“For you have said in your heart…I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will be like the Most High.”  IS 14:13-14

I had always heard it argued that pride is the original sin. While it is true that Lucifer became enamored with his own anointing, beauty (“every precious stone covered you”), and ability (“gold work of tambourines and of pipes were in you”, Eze 28:13), what actually provoked him to act upon his swollen heart is revealed in his declaration that he would take possession of things that belonged to God alone. So the true culprit of Satan’s insurrection was envy, a dark relentless drive to displace and dethrone God in order to “preside on the mountain of the gods” (Is 14:13, NLT).

Is it any wonder, then, that the way the Devil tempted Eve was to stir up the idea that God was being unfair if not unjust in withholding the power to decide what was right and wrong from her. What specifically was the temptation? “In the day you eat of it…you will be like God” (Gen 3:5). Sound familiar? 

A deeper look at the Ten Commandments is also quite revealing. Once you draw back the curtains, you can see the spirit of envy at work in coveting what belongs to your neighbor. That one is obvious. How about stealing from them? How about adultery, literally taking away that which is another man’s (or woman’s) most precious and sacred relationship. Bearing false witness is a conniving way to ruin something a man works his entire life to establish, his reputation. The envious know when he maligns another man, he degrades him, creating a void which he can then fill. Part 1 already established the symbiosis between envy and murder. Envy is like a rip current overpowering even the strongest swimmers away from the shores of righteousness. It seems half of the Big Ten are connected in some way to envy.

Beloved, virtually every “sin list” in the New Testament contains envy*. Paul, James, Peter, and Jesus Himself warn us.  Like its father, the Serpent, envy slithers in the fields of our lives ready to sink its venomous teeth into us. Now that I see it, I wonder how I could have been so unsuspecting. And yet, it’s seldom talked about. When is the last time you heard a sermon about envy?

Remember, envy states I must have what someone else has. Stronger than jealousy, a line is crossed. Resentment brews. Reason is clouded. Sarah is compelled to send Hagar and Ishmael into exile and certain death. Joseph’s brothers plot to kill him, and end up selling him into slavery. Saul impulsively tries to skewer David three times with his spear. 

David was not only a victim of envy, he struggled with it too. Thankfully, he saw this lion of sins crouching at his door and did not let it in to devour him. In Ps 73 he confesses: “I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper” (v.2,3). In Part 3 I will share insights of how we can take every precaution to make sure this powerful enemy, a CIA-type commander in the army of Satan, can be disarmed and its fangs removed. 

For David, it began with a confession. God, envy has been pulling me farther and farther from the shore of your love and grace. Envious thoughts have been sapping my devotion, trying to lure me to make rivals of those who are my friends, creating confusion, suspicions, and stealing my peace. Wisely, David ran to the altar of God and received a download and impartation that quenched this cruel fiery dart. In verse 17 he writes:

“I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood…” 

I strongly suggest we do the same. 

• Mk 7:22; Rom 1:29; 13:13; Gal 5:20-21; 1 Tim 6:4-5; Tit 3:3; Jam 3:14-16; 1 Pet 2:1