Facing the Green-Eyed Monster
There was once a monk who lived in a wilderness cave. He was known far and wide for holiness, so much so that his reputation reached even to hell itself. So the devil took three of his most effective demons with him to tempt the monk out of his godliness. They found the monk sitting at the mouth of his cave, a serene look of contentment on his face.
The first demon planted in his mind the temptation of great power, with visions of glorious kingdoms. But the monk’s face remained serene. The second tempter planted in the monk’s mind the temptation of great wealth, with visions of gold and silver and prosperity. But still the monk’s face remained serene and contented. The third demon planted in his mind the temptation of sensuous pleasure, with visions of beautiful women. But the monk’s face remained quiet and godly.
Annoyed, the devil barked, “Step aside, and I will show you what has never failed.” He strolled up beside the monk, leaned over, and whispered into his ear, “Have you heard that your classmate Makarios has just been promoted to bishop of Alexandria.” The face of the monk scowled.
Of all the seven deadly sins, envy is the most culturally endorsed. In its simplest definition, it is wanting what others have enough to resent them for having it. It destroys souls and lives, families and relationships, ministries and churches. What it did to Saul, it is waiting to do to you and your class this week. We have only this study to get ready.
Envy and those it infects
“After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself” (1 Samuel 18:1). Thus began one of the most famous and pivotal friendships in all of human history. No Jonathan, perhaps no David. Perhaps no Israel as we know it in the biblical witness. Perhaps no “Son of David” who would come to pay for our sins on our cross. While God undoubtedly would have found another way to accomplish His purpose, it would not have been the incredible story that ensues from this one verse.
The text tells us that Jonathan “loved” David, using the Hebrew aheb (not yada, the word for sexual relationship). But the text does not explain why Jonathan would have become so committed to David after his friend David’s conversation with the king. If their talk was directly responsible, perhaps David used the occasion with the king to share his faith in God and commitment to God’s kingdom, and this faith attracted Jonathan. Or it may be that their friendship grew in ways not disclosed by the text and happened to blossom after David’s talk with Saul. Whatever the circumstances, Jonathan “loved him as himself,” fulfilling Leviticus 19:18 and the second “Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:39).
Their friendship led to a “covenant” (1 Sam. 18:3), an unconditional commitment to each other. Their society, like ours, was based on contracts, conditional relationships that can be broken whenever the stated provisions are not honored. A “covenant” is binding and permanent, the complete commitment of one to the other. Jonathan would honor this covenant over his own father’s wishes and kingdom, and even at the cost of his own advancement. He sealed their covenant with the gift of his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt (18:4). His royal robe and armaments were designed to signify his place as heir to the throne. Giving them to David was tantamount to giving his own throne. Imagine a friend who held title to his father’s mansion, to be transferred to him upon his father’s death. Now your friend gives that title to you. You would certainly know the depth of his commitment to your friendship. So it was with Jonathan and his best friend.
Saul quickly promoted his new associate to a military position, pleasing the people and other officers (18:5). But then the trouble began. David’s success won him instant acclaim (18:6-7). His popularity “galled” Saul (18:8). In his growing paranoia and envy of David’s success, Saul conjectured that the new hero would have the throne next (18:8b). So Saul kept a “jealous” or envious eye on David (18:9).
All the while, David continued to serve his king. An “evil spirit” came upon Saul again (18:10). Saul “was prophesying” (18:10), proving that not all prophetic or spiritual utterance comes from God. David played his harp as before. Saul tried twice to spear him to death (18:11). When David escaped, the king put him in a military position intended to lead to his death, but God’s servant instead triumphed (18:12-15). As a result, “all Israel and Judah loved David” (18:16). Saul was left to stew in his bitterness and envy.
The story did not end here, of course. Saul would continue to seek David’s life (1 Sam. 19), but Jonathan would help and protect his best friend (1 Sam. 20). David would spare Saul’s life twice and then assume his throne upon his adversary’s death. The tragedy that was Saul’s story is proof across the ages that envy is a deadly sin indeed.
What is wrong with envy?
Our culture values envy. We are told to want what we don’t have and to compete with those who have it until it’s ours. Envy screams at us from billboards lurking beside our highways. It whispers through the seductive voices of radio personalities. It entices us through television ads that are more entertaining than the shows themselves. Try reading a magazine or newspaper without wanting something you didn’t know you needed. Open a web page and see how many ads you see.
Greed is wanting something we don’t have. Envy is resenting those who have it. Of the two, the latter is more cancerous because it is contagious. It corrupts the soul who wants, and it affects the soul who has.
Why does our culture value this sin so much?
For two reasons.
