Envy - A Perverted Love

Envy – A Perverted Love

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-8; Proverbs 14:30; Mark 7:20-23; Luke 6:45

The title of my message this morning is “Envy – A Perverted Love.”

Let me tell you a story. There was a man who had a brother whom you would assume that he loved. One day both brothers brought an offering to their father, something that each of them had prepared with their own hands. The elder brother’s offering was presented but was rejected by his father. When his younger brother presented his offering, he watched as his father accepted his brother’s offering and praised him for his thoughtfulness. When he saw his younger brother being praised, he became angry. His father saw his anger and explained to the elder son that although he had made a mistake in his chosen offering, it was okay as long as he did it right the next time. This apparently did not make him feel any better or caused his anger to diminish. Every time he looked at his younger brother, the anger was still present. Finally his anger became so great that he killed his brother.

You probably recognize this story from the book of Genesis, the story of Cain and Abel. Cain’s anger grew out of his being envious of the praise that God gave to Abel, his younger brother. Encarta’s dictionary defines envy as “the resentful or unhappy feeling of wanting somebody else's success, good fortune, qualities, or possessions.” Envy is a type of perverted love. Let me explain. The person who envies actually loves. But what does the person love? He loves what belongs to another person. And that emotion is so out of control that they build up resentment against the one who has what they desire. Envy resents the good others receive or might receive. Envy, at times, is almost indistinguishable from pride and jealousy. When you read the story think about how you would have felt if you were Cain. You’re standing there listening to God praise your younger brother after he had rebuked you. Do you think that you would probably be upset too? Cain’s anger had consumed him to the point he decided to kill Abel. Consider what would have happened if he too had received praise or if he had received the praise and his brother had received the rebuke? The outcome would have been totally different. Envy is a sin that ignites feelings of anger, jealousy, and rivalry, which can result in the person doing something in the heat of the moment that under normal circumstances they would not do. Envy is not something that we can think will not happen to us; this is a very real tool that Satan uses daily to hinder our growth as Christians.

As I said, envy is a sin of “perverted love”. Envy is perverted because it “loves” what another possesses, rather than appreciates what is good, beautiful and true. It is often portrayed as “eating away” the heart of the person like a consuming disease. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.” If you think about the function of the natural heart, a strong heart insures good blood circulation to the rest of the body, producing health and longevity. However, a weak heart is the opposite; it does not produce the necessary blood circulation to keep the body functioning like it should. When a part of the body lacks a good supply of blood it begins to die because it is not receiving the oxygen and nutrients that the blood provides. This is why it’s so important for a diabetic to maintain appropriate blood sugar levels. Wherever there is a lack of blood, the flesh begins to die and rot away. Solomon said that envy acts like a weaken heart that cannot maintain the appropriate blood supply leading to a rotting of the bones. This image is not a pretty sight.

Let me share a person story of envy. As you know, I have an older brother Delrick, who is right next to me in age, who draws really well. As a child he would spend hours writing and drawing realistic cartoon figures complete with a story line. My mother (as well as others) would praise him for his artistic abilities. Well, naturally I wanted some of that praise too. One day I had the opportunity to get it – or so I thought. My mother had taken us to work with her. She was a teacher in a Head Start program. She asked Delrick to first draw a mural of Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall on the wall outside of her classroom. She showed him the picture of what she wanted and the wall she wanted him to draw it on. Of course she asked Delrick because he had artistic abilities and I did not. As a matter of fact, I can now say that I was so bad at drawing that I could not make stick figures look right. Anyway, in my mind, I was as good as Delrick and I was going to get me some praise on that day. Delrick began drawing the mural and it was looking good. When he had finished most of it, I asked him if I could draw the feet. Now what happens next is completely Delrick’s fault. I can honestly attest to the fact that I was innocent in all of this. Why? Because Delrick knew that I could not draw; he also knew it was his responsibility because he was the one who was asked to do it; and finally, he was the older brother so he was supposed to know better. But, he did not uphold his responsibilities and he gave me the marker – maybe because he felt sorry for his little brother who couldn’t draw but thought he could.