The Cost of Envy预览

Jealousy

All of these unpleasant realities are indicators that something is wrong. Sometimes, as in the case of jealousy, it can indicate something is wrong with someone else. There is a time for alarm bells to go off in our hearts when someone who should be rightly and uniquely loyal, loving, and linked to us is straining that link by giving their love and loyalty elsewhere.

The agonizing heartache and unsettling indignation of a broken marriage vow or a cheating girlfriend are examples of appropriate feelings of intensely wanting something we don’t currently have. We know these feelings are appropriate because the God of the universe reveals Himself to be perfectly holy and rightly jealous. He does not experience the feelings precisely as we do, but the sinless triune God tells us as clearly as possible in Exodus 34:14, “You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” What a way to put it! “My name is Jealous.” It couldn’t be more definitive. And the context at the beginning of the verse helps us understand that there is obviously nothing wrong with Him, but only with the idolaters.

All of humanity should recognize God and be devoted to Him— the only God. The God who created them also sustains and grants each of them life, breath, and every daily provision. When they enthrone something or someone other than God in the place of God, God says He will express and act from His holy attribute of jealousy.

The problem with our jealousy is that we are often jealous about something or someone when we have no right to be. We cannot be jealous that one friend gives more honor or attention to another friend who just happens to not be “us.” We often make imaginary and misguided claims in our hearts about positions, possessions, or people not rightly or uniquely ours. This is when our hearts must be called out for being territorial, controlling, and clingy because having those roles, relationships, and riches is based solely on our selfish need to feel better in having them. When this unjustified second sort of jealousy is present in our lives, it can be said to have a similarity with the sins of coveting and envy.