First, envy promotes the materialism that fuels our society. If you and I decided that our houses were large enough, our cars new enough, our clothes stylish enough, that we don’t need what our neighbors or colleagues just bought, our economy would slow to a halt. If I envy what you own, I’ll try to get it for myself. And we live in a world that measures success by possessions.
Second, envy feeds our fascination with self-reliant achievement. We live in a culture that values the “self-made” millionaire, the athlete who came from nowhere to the limelight, the garage inventor who revolutionizes an industry. Envy promotes such self-reliance.
If I envy what you have done, I’ll try to do it. And we live in a world that measures success by performance.
What makes you envious today? Someone else’s possessions? position? status? family? happiness? health? abilities? Where is the enemy using this deadly sin against you? Why is this sin so deadly? God’s word offers several important answers to our question.
Envy is forbidden by God:
• “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong” (Psalm
37:1)
• “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways” (Proverbs 3:31)
• “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord” (Prov. 23:17).
• “Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble” (Prov. 24:1).
• “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy” (Romans 13:13).
• “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
• “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Galatians
5:26).
Envy destroys souls:
• “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (Prov. 14:30).
When we envy what others have, we will never have enough. We are never done. The cancer grows until it consumes us.
• Cain and Abel: “The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast” (Gen. 4:4-5). We know how the story ends.
• “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Ps. 73.1-2). So can we all.
Envy keeps us from God:
“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city [of Pisidian Antioch] gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles’” (Acts 13:44-46).
Envy destroys relationships:
• Isaac “had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth” (Gen. 26:14-15).
• Joseph’s “brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind” (Gen. 37:11).
Envy destroys lives:
• Haman boasted: “‘I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.’ His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Have a gallows built, seventy-five feet high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy.’ This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built” (Esther 5:12-14). Do you remember who was hanged on them? (See Esther 7:10.)
• Remember Daniel’s story: “The administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God’” (Daniel 6:4-5). They ended up with the lions they intended for him (Dan. 6:24).
• Envy crucified Jesus: “When the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, ‘Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him” (Matthew 27:17-18).
Four steps to overcome envy:
The first step to dealing with envy is to recognize its deadly power.
The enemy wants us to see envy as a healthy desire for self-improvement or a natural ambition for advancement. But if we resent those who have what we want, we are on the road to ruin. Saul had no idea that his jealousy of David would end with his own death and the permanent demise of his dynasty. But the enemy did.
A second response to envy is to choose service instead.
Whenever the enemy tempts us, we can turn the potential sin on its ear, using it to motivate godliness instead. When we are tempted by lust, we can breathe a prayer of gratitude for our spouse. When we are tempted by gossip, we can pray for those who are repeating it. When we are tempted by envy, we can pray for those who have what we do not. And we can find ways to serve them and others, elevating Jesus as Lord.
On every side we find people who seem to want advancement more than service and are now paying the price of envy. Service comes with no such cost. If Saul had sought to serve his people and David, both would have honored his humility. So would we.
Third, we can want what we have. Paul assured his Philippian friends, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4.11-13). So can we.
1 Samuel 18:1-16--Facing the Green-Eyed Monster
If Saul had been content with his status as the first king of Israel, the commander of David and all the other military leaders, he would have finished his career with distinction. As with Saul, there are two ways to deal with the materialism of our culture.
One is to define success by having what we want. The other is to define success by wanting what we have. The former leads to envy and its ruin, for we never have enough. There’s always a newer car, a nicer home, a more luxurious vacation, a more honored position to seek. The latter way—wanting what we have—leads to contentment and joy. The choice is ours.
Fourth we can remember the source of our personal worth.
We are not what we have, how we look, or how popular we are. These things are fleeting and fickle. We are the children of God, loved unconditionally by our Father in heaven. When we remember always that eternity has to do with heavenly things and not earthly things, that nothing our world provides will last beyond the grave, we are encouraged to keep our focus on our Lord. What we are in the sight of God, that we are and no more.
Nothing envy wants can make us more valuable. If Saul had found his significance in his God rather than his throne, he would have been blessed by both. The next time envy comes calling, remember that your Father cannot love you any more than he already does.
Conclusion
Where has envy found your soul today? In what way are you tempted to resent others for what you do not have? It is never too soon to deal with cancer. But the Great Physician can heal only those who come to Him for help. Remember the Source of our personal worth!
(A major portion of today’s teaching was taken from Adult Online Bible Commentary. 1 and 2 Samuel: Following God in Changing Times—Lesson Eight. Copyright © BAPTISTWAY PRESS® Adult Online Bible Commentary By Dr. Jim Denison, Pastor, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas Studies in 1 and 2 Samuel: Following God in Changing Times)
There was once a monk who lived in a wilderness cave. He was known far and wide for holiness, so much so that his reputation reached even to hell itself. So the devil took three of his most effective demons with him to tempt the monk out of his godliness. They found the monk sitting at the mouth of his cave, a serene look of contentment on his face.
