The Most Dangerous Emotion

Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous. Proverbs 27:4

Have you ever been jealous of someone? Maybe your coworker got the position you legitimately felt was yours, along with the raise. Maybe your neighbor invited you over to see the new luxury car or elaborate home theater. Maybe your roommate got the newest iPad and keeps showing off all the cool apps.

Here’s the thing: jealousy exacts a high toll on the person who embraces it. Because I know that, I’ve tried to be careful of it, but it’s a challenge at times. Each year thirty-one teams watch the Super Bowl champion—the goal they also shared but fell short of. Contracts for coaches get extended at surprisingly high amounts, especially when compared to other occupations. But I always tried to guard against that emotion, because jealous people don’t become embittered just against those who have what they don’t; jealousy colors other relationships as well. Jealous people’s hearts slowly become hardened toward what they know the Lord wants them to think and how He wants them to behave. Jealous people obsess about the object of jealousy, believing that if they get what someone else has, they will be fulfilled. Instead of building others up, jealousy wants to destroy them.

In the Bible, Esau and his descendants—the Edomites—lived and breathed jealousy. In the book of Genesis, Esau’s brother Jacob stole Esau’s birthright through a deceptive plan dressed up in a delicious meal. By the time Obadiah prophesied almost fifteen hundred years later, Esau’s descendants had watched the ups and downs of the people of Israel for centuries—cheering, jeering, and hoping the worst would befall them. After all, that seemed sweet revenge for what had happened to Esau so many centuries before.

Things haven’t changed over the millennia. People still struggle with jealousy. If left unchecked, it can escalate from a mere grudge to reveling in someone else’s misfortunes to horrifying revenge.

Uncommon Key > The moment jealous thoughts run through your mind, ask God to take them away. Never let jealousy take hold. It always leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

From the book