THE FOLLY OF ENVY

One of the Israelite men said, “Did you see that man? ... Whoever kills him will get rich. King Saul will give him a lot of money... He will also make that man's family free from taxes in Israel.” – 1Sa 17:25 (ERV)

We learnt yesterday that people usually envy only those close to them. This was why Jesus’ brothers and sisters thought little of Him when He was on earth. And to think He was biologically older than them. What do you think would have happened if he were the lastborn? The derision would have been much worse.

They had the position that others would give an arm and a leg for, and treated it with scorn. Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to be the sibling of the president, or a billionaire, or an Academy Award winner? It’ll surprise you to know that the real siblings of those persons don’t share your fantasy.

I once read of a Nobel Prize winner whose mother was heard still insisting he made a wrong career choice. How sad: to reach the very highest pinnacle of your field and still be put down by your kin.

It’s time we realized that the president was once a teenage boy in the neighbourhood; that billionaire once attended a school with dozens of friends; that soccer star you revere today once played with others in the dirt. How they react to those friends now is greatly hinged on how they were treated during their period of ascendance.

When David’s moment of national emergence came, all the soldiers in the field supported him to fight Goliath, except his brothers. Check this out: Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard David talking to the men. Then Eliab became angry with David. “Why did you come here,” he asked him, “and with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how overconfident and headstrong you are. You came here just to see the battle.” (1Sa 17:28 GW)

This was harsh treatment of one who was about to be the breadwinner of the family. When David killed Goliath, it was they, not the other soldiers who were encouraging him, that were exempted from taxes, (1Sa 17:25). Yet they had no input in the victory, if anything, they hampered it.

There will always be billionaires on this planet, there will always be great leaders, there’ll always be raving successes in various fields of life. Wouldn’t it be all the more sweeter if they turn out to be people you encouraged (rather than try to pull down) during their early days?

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN