"Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Better is open rebuke than hidden love." Proverbs 27:4-5 ESV
There is a good kind of jealousy, the opposite of indifference. But the writer of this Proverb is talking about another kind of jealousy, a selfish and vindictive kind of jealousy. The writer takes care to point out that the impact of wrath and anger can be very hard to bear, but jealousy goes beyond both. Wrath and anger react to something that is wrong, but jealousy reacts to something that is right and good. Cain did not murder Abel because Abel had wronged him, he murdered his brother because he had outdid him. 1st John 3:12 tells it this way, "We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous." It was jealousy that aroused the enemies of Jesus against Him. They couldn't stand that He was getting the attention that they felt "God" deserved. Wrath and anger are irrational emotions but jealousy is calculating and therefore far more sinister an emotion.
If we will read the Gospel when we are confronted with this we will be comforted. It will remind us of the greater judgement that is to come from God and not from man. Proverbs 24:19-20 tells us, "Fret not yourself because of evildoers and be not envious of the wicked for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out." And something else, the Gospel teaches us to look for, and humbly rejoice in, the overruling glory of God that culminates in Christ's victory. Here's a hint: Read Revelations sometime....He wins in the end!
This time of year it is easy to become jealous of someone else. You might see them gain some possession that you desire, you may see them get engaged and think why isn't that me, but trust me when I tell you this...All those things will pass away in the end and what you are left with is the only thing that truly matters...whether you have a relationship with Jesus and what did you do with the things He entrusted you with?
There is a good kind of jealousy, the opposite of indifference. But the writer of this Proverb is talking about another kind of jealousy, a selfish and vindictive kind of jealousy. The writer takes care to point out that the impact of wrath and anger can be very hard to bear, but jealousy goes beyond both. Wrath and anger react to something that is wrong, but jealousy reacts to something that is right and good. Cain did not murder Abel because Abel had wronged him, he murdered his brother because he had outdid him. 1st John 3:12 tells it this way, "We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous." It was jealousy that aroused the enemies of Jesus against Him. They couldn't stand that He was getting the attention that they felt "God" deserved. Wrath and anger are irrational emotions but jealousy is calculating and therefore far more sinister an emotion.
If we will read the Gospel when we are confronted with this we will be comforted. It will remind us of the greater judgement that is to come from God and not from man. Proverbs 24:19-20 tells us, "Fret not yourself because of evildoers and be not envious of the wicked for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out." And something else, the Gospel teaches us to look for, and humbly rejoice in, the overruling glory of God that culminates in Christ's victory. Here's a hint: Read Revelations sometime....He wins in the end!
This time of year it is easy to become jealous of someone else. You might see them gain some possession that you desire, you may see them get engaged and think why isn't that me, but trust me when I tell you this...All those things will pass away in the end and what you are left with is the only thing that truly matters...whether you have a relationship with Jesus and what did you do with the things He entrusted you with?
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