The first demon planted in his mind the temptation of great power, with visions of glorious kingdoms. But the monk’s face remained serene. The second tempter planted in the monk’s mind the temptation of great wealth, with visions of gold and silver and prosperity. But still the monk’s face remained serene and contented. The third demon planted in his mind the temptation of sensuous pleasure, with visions of beautiful women. But the monk’s face remained quiet and godly.
Annoyed, the devil barked, “Step aside, and I will show you what has never failed.” He strolled up beside the monk, leaned over, and whispered into his ear, “Have you heard that your classmate Makarios has just been promoted to bishop of Alexandria.” The face of the monk scowled.
Of all the seven deadly sins, envy is the most culturally endorsed. In its simplest definition, it is wanting what others have enough to resent them for having it. It destroys souls and lives, families and relationships, ministries and churches. What it did to Saul, it is waiting to do to you and your class this week. We have only this study to get ready.
Envy and those it infects
“After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself” (1 Samuel 18:1). Thus began one of the most famous and pivotal friendships in all of human history. No Jonathan, perhaps no David. Perhaps no Israel as we know it in the biblical witness. Perhaps no “Son of David” who would come to pay for our sins on our cross. While God undoubtedly would have found another way to accomplish His purpose, it would not have been the incredible story that ensues from this one verse.
The text tells us that Jonathan “loved” David, using the Hebrew aheb (not yada, the word for sexual relationship). But the text does not explain why Jonathan would have become so committed to David after his friend David’s conversation with the king. If their talk was directly responsible, perhaps David used the occasion with the king to share his faith in God and commitment to God’s kingdom, and this faith attracted Jonathan. Or it may be that their friendship grew in ways not disclosed by the text and happened to blossom after David’s talk with Saul. Whatever the circumstances, Jonathan “loved him as himself,” fulfilling Leviticus 19:18 and the second “Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:39).
Their friendship led to a “covenant” (1 Sam. 18:3), an unconditional commitment to each other. Their society, like ours, was based on contracts, conditional relationships that can be broken whenever the stated provisions are not honored. A “covenant” is binding and permanent, the complete commitment of one to the other. Jonathan would honor this covenant over his own father’s wishes and kingdom, and even at the cost of his own advancement. He sealed their covenant with the gift of his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt (18:4). His royal robe and armaments were designed to signify his place as heir to the throne. Giving them to David was tantamount to giving his own throne. Imagine a friend who held title to his father’s mansion, to be transferred to him upon his father’s death. Now your friend gives that title to you. You would certainly know the depth of his commitment to your friendship. So it was with Jonathan and his best friend.
Saul quickly promoted his new associate to a military position, pleasing the people and other officers (18:5). But then the trouble began. David’s success won him instant acclaim (18:6-7). His popularity “galled” Saul (18:8). In his growing paranoia and envy of David’s success, Saul conjectured that the new hero would have the throne next (18:8b). So Saul kept a “jealous” or envious eye on David (18:9).
All the while, David continued to serve his king. An “evil spirit” came upon Saul again (18:10). Saul “was prophesying” (18:10), proving that not all prophetic or spiritual utterance comes from God. David played his harp as before. Saul tried twice to spear him to death (18:11). When David escaped, the king put him in a military position intended to lead to his death, but God’s servant instead triumphed (18:12-15). As a result, “all Israel and Judah loved David” (18:16). Saul was left to stew in his bitterness and envy.
The story did not end here, of course. Saul would continue to seek David’s life (1 Sam. 19), but Jonathan would help and protect his best friend (1 Sam. 20). David would spare Saul’s life twice and then assume his throne upon his adversary’s death. The tragedy that was Saul’s story is proof across the ages that envy is a deadly sin indeed.
What is wrong with envy?
Our culture values envy. We are told to want what we don’t have and to compete with those who have it until it’s ours. Envy screams at us from billboards lurking beside our highways. It whispers through the seductive voices of radio personalities. It entices us through television ads that are more entertaining than the shows themselves. Try reading a magazine or newspaper without wanting something you didn’t know you needed. Open a web page and see how many ads you see.
Greed is wanting something we don’t have. Envy is resenting those who have it. Of the two, the latter is more cancerous because it is contagious. It corrupts the soul who wants, and it affects the soul who has.
Why does our culture value this sin so much?
For two reasons.
