ENVY (Heb. qin’â; Gk. phthonos).
(1) That discontented feeling that arises in the selfish heart in view of the superiority of another (real or imagined), nearly tantamount to jealousy (Psalm 37:1; Psalm 73:3; Proverbs 24:1, 19; Phil. 1:15; etc.).
(2) That malignant passion that sees in another qualities that it covets, often resulting in hate for their possessor (Matthew 27:18; Romans 1:29; etc.).
Envying is ill will, malice, spite (James 3:14, NASB, “jealousy”). It is accompanied by every “evil thing” (James 3:16). It always desires and often strives to degrade others, not so much because it aspires after elevation as because it delights in obscuring those who are more deserving. It is one of the most odious and detestable of vices.
Envy goes beyond jealousy.
It is the spirit...
·that wants not only the things that another person has, but begrudges the fact that the person has them.
·that wants not only the things to be taken away from the person, but wants him to suffer through the loss of them.
Every thought expresses grief that another person has something, whether honor, recognition, or position.
Let’s look at some areas where envy is used in the New Testament…
Matthew 27:18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
Pilate knew that they had given him Jesus because the Pharisee’s and Sadduccee’s were envious of him because the people were drawn to him and thought higher of Jesus than of themselves so…
1. Pilate was seeking a compromise. He was trying to declare Christ innocent and to please the worldlings who were accusing Christ. Christ was innocent, yet he still lacked the courage and decisiveness to take a stand for Christ.
2. Pilate expected the people to release Christ. He thought his compromise had worked, who would not choose a great teacher over a notorious criminal?
“He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth” (Luke 11:23).
“All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:23-24).
“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11-12).
Mark 15:10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
Acts 7:9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
The first rejection and deliverance. The forefathers rejected God’s choice servant, Joseph. Jospeh had been chosen by God to save His people, Israel. From Isaac came the other patriarchs, the first forefathers of the Jewish nation. Eventually Jospeh was born, and as stated, Joseph was to be God’s choice servant to save His people, Israel.
His brothers disliked the fact that he was favored (envied) and sold Joseph into slavery…
They showed...
· their blindness to God’s purpose and plans.
· that they were sinful men, willing to stand against God’s will. Stephen was saying that the present generation was just as guilty as the fathers had been. The same spirit of envy was in their hearts against God’s plan, His Messiah and servants (the church). Are ours???
Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Some rejected and opposed Paul just as we are rejected and opposed today. There were three primary reasons for their rejection and opposition (Acts 13:45).
a.They were filled with envy toward the people who were coming to seek Christ. The place was filling up with people...
·who were different.
·who were thought unclean and dirty.
·who were sinful and unjust and derelict.
·who were outsiders to the regular congregation.
·who usually did not attend or show interest in attending and therefore did not support the permanent priests and their ministry.
b.They were filled with envy toward the preachers, Paul and Barnabas. They were preaching a message that was meeting the needs of the people and the people were flocking to them. The teachers (rabbis) were jealous of their success, for the people didn’t support them like they supported Paul and Barnabas.
c.They opposed “those things,” what Paul was doing and teaching. The doctrine and teachings of Paul. They spoke against the truth, contradicting what Scripture proclaimed. In doing so they blasphemed the name of Christ.
Know that we to can expect rejection and opposition just as we can expect openness and reception to the gospel.
“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater then his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20).
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
“O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me” (Psalm 7:1).
“All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me” (Psalm 119:86).
Acts 17:5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Philip. 1:15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
1 Tim. 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
James 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
We are to put off envy and call others to do so also…
We must turn; turn completely around. Christ warned us: “Unless ye turn.”
Turn from what?
Our sins were many, sins that are so common as we walk in selfishness day by day.
We were possessed by a selfish desire for...
· position· power· prestige· fame· wealth· fleshly stimulation
We were possessed by a spirit of...
· pride· covetousness· ambition· jealousy· worldliness· envy· rivalry
Conversion is one of the great subjects of the Bible. The reason is made clear by Christ: “Except ye be converted...ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Whether or not a person is converted determines his eternal destiny.
1. How is a person converted? By turning and becoming as a little child. What does it mean “to become as a little child”? When Christ called the child to Him, the child demonstrated exactly what Christ meant.
a. The child trusted Christ. The child responded to the call of Christ. He sensed the openness, warmth, tenderness, care, and love of Christ; so he felt free to respond and to trust Christ’s call.
b. The child surrendered himself to Christ. He was willing to give up what he was doing and go to Christ, willing to surrender whatever it was that was occupying his thoughts and behavior.
c. The child was obedient to Christ. He obeyed and did exactly what Christ requested, and it was probably difficult to do so. There were at least thirteen adult men standing or sitting there, and the child was being asked to walk into the midst of these men. Note that he obeyed despite the difficulty, and obeyed simply because Christ asked him.
d. The child was humble before Christ. All the above traits show humility. However, there is something often overlooked and abused by the adult world. Little children do not push themselves forward. They are not interested in prominence, fame, power, wealth, or position. They do not want to be placed in the midst of a group of adults, for they prefer to be in the background, away from staring, gawking eyes. Such embarrasses them and makes them feel self-conscious. Therefore, they prefer to be left in their obscure world. They are by nature humble, knowing little if anything of the competitive world that surrounds them; that is, they know little of it until they are brought into it by adults.
Let our envy be converted through Christ Jesus to love for all to whom we are sent…
And if we are seen with any green within us, let it be a green light to “Go ye therefore…”
