Some Practical Instruction ... On Envy

Series – March 2016 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Some Practical Instruction On
ENVY

Let us now consider briefly the examples recorded for the believer’s instruction (1 Cor. 10:11) about the dangerous sin of envy. I say “dangerous” because we shall see that it is in its character.

The First Example
We first find envy in Cain (Gen. 4). He, seeing that his brother’s offering was accepted (being with blood) while his was rejected, became envious of his brother. This led to anger, then hatred and finally to murder. In 1 John 3:12 this case is given as an express warning to us as Christians.

The next illustration we take is in Genesis 26:14. The Philistines envied Isaac’s earthly prosperity just as Cain envied Abel’s spiritual prosperity (see Ecclesiastes 4:4). Their envy was shown by maliciousness, or the desire to cause harm to others (Gen. 26:15).

We pass on to Laban’s sons (31:1) who became envious of Jacob. Laban also became full of anger against Jacob though God did not permit him to show it (vv.2,24). It is worthy to note that though Isaac and Jacob were both envied for their riches, we do not find that Abraham (although equally rich) ever was – a fact that says a great deal for his character.

The next example is that of Joseph’s brethren in Genesis 37:11. They stripped him of his coat and threw him into a pit to perish. Then, instead, his brothers sold him into slavery for twenty pieces of silver – three acts which we can only characterize as intense cruelty, springing solely from envy.

Envy In A Child Of God
Joshua is one of the last in whom we would have expected to find this evil, but the seed is, sadly, in all our hearts. We actually find Joshua in Numbers 11:28-29 trying to hinder God’s work, led on by this fearful and dangerous spirit. It is, however, only right to add that it is possible that the envy was not for his own sake but for Moses’, whose servant he was.

We have only to go to the next chapter to find an undoubted instance of envy in no less than Aaron, the high priest, and in his sister Miriam. They did not like the growing nearness of Moses to God and the different manner in which the LORD spoke to him compared to them. Envy led them to despise God’s servant. The Lord, however, did not leave Moses to fight his own battles, for Miriam became leprous, white as snow.

The sin of Korah, which follows closely in Numbers 16, was also entirely prompted by envy (Ps. 106:16) and led to still more awful consequences. Envy in this case led Korah, Dathan and Abiram into fearful lying against and reviling of Moses and Aaron (Num. 16:13-14), and it brought upon them a most appalling death (v.32). Swift was God to visit their sin on them.

Envy Leads To Murder
Let us now pass on to Saul in 1 Samuel 18:8, which says, “And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?” Envy here seems to possess Saul so fearfully that it obtains a complete mastery over him, leading him three times to attempt to murder David. To one who does not know how rapidly and fatally the poison of envy works, it seems almost incredible that for such a trivial reason Saul could have sought to kill the very one who had just delivered Israel. Yet I am sure there is not one of us who knows anything of his own heart but can trace the seeds of great crimes in the feelings prompted by envy.

In Ezekiel 35:11 we find in the case of Edom that envy leads to hatred. In the story of Daniel (Dan. 6:3-4) it is, I think, clear that envy prompted “the presidents and princes” to their cruel course, which cannot be called anything but wicked and unscrupulous.

We now pass on to the most fearful thing envy ever accomplished. In Mark 15:10 Jesus, the Son of God, was delivered up to Pilate through the wretched, miserable feeling of envy that had eaten away all that was even human in the hearts of God’s professed servants, the chief priests. Here, envy led them to crucify Christ!

In Acts 13:45 we find the same horrible sin leading the Jews, through hatred of the success of the gospel, to lie and blaspheme. And in Acts 17:5 a similar company led astray by the same feelings were guilty of rioting and violence.

The Sins To Which Envy Leads
Let us now just sum up the crimes from the few examples that we have selected, recorded in the Word, as having been committed through the sin of envy. We have seen that through envy Christ was crucified, Abel was murdered and Joseph and David were almost murdered. Envy led at different times to hatred, wicked and unscrupulous conduct, lying and blaspheming, rioting and violence, hindering God’s work, despising God’s servants, more lying and reviling, maliciousness, anger and intense cruelty.

Surely now that we have shown from Scripture part of the horrible form of this vice, our Christian readers must shudder to think that the root of all these crimes lurks in their own hearts. James does not hesitate to say that envy is a root of every evil work (Jas. 3:16). It is worse than wrath or anger – none can stand before envy (Prov. 27:4). It hinders growth in grace (1 Pet. 2:1-2), is a proof of worldly mindedness (1 Cor. 3:1-3) and is one of the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). Envy is produced by the prosperity and good deeds of others (Eccl. 4:4) and by arguments and disputes (1 Tim. 6:4).

Now to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Never let us give place to the devil in allowing envy to germinate and sprout in our hearts. Rather, let us always arrest the first risings of an envious spirit.

A Cure For Envy
Seek to rejoice in the prosperity of others and to be unselfish, for, after all, envy is only a form of selfishness. Seek the good of others, not your own. Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was not envious like Adam, but emptied Himself and ended a life of self-denial on the cross (Phil. 2). Ask yourself: “Shall I allow in my heart for a moment the feeling of envy, a feeling which prompted the crucifixion of my Lord?”

There is no telling to what extent even a child of God may be led, who even once willingly allows this feeling of envy. It grows so very rapidly that, from only beginning to be envious of the success, prosperity and position of another, we may soon begin to hate him and then plot against him.

As with pride so it is with envy: Its most horrible and deadly form is when it conceals itself under a cover of zeal for the Lord. All such actions will be exposed at the judgment seat of Christ!

Seek, beloved reader, to be pure from this vice in view of the fearful warnings the Word of God has given us. Remember, too, that it is one of the five sins that hinder our love of the Word of God itself, according to 1 Peter 2. Real occupation with Christ’s glory and interests instead of our own effectively, though unconsciously, stops not only this but many other sins. It is only the self-seeker who is envious. The servant who can truly say like his Master, “I seek not Mine own glory,” is surely delivered from a spirit of envy.

May the Lord preserve us from this sin which is, sorrowfully, by no means uncommon among young as well as old believers.

By Alfred T. Schofield, (adapted)

Look for more practical instruction next month.

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, ENVY, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion? a chief cornerstone, elect, precious,?and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected?has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling?and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” —1 Peter 2:1-10 NKJV