Green With Envy

Introduction

There is a fable of an eagle which could out fly another, and the other didn't like it. The latter saw a hunter one day, and said to him:

"I wish you would bring down that eagle." The hunter replied that he would if he only had some feathers to put into the arrow. So the eagle pulled one out of his wing. The arrow was shot, but didn't quite reach the rival eagle; it was flying too high. The envious eagle pulled out more feathers, and kept pulling them out until he lost so many that he couldn't fly, and then the sportsman turned around and killed him.

We see other people’s bodies, bank accounts, relationships, accomplishments, job titles, social media posts and we want what they have.

What is wrong with envy?

English Standard Version Chapter 14

30  A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,

but envy makes the bones rot.

1. Envy Robs Us of Joy

The Hebrew word for envy is qinʾâ and it describes passionate zeal, a violent excitement that is never satisfied.

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Joseph’s Brothers in Genesis

2. Envy Destroys Us From the Inside Out

There’s a legend of a man in ancient Greece who fought as a valiant warrior. He longed to be recognized for his accomplishments on the battlefield, but it was to no avail. One day, one of his fellow fighters helped secure a victory and was hailed as a hero. The people celebrated him and constructed a large statue of him in the town center. The warrior who wanted to be praised became so jealous of him that he decided to sneak to the town center one night and destroy the statue. Unfortunately, the statue fell and crushed him to death when he destroyed it.

Envy literally eats us up (makes the bones rot) physically, mentally and spiritually.

Envy robs us of joy and destroys from the inside out.