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Coping with Life 23 – Envy and Jealousy
Coping with Life 23 – Envy and Jealousy
Mike Willis
In Romans 1:29 Paul strings together a long list of vices characteristic of those who have rejected God; among the twenty vices is included the Greek word phthonos. That Greek word is translated as “envy, jealousy” (BDAG, 1054). William Barclay explained the meaning of this word so that one can more clearly discern the sinister side of envy. He wrote, “There is a good and a bad envy. There is the envy which reveals to a man his own weakness and inadequacy, and which make him eager to copy and to rise to some great example. And there is the envy which is essentially a grudging thing. It looks at a fine person, and is not so much moved to aspire to that fineness, as to resent that the other person is fine. It is the most warped and twisted of human emotions” (The Letter to the Romans, 28).
King Saul’s conduct toward David illustrates the evils of envy and jealousy. He was king over Israel and should have rejoiced when his army won a great victory over the Philistines. David had recently led the Israelite army to victory. As King Saul returned home from battle, the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet him. They sang, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7). Saul’s reaction demonstrates his envy and jealousy of his military commander: “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” (1 Sam. 8:8-10). Saul felt threatened by the success of David. Soon Saul was sending out his troops to kill David.
Sometimes men develop a state of mind that finds it impossible to see good in others; they begrudge their colleagues of their good fortune, sometimes attributing their success to chance or asserting that they were promoted only because they were friends with the boss. From that moment on, whatever good the promoted colleague does is interpreted through biased lenses; their formerly close friend is becoming a hated enemy.
How do you react when your colleague is given the promotion you wanted? Can you rejoice with him in his promotion, or do you put on a false smile, insincerely congratulate him, and then begin nit-picking everything he does? Before long, the green-eyed monster of jealousy has created a new enemy for you!
Would it not be better to sincerely congratulate your work associate and began to study what good characteristics he possesses that you can emulate. Is he better qualified to inspire other men to superior work than you? Is he capable of doing more skilled jobs than you presently can do? Has he had more years of company experience? Is he more loyal to the goals management has set before its working staff? Learn what you can from that co-worker and improve your own service! By learning what you can from such leaders, you will become better, and not bitter.
