Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the thing in mind.
(Genesis 37:3-4,11 NIV)
One day while I was in the corral, I decided to give my horse, Frank a good grooming. He was shedding his winter coat in abundance. It was time to give him a helping hand. When he saw me with the grooming tools he trotted over, only too happy to have a good brushing. As I was working away and the hair was flying every which way, I felt a nudge against my back. Glancing over my shoulder I saw Minnie, our donkey behind me. She nudged me again, a little harder. She seemed to be saying: what about me, what about me? Minnie was experiencing jealousy. Frank was receiving attention and she wanted her share as well.
Once I was finished with Frank, I turned my attention to Minnie. When Frank approached to see what was happening, Minnie lashed out with her hind feet to tell Frank to buzz off. It was her turn now and she didn’t want him interrupting. I couldn’t help but laugh at her antics. At the same time, it brought to mind, just how much trouble unchecked jealousy can cause.
Cain killed his brother Abel (See Genesis 4). Sarai’s jealousy drove Hagar and her child into the desert. (See Genesis 16). Saul hunted David out of jealousy (See 1 Samuel 18) and today’s Scripture reminds us about Joseph and his brother’s jealousy.
In all these stories jealousy caused great harm and anguish to all parties involved. Jealousy divides, harms, is self-destructive, ruins relationships and even lives.
Minnie the donkey was jealous of the attention Frank the horse was receiving. Who might you be jealous of today? Is jealousy nudging you within for any number of reasons and if so what do you plan to do about it? Leave it to fester, grow and be acted upon, something which the writer of Proverbs tells us makes the bones rot. Or confront and confess it for the sin it is?
Confrontation and confession give God the wonderful opportunity to cleanse you from it and in turn, to replace it with a tranquil heart that gives life to the flesh. (See Proverbs 14:30)
The choice is yours.
Prayer: Father God, search my heart and see if the sin of jealousy lays anywhere within me. If so motivate me to confront and confess it before you, that you might reveal to me the best way to deal with it and let it go. Bless me with a tranquil heart that I might honour you and be a blessing to others. In Christ’s name. Amen.
Lynne Phipps
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada