Psalm 73 : Overcoming EnvySýnishorn

The Slippery Slope of Envy

Yesterday, we explored how envy robs us of our contentment. Today we will examine how envy can lead us to compromise our values.

The danger with envy is that it is often just the first step down the slippery slope of compromise. When we become fixated on something that someone else has that we don't, we get tempted to bend or break rules to get that something for ourselves. This pattern can be seen from the very beginning of creation, in the story of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve's problem wasn't that they lacked enough food, but that they desired the fruit that had been forbidden to them. Because they coveted something that only God could have, they ended up disobeying his command in order to get what they wanted. And we are still living with the consequences of their choice.

Similarly, once envy had entered the psalmist’s heart, he began to question the value of obedience to God. In v13 he says, "All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence." As if the only reason for being good is to be given what we want and that if we don't get what we want it isn't worth it to be good!

We also tend to respond the same way. For example, if you're trying to sell a house, you might compare the offers you are getting to someone else who got a higher amount by selling in black. There is then a temptation to think, "What's the point of keeping the rules? I can get a much larger amount (that I deserve to get) if only I accept money in black. It is how the system is! I can't help it!". Or if someone gets a raise at work and you don't - and who doesn't covet a raise - there is a temptation to think "What's the point of working hard and being sincere at work? Might as well slack off and cut some corners if my work is not appreciated".

That's why James 1:14-15 warns us, "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." Because envy rarely stops with just envying. It often leads to actions that are not in line with what is pleasing to God. The psalmist reflects on this when he says, "When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you” (Psalms 73:21-22). Envy harms our relationship with God.

Have you ever felt tempted to compromise your values because of envy?