1 SAMUEL 18:6-9 – “As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” And Saul eyed David from that day on.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE SIN OF ENVY. In today’s scripture, Saul provides a serious warning for us as Christians. It is a warning against a soul-deadening sin that more often than not goes unnoticed by those observing us. It lies deep inside our hearts causing great distraction from Jesus, the development of a critical heart, and because it rarely becomes public makes us live hypocritical lives. We will give all the outward impression of a vital spiritual walk with Jesus, even in our conversations, but inside is a spiritual cancer eating away at us. This sin? Slowly go back and recognize it in the scripture of the day. It is not hard to identify.
After reading the above passage, we may say, “Saul is guilty of wanting the praise of people instead of the single praise of God.” That would be true, and a real danger for us. We care a lot about what people think of us, and maybe so much we seek their approval of our behavior more than God. Guard against it. This sin lurks in the heart of every Christian ready to raise its ugly ahead and wreak havoc in our spiritual lives. But there is another sin, and the one we are focusing on today. Saul is guilty of the sin of envy.
Saul was displeased that David was getting more attention for his warfare successes than himself, and it made him quite angry. Envy does this. Envy wants all the attention or at least the center of attention. And this happens too often in churches. Believers get jealous over the giftedness of other Christians. They become envious because they are being used more, and that publicly, than themselves. Or these Christians allow envy to go beyond service for the Lord. It might be envy of a marriage, an occupation, material possessions, where they live, even how their children seemed to be turning out right. Envy knows no bounds, and, like the praise of people, it is deadly because of its secretive nature.
The ultimate revelation and consequence of the sin of envy is what it reveals about our hearts. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian believers on the topic of love, stated “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (1 Corinthians 13:4). Let this sink in . . . to be envious is to not be loving, and remember what Jesus said, “By this (your love for another) shall all people know you are My disciples (John 13:34-35). The sin of envy is quite serious. May the Lord help us guard our hearts from it getting a grip on it.
PRAYER: “Father, put a guard on my heart that warns me of the first sign of envy seeking to get a grip on me.”
QUOTE: “Envy is so wicked for it destroys relationships and brings bitter discontent to the one being envious.”