During Lent we are tracking through the “7 Deadly Sins”: pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, lust, and gluttony. We are spending this time dealing with the sin our lives because “Sin is real, and it’s a part of each of us” (Dunnam & Reisman).

Last week, we looked at pride, the itch for recognition, and today we’ll take a look at envy, which says, “What’s yours should be mine!” The Latin word for envy is invidia, which means “to look maliciously upon.” And the New Testament Greek word means to have an “evil eye.”

Think for a moment: what kinds of things do people envy? And more specifically, what kinds of things do you envy? Some answers include things like wealth, looks, talents, possessions, etc.

In my world, I think there’s a real tendency for preachers to envy other preachers. I love to listen to preachers like Ed Young, Rob Bell, and TD Jakes. But the reality is, I’m not anything like these guys. While I want to learn all I can from them, and many other communicators, I do not want to envy them, emulate or copy them. I want to be the communicator God has called me to be.

Here are a few quotes from Dunnam and Reisman’s workbook on the seven deadly sins …

• “At the root of envy and covetousness is a terrible sense of inadequacy and inferiority.”
• “Envy is the consuming desire to have everybody else as unsuccessful as you are.”
• “Since envy always desires what it doesn’t have, it will always go unsatisfied.”

Saul’s envy of David
Today, we’re going to look at a story that shows the deadliness of envy in a person’s life. Read 1 Samuel 17.55–18.9, and notice especially the last line there: “So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.” The CEV says, “Saul never again trusted David.”

“Envy is a major cause of unhappiness” (Dunnam & Reisman), and that was certainly the case in Saul’s life. This was the turning point for Saul. Think about Saul’s legacy. Saul is not one of the biblical characters that many of us want to be like. And Saul’s legacy was, in large part, a result of his relationship with David. They got off on the wrong foot from the very beginning.

Envy, if unchecked and not dealt with in our lives, will lead us down a path of destruction, too. Dunnam and Resiman list several results of envy: anger, malice (gossip/backbiting), jealousy, dejection, hypocrisy (desiring that others to envy us), and self-contempt.

So, how can we overcome envy?

>> Accept God’s love
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners …” (Read a little more of Romans 5.6-10)

If we’re going to do a better job of not envying others, I think it has to begin with us accepting the fact that God loves us. God created us with the gifts and abilities and temperaments that we have. We can be content in that!

>> Focus on loving God
“The antidote to envy begins with kindling our love of God and affirming God’s mercy and goodness.” (Dunnam & Reisman)

When we focus on loving God, we will waste less time and energy envying others.

>> Own your uniqueness
God created you to be, well, YOU! God doesn’t call you to be someone else. When you stand before God after your life on earth, God will not ask you, “Why weren’t you more like _________?” God will be more interested in what you did with the gifts he gave you!

There are some great statements in Romans 12, a chapter where Paul speaks about giftedness. Here are some fitting statements …

“God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. … Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. … Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. … Be glad for all God is planning for you. … When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. … When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” (Romans 12.6-16)

Read Psalm 37.1-8, especially the part that says, “Don’t envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like springtime flowers, they soon wither” and “Do not envy others—it only leads to harm.”

The good news, as Psalm 37 goes on to say, is that “the steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand” (37.23-24).

Friends, God loves you so much! Don’t spend your time trying to be someone else or wishing that you had what someone else has. Be grateful to God for all that he has blessed you with!

O God, thank you so much for creating us. I’m so glad that you did not have some kind of cookie cutter that you used to create human beings, but that in your amazing creativity, you created each of us with our own individual uniqueness. Help us, Lord, to accept the fact that you love us with an impossible-to-comprehend kind of love. Help us to focus on loving you with everything that’s in us. And help us to own our own uniqueness. For it’s as we do these things that we will overcome the deadly sin of envy in our lives. Amen.

For another perspective on envy, be sure to check out Joleen’s sermon.

Proverbs 14.30
Galatians 5.15-21

The sin of the evil eye
Envy defined: from the Latin, “to look maliciously upon.” The New Testament Greek literally means “to have an evil eye.” Saul and David 1 Samuel 18.5-9, “Saul killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” This made Saul angry “So Saul eyed David from that day on.”

What is yours should be mine
Envy wants what is sees
Envy is never satisfied
Everything should revolve around God, but envy says everything revolves around me (even God). Envy says, “what is your should be mine.” There is never any gratification. Envy sees and wants what it doesn’t have and since there will always be more to see than what one can possess, one is never satisfied. [Also, there is a neglect to acknowledge that everything belongs to God, we are only stewards.]

The story of Haman from the Book of Esther
The story of Haman demonstrates both pride and envy. You will remember that these 7 deadly sins rarely will stand alone, but will interweave. This is a good example of that.

Esther, a Jew, is taken by King Xerxes as his wife. No one knows that Esther is a Jew.

Mordecai, Esther’s (adoptive) father, overhears a scheme to murder the King and warns the King and his life is saved.

Haman is given a special elevated position by the king. All the royal officials at the king’s gate, except Mordecai, kneel in Haman’s honor. Haman’s anger burns at Mordecai. Haman finds our Mordecai is a Jew. Haman’s anger is projected unto all Jews. He devises a way to kill them all. The King gives Haman permission to do as he pleases.

Haman calls his friends and his wife together and he boasts to them about his wealth, his many sons, and all the ways that the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. "And that’s not all," Haman added. "I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow." But Haman goes on to say that this gives him no satisfaction as long as he sees that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate. So his wife and friends suggest he build a gallows 75 feet high and to ask the king in the morning for Mordecai to be hung on it. Haman likes this idea.

