Emotional Healing · Commitment and Service
Are we envious?
5 min read, approximately
“Saul became very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said: They have credited David with tens of thousands, but me with thousands; all he lacks now is the kingdom. From that day on, Saul did not look favorably on David.” (1 Samuel 18:8-9)
Envy arises from wanting something someone else has and we lack. Yet it is not based on a desire to improve in order to obtain it; instead, it wishes that the other person would fare worse. Envy usually blinds us to our own abilities, steals our peace of mind, robs us of sleep, makes us forget what others do for us, leads us to plot destruction rather than build others up, and takes us on a journey from which it is difficult to return. Saul constantly plotted against David, looking for ways to kill him; everything he did was aimed at David’s destruction…
“Then Saul said to David: Here, I will give you my eldest daughter Merab as your wife, provided you are a brave warrior for me and fight the Lord’s battles. But Saul thought: Let my hand not be against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” (1 Samuel 18:17)
“Saul said: I will give her to him so that she may be a snare to him and the hand of the Philistines may be against him. So Saul said to David a second time: Today you will become my son-in-law.” (1 Samuel 18:21)
“Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David moved away from him, and Saul drove the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night. Saul then sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But Michal, his wife, warned David, saying: If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” (1 Samuel 19:10-11)
How sad it is to be envious! It keeps us from seeing opportunities and what the Lord has given us; it clouds our understanding and judgment until we forget what we are capable of… Envy certainly blinds us! Another example is Miriam and Aaron…
“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. They said: Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not also spoken through us? And the Lord heard it.” (Numbers 12:1-2)
Envy leads us to grumbling… to speaking ill of our neighbors and calling them into question, believing we have the authority to invent all kinds of arguments to make them appear undeserving of what they have. Yet Aaron and Miriam failed to recognize the blessing of being the siblings of Moses, whom God used to free the people of Israel, and their privilege of being so close to the Lord!
“Then the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam: Come out, all three of you, to the tent of meeting. So the three came out. Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; both came forward. He said: Hear my words now. When there is a prophet of the Lord among you, I will appear to them in a vision and speak to them in dreams. Not so with my servant Moses, who is faithful in all my house. I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in figures, and he will see the appearance of the Lord. Why, then, were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? Then the Lord’s anger burned against them, and he departed. The cloud withdrew from the tent, and there was Miriam, leprous as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam and saw that she was leprous.” (Numbers 12:4-10)
. Another example: Cain and Abel…
“Then the Lord said to Cain: Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is at the door; its desire will be for you, but you shall rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7)
Envy keeps us from seeing the benefits we have… The Lord emphasized to Cain that “its desire will be for you, but you shall rule over it,” yet his mind was set on destroying what stood in his way! How sad that in these 3 examples everyone lost something: they lost the opportunity to follow an example, learn, and improve. Like the enemy, envy steals peace, kills our desire to progress, and destroys the work of our hands. If there is envy within us, today is a new day to give our hearts to the Lord and ask him to take control and govern our being. May his Word be the lamp that guides our steps, and may our minds be enlightened so that every argument is torn down in the name of Jesus and we begin to see the opportunities and tools the Lord has given us… For his desire is: “Beloved, I desire that you may prosper in all things”! (3 John 1:2).
May God continue to bless you
and may you continue to have an excellent day in Christ Jesus!
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