Envy

I have always said and still believe that the root of all sin is pride. Pride will cause us to do things we shouldn’t and keep us from doing the things we know we should.

One of the sins that comes from pride is envy. It begins at a young age; we see kids at school who have things we wish we had. They have the new, nicest clothes, and as we get into high school, some have nicer cars. In my class, some drove everything from '67 Camaros to Jaguars.

As a follower of Jesus, this idea of envy is not a battle that goes away on its own. We look around and we see crooked politicians who have no respect for God, and yet they seem to be prospering and becoming quite wealthy. We see our co-workers who have the nicest homes, vehicles, and take the most amazing vacations. Many times, we are lucky if we get any vacation at all.

Envy is not a new sin that just came up. We see the Psalmist in Chapter 73 get very honest about this temptation. In verses 1-3, he says these words, “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart! 2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

The writer’s honesty is quite refreshing because he makes us evaluate our own hearts and maybe even say, “yep, I get that.” The writer goes on to speak of the struggles he has as he watches those who don’t trust in God prosper. Later in the Psalm, he writes, “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; 14 For I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning.” We may say it like this, “I try and do everything right. I go to church, I read my Bible, I obey the law, but there is always something that keeps me from prospering economically, socially. What’s the deal? The writer goes on in verse 16 and says, “When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless.” Maybe we can relate. Why keep doing things the right way, the way the Lord would have us do? We can’t get ahead; there doesn’t seem to be any benefit to doing it the right way. But then the writer says this in verses 17-19, “Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. 18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!” When the writer sought the Lord about this matter in church, it was revealed to him that it seems like everything is going their way, but a day is coming when all the stuff will be gone, and it will be just them and the Lord. On that day, they will have to give an account of what they did with their life and their wealth. Let us guard our hearts against envy because it is the product of pride. Remember, the greatest things the Lord has for us are coming soon.