The next morning before Haman could ask the king, the king called him in and asked him, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?" Now Haman thought to himself, "Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?" So he said to dress him in the king’s own royal robe, and let him be led through the streets on the king’s own horse by one of the king’s servants who will shout, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!"

Well, the night before the king could not sleep and he sent for someone to read the history books to him. The king discovered what Mordecai had done in saving his life and that nothing was done to honor him and so the king instructed Haman to at once do what he suggested for Mordecai.

Of course, Haman in humiliated. And now he must go immediately to the banquet with the king and Queen Esther. The king asks the queen, "What is your petition?" Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request.  For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation."  King Xerxes responds, "Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?" And Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman." The king is so upset he leaves, but upon his return, one of his servant says, "A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king." The king takes this as the fitting punishment.

This is an extreme example of how envy can consume one. And how malicious one can become. In our own lives probably the best way to identify envy is in making comparisons.

The sin of making comparisons
This is something most of us are guilty of. We compare ourselves with others. We compare our gifts with others. We even want to be that other person. (King Saul and David)

We may say things like:
~If I could only play ball like…
~If I could only play the piano like…
~If I could only teach/pray like…
~If was handyman like…
~They have a higher salary because of seniority by I do more around here than… or I know more about this job than… (Mt 20.1-16)
~I wish our church had that…
~Why isn’t our church growing like that church…

And we really get in danger when we start thinking:
~I wish my marriage was like…
or when we say to our children
~Why can’t you be like…

“When have I been envious?”

It’s a question of worth
[I would venture to say that Haman was gaining his sense of worth from position, from family, from wealth, from the honor of others.]

Do I have any worth? Am I adequate? Do I believe that God uniquely created me? Do I believe that God made me just the way he wants me? Do I believe that God gave me the gifts he wants me to have and he gave me the right portion of talent that he wanted me to have?

Remember envy always sees more. There will always be someone more intelligent, more athletic, more gifted … Envy is never satisfied.

“Envy hinders us from finding meaning in who we are and making the best and rewarding use of our gifts.” (D&DR)

A person of worth is satisfied. They have found their worth in who God created them.
Affirmation: “I am a unique, unrepeatable miracle of God.” (D&DR)

A person of worth knows that they are loved and accepted by God, even with all our weaknesses and inadequacies.

Symptoms of Envy
Malice: “ill will with the desire to harm” (Gossip & backbiting seeks to destroy the reputation of another)
Jealousy: sin amongst equals
Dejection: sorrow for another’s good
Hypocrisy: pretend to be joyful/sorrowful for someone’s joys/sorrows.
Lovelessness: can’t love self; can’t love others (self-contempt) Unhappiness.

Antidote to Envy
1.    Kindle our love of God and affirm God’s mercy and goodness.
2.    Accept ourselves and God’s gifts.
3.    Utilize God’s given wisdom and ability to reason. “Things are not always what the seem.” The grass is not really greener on the other side.

A story from the Taoist literature of ancient China (D&DR)
There once was a wise man who owned several beautiful horses. One horse, in particular, was so fast and strong and magnificent that it evoked the envy of the man’s neighbor. Unfortunately, one day the horse broke free and ran into the hills. At once the neighbor’s attitude changed from envy to pity at the man’s loss, but the wise man said, “Who knows if I should be pitied or if I should be envied because of this?”

The next day, the horse returned to the wise man leading a herd of fifty equally magnificent wild horses with him. The neighbor was again filled with envy, but again the wise man said, “Who knows if I should be envied or if I should be pitied because of this?” Not long after he had said this, his only son tried to ride one of the wild horses but was thrown off and broke his leg. Again, the neighbor’s envy changed to pity, but the wise man answered once more, “Who knows if I should be pitied or if I should be envied because of this?”

The following day, an officer in the emperor’s army came to draft the man’s son for an extremely hazardous mission. Because his leg was broken, he was relieved of the responsibility for the assignment that would almost certainly have meant death. The neighbor’s son was taken in his place and as a result, once again envied the wise man. As he had before, the wise man responded, “Who knows if I should be envied or if I should be pitied because of this?”

The story continues in this same way with the neighbor’s emotions shifting from envy to pity and back again as the events unfold. It doesn’t take long to see the point of the story: Things are not always what they seem. Sometimes hardships come into our lives and God works this miraculous wonder in our midst and sometimes something that appears good can bring sorrow. Take winning the lottery for example. We may say look in envy at someone who wins a big cash pot, thinking they are going to walk done easy street from now on, but in reality, many who come across winnings like that end up filing bankruptcy-they have lost everything! The are worst off than before.

Prayer Steps
Dunnam and Dunnam Reisman offer these steps in prayer and I encourage us to use them today and throughout this series of self-examination.
~Examine for the sin of envy.
~Claim our justification, the gracious forgiveness and pardon of God.
~Yield our lives to Christ, with special attention to the area of our lives where sin is expressing itself.
~Invite Christ to take that sin from us.
~Claim the power of the Holy Spirit to give us the desire and the strength of will to overcome sin’s grip.
~Practice the disciplines that free us and even protect us from willful sin.

Psalm 139.23-24 (David’s prayer of self-examination)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

This week
Throughout each day this week, “pay attention to how you look at things, what you desire, and why you desire it.” (D&DR)

Affirmation “I am a unique, unrepeatable miracle of God.” (D&DR)