Christian Family Services Ministry

11-23-2019 – A Word to the Wise – How long has it been since you heard a lesson on envy? What is envy anyway? Something bad? Some, unthinkingly even may conceived of it as an admirable trait. Well let me have you judge for yourself. Would you have known that envy is one aspect of the first sin? Eve wanting something she had no right to. The end result affects all humanity.
The problem gets even worse, the first criminal act involved Cain envying his brother, which resulted in murder. The reality is that envy always seeks to destroy its object.
Sometimes envy is confused with jealous. However, while at times jealous may have a positive connotation, as the Lord being jealous over his creation, envy never has a positive outcome.
Envy is such a serious violation that it is even included in the last of the great Ten Commandments. Envy, you see, is a chief aspect of covetousness.
But to get a fuller understanding of just how great a disaster this quality is let’s look at some biblical examples. The following passage gives an in-depth look at the emotions and depth of depravity of envy:
Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight that I may eat from her hand.”
Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.” So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing as for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” (ESV)
Notice please the absolute obsession of Amnon with something that he should not have. By the way you frequently see this same type of obsession today in immoral relationships. Regardless here Amnon demands, connives, and gets what he wants then look what happens. After violating Tamar the text says now he hates her and kicks her out condemning her to a life of shame. Notice please how envy seeks to destroy.
You see a similar pattern with David and Bathsheba. After he takes her from her husband he then has her husband murdered. Envy is emotionally, and physically destructive with no redeeming qualities.
Turning to the New Testament we see the covetousness and envy of Judas in betraying Jesus. Getting what he wants the death of the Lord is the result.
Finally, out of the mouth of Pilate comes the fateful recognition concerning the Jew’s deliverance of Jesus “For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.”
These examples reveal to us the horrible effects of envy and why scripture so roundly condemns it. The question for us today is do we exemplify this same trait in our life as well?