First, envy promotes the materialism that fuels our society. If you and I decided that our houses were large enough, our cars new enough, our clothes stylish enough, that we don’t need what our neighbors or colleagues just bought, our economy would slow to a halt. If I envy what you own, I’ll try to get it for myself. And we live in a world that measures success by possessions.
Second, envy feeds our fascination with self-reliant achievement. We live in a culture that values the “self-made” millionaire, the athlete who came from nowhere to the limelight, the garage inventor who revolutionizes an industry. Envy promotes such self-reliance.
If I envy what you have done, I’ll try to do it. And we live in a world that measures success by performance.
What makes you envious today? Someone else’s possessions? position? status? family? happiness? health? abilities? Where is the enemy using this deadly sin against you? Why is this sin so deadly? God’s word offers several important answers to our question.
Envy is forbidden by God:
• “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong” (Psalm
37:1)
• “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways” (Proverbs 3:31)
• “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord” (Prov. 23:17).
• “Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble” (Prov. 24:1).
• “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy” (Romans 13:13).
• “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
• “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Galatians
5:26).
Envy destroys souls:
• “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (Prov. 14:30).
When we envy what others have, we will never have enough. We are never done. The cancer grows until it consumes us.
• Cain and Abel: “The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast” (Gen. 4:4-5). We know how the story ends.
• “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Ps. 73.1-2). So can we all.
Envy keeps us from God:
“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city [of Pisidian Antioch] gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles’” (Acts 13:44-46).
Envy destroys relationships:
• Isaac “had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth” (Gen. 26:14-15).
• Joseph’s “brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind” (Gen. 37:11).
Envy destroys lives:
• Haman boasted: “‘I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.’ His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Have a gallows built, seventy-five feet high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy.’ This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built” (Esther 5:12-14). Do you remember who was hanged on them? (See Esther 7:10.)
• Remember Daniel’s story: “The administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God’” (Daniel 6:4-5). They ended up with the lions they intended for him (Dan. 6:24).
• Envy crucified Jesus: “When the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, ‘Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him” (Matthew 27:17-18).
Four steps to overcome envy:
The first step to dealing with envy is to recognize its deadly power.
The enemy wants us to see envy as a healthy desire for self-improvement or a natural ambition for advancement. But if we resent those who have what we want, we are on the road to ruin. Saul had no idea that his jealousy of David would end with his own death and the permanent demise of his dynasty. But the enemy did.
A second response to envy is to choose service instead.
Whenever the enemy tempts us, we can turn the potential sin on its ear, using it to motivate godliness instead. When we are tempted by lust, we can breathe a prayer of gratitude for our spouse. When we are tempted by gossip, we can pray for those who are repeating it. When we are tempted by envy, we can pray for those who have what we do not. And we can find ways to serve them and others, elevating Jesus as Lord.
On every side we find people who seem to want advancement more than service and are now paying the price of envy. Service comes with no such cost. If Saul had sought to serve his people and David, both would have honored his humility. So would we.
Third, we can want what we have. Paul assured his Philippian friends, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4.11-13). So can we.
1 Samuel 18:1-16--Facing the Green-Eyed Monster
If Saul had been content with his status as the first king of Israel, the commander of David and all the other military leaders, he would have finished his career with distinction. As with Saul, there are two ways to deal with the materialism of our culture.
One is to define success by having what we want. The other is to define success by wanting what we have. The former leads to envy and its ruin, for we never have enough. There’s always a newer car, a nicer home, a more luxurious vacation, a more honored position to seek. The latter way—wanting what we have—leads to contentment and joy. The choice is ours.
Fourth we can remember the source of our personal worth.
We are not what we have, how we look, or how popular we are. These things are fleeting and fickle. We are the children of God, loved unconditionally by our Father in heaven. When we remember always that eternity has to do with heavenly things and not earthly things, that nothing our world provides will last beyond the grave, we are encouraged to keep our focus on our Lord. What we are in the sight of God, that we are and no more.
Nothing envy wants can make us more valuable. If Saul had found his significance in his God rather than his throne, he would have been blessed by both. The next time envy comes calling, remember that your Father cannot love you any more than he already does.
Conclusion
Where has envy found your soul today? In what way are you tempted to resent others for what you do not have? It is never too soon to deal with cancer. But the Great Physician can heal only those who come to Him for help. Remember the Source of our personal worth!
(A major portion of today’s teaching was taken from Adult Online Bible Commentary. 1 and 2 Samuel: Following God in Changing Times—Lesson Eight. Copyright © BAPTISTWAY PRESS® Adult Online Bible Commentary By Dr. Jim Denison, Pastor, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas Studies in 1 and 2 Samuel: Following God in Changing Times)
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