SIN

Part 5 -- ENVY

WHY DOES YHVH COMMAND US NOT TO ENVY OTHERS?

ENVY DEMONSTRATES A LACK OF TRUST IN YHVH.
Do not covet your neighbour's wife. Do not covet your neighbour's house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey or anything else your neighbour owns. -- Deuteronomy 5:21. To covet is to desire another person’s property. We are not to set our desires on anything that belongs to someone else. Not only can such desires make us miserable, they can also lead us to other sins such as adultery and stealing. Envying others is a useless exercise because Elohim is able to provide everything we really need, even if He does not always give us everything we want. To stop coveting, we need to practice being content with what we have. The apostle Paul emphasizes the significance of contentment in -- Philippians 4:11. It’s a matter of perspective. Instead of thinking about what we don’t have, we should thank Elohim for what He has given and strive to be content. After all, our most important possession is free and available to everyone-eternal life through our Moshiach.

ENVY CAN EASILY LEAD TO OTHER SINS.
So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat! -- 1 Kings 21:4. Envy and desire for another’s property led the way to murder in this case. But Ahab refused to admit his sin against Elohim. Instead he accused Elijah of being his enemy for bringing him YHVH’s warning of punishment. When we are blinded by envy and hatred, it is almost impossible to see our own sin.

WHAT CAUSES ENVY?
Genesis 26:12-14: That year Isaac’s crops were tremendous... Soon the Philistines became jealous of him. James 4:2: You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have and you can’t possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. -- People become jealous when they see someone who has something they do not or have more than they have.
Daniel 6:3-4: Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs. -- People become jealous when they see someone do a better job than they are doing or perhaps even better than they want to do.
Psalm 73:3: I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. -- It is easy to envy an evil person who prospers more than the righteous.
Ecclesiastes 4:4: Then I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbours. But this too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind. -- Trying to keep up with others is both the cause of envy and the fruit of envy.

WHAT IS THE RESULT OF ENVY?
Job 5:2: Surely resentment destroys the fool and jealousy kills the simple. Psalm 37:8: Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others-it only leads to harm. Proverbs 14:30: A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away. Proverbs 27:4: Anger is cruel and wrath is like a flood, but who can survive the destructiveness of jealousy? James 3:16: Wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. -- Envy unchecked will eventually destroy you.

WHAT DO I DO ABOUT MY FEELINGS OF ENVY?
Psalm 37:1, 7: Don’t worry about the wicked. Don’t envy those who do wrong... Be still in the presence of Elohim and wait patiently for Him to act. -- We can respond to envy by trying to get what we don’t have or by allowing bitterness to take hold in our lives. OR we can patiently wait for Elohim to act in our lives in the way that is best for us. And isn’t what YHVH wants for us better than what we want for ourselves?
Proverbs 24:19-20: Do not fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked. For the evil have no future; their light will be snuffed out. -- Why envy sinners; all they can inherit is judgment. Desire what Elohim has in store for you.
John 21:20-22: Peter turned around and saw the disciple Yeshua loved following them-the one who had leaned over to Yeshua during supper and asked Adonai, who among us will betray you? Peter asked Yeshua, What about him, Adonai? Yeshua replied, If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You follow me. -- Get your marching orders from YHVH straight and don’t worry about any of the other soldiers! Let Elohim work out His plan in others just as He is working out His plan in you.