Day4
Week29
2 Samuel
“The king passed on to Gilgal, and Kimham went on with him; all of the people of Judah and half of the people of Israel passed on with the king. Now all of the men of Israel were coming to the king and said to the king, “Why have our brothers, the men of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king and his household across the Jordan, and all of the men of David with him?” All of the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative. Why are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Has he given any gift to us?” And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, “We have ten shares in the king. Therefore we also have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt? Were we not the first to advise bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than the words of the men of Israel.”
2 Samuel 19:40-43 MEV
Cross references
Judges 8:1; 12:1;
2 Samuel 19:12
Jealous Much
Oh the root of jealousy runs deep.
Jealousy is a complex emotion that can be defined as a feeling of insecurity, fear, or anger that arises when someone has something or someone that you want.
It can also be described as a hostile feeling towards a rival or someone who has an advantage.
Jealousy can be made up of a combination of emotions, including:
anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness, disgust, envy, and suspicion.
Jealousy can have a powerful effect on mental health, leading to anxiety, poor self-esteem, and emotional self-sabotage.
Are you jealous much?
It is normal to experience a little jealousy now and then, but we must examine the root of our jealousy and deal with it so that it doesn’t grow into a monster that controls us.
If you resonate with any of the following statements, then maybe jealousy is something you have struggled with, too:
I need to be the smartest, best-looking, most achieved, or funniest person in the room.
I have a hard time feeling happy for others when they succeed or have something I desire.
I don’t have many close relationships because it’s hard for me to feel secure in most friendships.
I have a deep fear of being unnoticed, unworthy, or unloved.
I put a lot of my identity in who I know, what I do, what I have, or what I’ve achieved.
I feel good when I know others are jealous of me.
I continually compare myself with others and feel like I fall short or am less than.
It takes a lot of effort to say something nice about someone else.
I care a lot about what people think of me and struggle to understand how God’s love is sufficient.
If you relate to any of those statements, you are not alone. The more honest we can be about these things, with ourselves and God, the wider the door opens to receive His grace, wisdom, and power to overcome them.
Jealousy is linked to coveting, which is a form of idolatry (Col. 3:3-5). Idolatry of the heart is when we make gods out of our desires. So, when our desire for something takes the place of God, then it is a sin.
James 3:16 says, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” If you have ever struggled with jealousy, you probably know this to be true. When jealousy goes unchecked, it can lead to internal and external chaos. I imagine it to be like a very invasive weed that, once it takes root, will take over an entire garden. It will suck the life out of everything around it and make any new life very hard to grow.
Let’s say you had this weed in your garden, but you decided to leave it be, or at the least, you trimmed it at the surface. You then decide to plant some new things in the garden, but no matter how many times you trim the weed at the surface, it destroys all that is around it, no matter how much you try to water it or cover it up.
When we struggle with jealousy but leave it untreated and try to either ignore it or cover it up, it doesn’t matter how many good things we try to put into our lives—their growth will be stunted, and we won’t see fruit.
This is why it is important to recognize jealousy as a form of idolatry, which is a sin. To treat it, we must repent of the sin. Repentance requires us first to acknowledge the sin, confess it to God, ask for forgiveness, and then lay it at His feet. This does not mean those feelings or desires won’t creep up, but by repenting, you are positioning your heart to receive God’s mercy for forgiveness and grace to give you strength to overcome (1 Joh. 1:19). This may be an ongoing area you have to lay at the Lord’s feet. The good news is His mercies are new every day (Lam. 3:22-23)!
Action Step
Father God, I recognize that jealousy is lack of trust and ultimately a sign of pride, and so I ask You to uproot it. Remove the behaviors and thought
patterns that prevent me from recognizing and doing Your will. Change the way I think and act so that way I can take part in building Your Kingdom.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
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