It Starts Small

So Paul listed that love is patient and kind, then he hits the first characteristic love is not: envious.

What is envy?

Desiring what is not yours.

Fear of loosing something.

Painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with desire to posses the same.

The Greek word used is zēloō. It means to burn with zeal, to desire earnestly, pursue, to envy. I think we can get a clearer idea of what Paul is talking about by looking where else this same word is used.

The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him

Acts 7:9

Paul is speaking about Joseph’s brothers. (Genesis 37:11-35) They were envious of their father’s favoritism towards Joseph. It led them to conspiring to murder him, and eventually they sold him into slavery and told their father a wild animal had killed him. I believe we can learn that this sort of behavior destroys relationships.

But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.

Acts 17:5

Reading various commentaries on this verse, we could spend all day debating what exactly the Jews were getting jealous about, but God’s Word says they were Jealous and as a result, they incited others to mob together and be violent. 

In other places throughout God’s Word we see examples of jealousy. The most famous is the jealousy of Cain towards Abel. Abel simply obeyed God and God was pleased. This upset Cain to the point he committed the first murder in humanity. 

⁸ Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” ⁹ So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

1 Samuel 18:8-9

Saul had lost the favor of the Lord because He refused to repent. He had become a people pleaser. He cared more about what the people thought than what God commanded. He admitted as much, but never repented. Favor of the Lord had come to David and David loved and served Saul, even thought he was the appointed king. As David became a mighty warrior, the people began to sing praises of David that he was mightier than Saul. Saul could not see David’s loyalty and service to him. Instead He grew a root of bitterness and became jealous of David. 

Sadly, David experienced jealousy the moment He saw and desired another man’s wife. In 2 Samuel 11, we read of David’s mighty fall. His desire to have what he could not, lead him to murder.

Another example is our enemy’s jealousy of God. Satan is jealous of God. He jealousy of wanting to be God destroy his relationship with God, took a host of angels with him in rebellion and lost. Is it not interesting how envying and jealousy, coveting, gathers others to destroy and take what another has. It is no wonder that he employs this tactic in our lives. (See Ez 28, Isaiah 14:12-14)

Envying, coveting, jealousy is a dangerous and powerful sin. 

Fury is cruel, and anger a flood,
but who can withstand jealousy?

Proverbs 27:4

In Proverbs, we read that this behavior is destructive and leads to a remorseful life. Proverbs also reveals it destroys the body.

A tranquil heart is life to the body,
but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.

Proverbs 14:30

This sin leads to our estrangement from God.

²⁸ And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. ²⁹ They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. ³² Although they know God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.

Romans 1:28-32

God’s Word tells us what the Consequences are to this behavior:

Denies our uniqueness. Psalms 139:13-16 speaks about how God made us all. He made us all different and when we envy and covet what we do not have, we decide that God made a mistake. He is some how shorting us on what we deserve or want.

Divides your attention.

“No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24

We can not serve two masters. If you recall, God is love and love is God. You can not claim God to be God and envy others. You can not serve God with a heart that desires what others have. 

Wastes Time and Energy.

⁴ I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person’s jealousy of another. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
⁵ The fool folds his arms
and consumes his own flesh.
⁶ Better one handful with rest
than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind.
⁷ Again, I saw futility under the sun: ⁸ There is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. “Who am I struggling for,” he asks, “and depriving myself of good things?” This too is futile and a miserable task.

Ecclesiastes 4:4-8

Envious pursuits is like chasing the wind. It leads to a lonely road because it destroys relationships and when we finally get it, it does not satisfy. It brings not relief to struggles. You end up being miserable and never satisfied.

Leads to every other sin.

 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice.

James 3:16

Envy is a sever heart problem. It destroys everyone and everything around you. Notice, James says there is disorder and EVERY evil practice. 

Your worship and desires gets misguided:

I desire that.
I want that.
I live for that.

When “that” is not God, it’s an idol.

What can we do to run in the opposite direction?

Develop a heart of gratitude.

Be content with what you have!

Jealously is the fear of losing – trust what you have is what God wants you to have. Take care of what you have. If you want more, take care of what God has given you. Learn to be content with what He has given you. 

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