1 Samuel 18: The Weeds of Jealousy

"So Saul was David's enemy continually." 1 Samuel 18:29b

Have you ever been jealous of someone else? Perhaps someone else had a better job, a better car, a better house, or a better life than you have, and you wanted it. You may not have said it out loud, but you were extremely jealous of them, and you desired with all you had to tear them down so that you would feel better about yourself. Have you ever been there? I know I have, and so had Saul.

In 1 Samuel 18, we see portrayed for us the weeds of anger through the life of Saul. The chapter begins with the Israelites declaring that "Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (7). This statement makes Saul furious, as it exalts David over himself. Saul, from that point on, was extremely jealous of David, which quickly led him to attempt to murder David (11, 17-30). Thus, from this chapter, we see that jealousy leads to hatred, and hatred leads to murder.

Have you ever noticed, aside from biblical truths, how often jealousy leads to hatred? One moment, you selfishly desire something that someone else has. Next, you are rejoicing at every misfortune you hear happens in their life, and are even thinking in your own mind of ways that you can make their life miserable. We must all admit that we have been there, at least at sometime in the past. However, is this how we ought to react when someone seemingly is living a better life than us? According to the Gospel, certainly not.

But what are we to do when we are tempted to be jealous of someone? We live in a sinful world, and the devil is going to tempt us to be jealous of others, even those closest to us. How do we combat against that? From the life of Saul, let me show you two ways to combat against jealousy.

Firstly, we ought to realize that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I don't know who originally came up with this American proverb, but he was right. Saul was jealous of David's victory, but the irony of it was was that Saul still had dominion over the kingdom! In other words, Saul was so distracted with destroying David that he forgot what he already had. Is not the same story true of us? We so often think that others' lives are better, yet we forget what we already have. In fact, it is very likely that the very person you are jealous of is jealous of you.

Secondly, we ought to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). This is the true nature of the church, and that which Saul failed to do. When seeing that David triumphed over many Phillistines, Saul should have rejoiced with David rather than envied him. Likewise, we should always rejoice with those who receive blessings, rather than be jealous of them. Furthermore, we ought to weep with those who come upon misfortunes, that we might love them rather than attempt to triumph over them.

So, how is your heart in the area of jealousy today? Are you like Saul, who was so jealous of David that he could not even live his own life? Or are you like Jesus, who gave up his life so that others might live? I encourage you today, stop being jealous of your neighbor. Rather, love him by rejoicing with him, lest you be led to hate him. Amen.