to do things they never thought possible. If not dealt with, it will grow and eat away at our very fiber of life. Proverbs 14:30 says envy is the rottenness of the bones. A healthy heart is full of love and desires what is best for others. The commentator Albert Barnes says the “contrast here shows envy as a consuming disease that eats away into the very bones and marrow of a man’s moral life.”
Proverbs 14:30 “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.”
The book of Proverbs also gives us a warning in this matter. We tend to look at our lives and compare them to the lives of others. Many Christians suffer or go through hardships and instead of looking to scripture and to the Lord, they look at how others seem to be profiting. They desire the prosperity of those who are not Christians. We must keep in focus that this world is not our home. One day we will stand before God, and if we have followed him obediently, there will be no more strife, pain, or sorrow. However, for the person who seems to be doing great but is not living for the Lord, they will spend eternity in Hell. It is wrong to envy others, especially wrong to envy sinners.
Proverbs 23:17 “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.”
In our key verse today, we are told love does not envy. It is simple. If you feel this way, love is not ruling your heart. When you see sinners enjoying life, don’t wish it were you. Show love for them by praying for them. Live a life that is joyous through your trials so they will notice that they are missing something. God built within each of us a desire that only He can fill. No matter how successful a person is or how happy they seem to be, they will come to a point where they wonder if this is all there is. They will have a hole that is empty and only God can fill it. Love them and tell them what life is truly all about.
