Devotional: Jealousy
"A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones."
- Proverbs 14:30
Jealousy, greed, desire, covetousness, envy… all are threads of the same cloth.
“Do not covet” is the last of the 10 Commandments that God gave to Moses. If it made it to God’s top ten, then there is clearly a good reason. Our human nature is bent to always want more; being satisfied with what we have is the opposite of our nature.
“Covet” in original Hebrew is ḥāmaḏ, which means “to desire.” Think about the Garden of Eden and the serpent’s tactic of enticement toward Eve… “‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:4-6).
The original lie that led to the fall of humanity was a result of desire. But what caused that desire? The serpent (Satan) was an instrument of temptation, but at the core, it was a result of not trusting that God’s provision was enough. They bought into the lie that there was better, and that God was withholding from them.
With that understanding, it makes sense why God included “do not covet” in the top ten of His commandments. When we covet or become jealous of others, it reveals a lack of trust in God. It reveals that we believe God has made a mistake or that He and His blessings aren’t sufficient for us. Because He is our Creator, I can’t even imagine how hurtful it is to Him when we let envy cultivate in our minds and hearts. As with every sin, it reveals our pride, thinking that we know better than God. All He wants is our childlike trust because He loves us and knows what is best for us. We might think that we know better than Him, but that it is far from the truth.
Not only does coveting reveal our lack of trust in God, 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” When we covet, it doesn’t stop there. It might begin secretly in the heart, but it will eventually manifest through our actions if we don’t cut it off. And like this verse says, greediness eventually caused these people many sorrows.
But what kind of sorrows? Let’s start with the first one in the books: Cain and Abel. Cain was jealous of God’s approval of Abel, which led him to murder his own brother, which led him to lie to God. As a consequence, Cain was driven away to live as a fugitive and nomad. God cursed the ground, making it a challenge for him to grow crops, affecting his livelihood.
In our modern-day, here are some possible scenarios:
Lusting after a married man or woman leads to cheating, secrets, lies, and eventually a broken relationship.
Wanting the next trendy item that you can’t afford can lead to theft, which could lead to jail time.
Desiring to be like influencers on social media leads to a rabbit trail of Botox, plastic surgery, etc. which could lead to a botched job or medical issues.
Desiring your friend’s life instead of your own can lead to treating them with contempt, which can lead to a broken friendship.
Wanting more and more money can lead to spending too much time working and not enough time with your family.
Wanting to be famous or popular leads to compromising morals and integrity.
You name it. One seed of jealousy leads to a forest of sorrows.
Ultimately, allowing jealousy to grow results in “rottenness in the bones” like the proverb said. Even if your coveting doesn’t lead to a “serious” consequence like a broken relationship or prison, you will face the lack of contentment like a disease you can’t cure. You will always be reaching, striving, and feeling unsatisfied. It will tear you apart.
What is the cure to jealousy inside of us?
The answer is Jesus. Truly!
What it boils down to is being secure in your identity in Christ. That is the answer to overcoming all sins.
Your identity in Christ means that you are unconditionally loved by God as His child (Romans 5:8; Psalm 107:1).
You can trust that He has given you the body, mind, personality, talents, and abilities that are unique to you, with no mistakes.
You can be confident that God intentionally created you and knows you better than you know yourself (Psalm 139).
You can trust that He will provide you with everything you need (Matthew 6:26).
You can enjoy the many blessings, spiritual and physical, that God has given to you (2 Peter 1:3).
You can embrace who you are and your unique ability to contribute to the body of Christ. As Christians, we are symbolic of a body with Jesus being the head because we all play our part by contributing our unique gifts and talents. 1 Corinthians 12:15-20 says, “Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”
If we rest in the truth of our unique identity, the first part of the proverb can come true: “A tranquil heart is life to the body.” Unlike jealousy, which rots inside of us like a disease, resting in Jesus gives us life. No more strife.
Contentment, satisfaction, peace, tranquility… all are threads of a Godly cloth. When we rest in God’s goodness toward us, we can let go of the search for more and better.
Take a moment: Think of a specific scenario in your life where you experienced a seed of jealousy.
Did you let that seed grow? What was the result? Was there a snowball effect that led to many sorrows?
My experience with jealousy usually doesn’t have to do with materialistic things. When I feel jealousy, it’s usually a desire for someone else’s talents, abilities, or stage of life. If it is a friend, I’ve noticed that the result of that unchecked jealousy bleeds into withdrawing from the relationship, or thoughts of comparison and judgment.
If it’s someone on the internet that I don’t know, the seed of jealousy leads to critical thoughts and feeling insecure about my life. That seed of jealousy will always continue to pop up, but I’ve gotten better at ripping it out by reminding myself of God’s goodness and love toward me.
Next time you approach the Bible and come across exhortations to put aside greed/envy/jealousy, consider that it isn’t one of the “smaller” sins. In fact, it is the root of many other sins.
Ephesians 5:3 – “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people.”
Luke 12:15 – “And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”
Proverbs 28:25 – “A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.”
Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
James 3:16 – “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
1 Corinthians 13:4 – “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.”
Avoiding jealousy by trusting that the Lord will meet all your needs and that He has created you uniquely is what it means to live by faith.
-Alina