Envy: A Sin By Any Name

If you need evidence that there’s something wrong with our culture, look no further than how it treats envy. In the past, envy was discouraged. People might have expressed it privately, but certainly not in public. Today, envy is exalted and almost considered a virtue.

Advertisers spend billions to convince you that you’re not happy with your lot in life, but make no mistake, God’s Word still calls envy a sin. By definition, it’s the “sin of jealousy over the blessings and achievements of others.” So “envy” and “jealousy” are really the same thing.

By either name, God’s Word calls it a sin in several places, most notably as the 10th Commandment in Exodus 20:17:

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.” Of course, to “covet” is yet another term for envy.

Today, our neighbors aren’t likely to have oxen or donkeys to covet, but we can still envy their new SUV or in-ground pool.

Like the sin of pride, envy leads to many other sins. In James 4:2-4 we find, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

There’s a difference between envy and the proper motivation to better one’s life. For the latter, you’re willing to work hard and you’re content with what the Lord provides. With envy, you feel entitled and deprived. You feel that someone, society or even God, owes you something.

Envy is ugly and destructive. James 3:16 tells us, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Let’s look at some of those vile practices. Envy rears its ugly head very early in the Bible. In Genesis 4:8, Cain is jealous of his brother because God favored Abel’s offering, but not his. “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” So envy was the cause of the very first murder. It was also envy that made Joseph’s brothers feel justified in selling him into slavery in Genesis 37:23-24: “So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit.” Of course, Joseph’s brothers would even have killed him had Reuben not intervened. We also see the destructive power of envy in two stories from David’s life. First, when Saul became jealous of David’s fame after he slew Goliath. Women sang David’s praises. 1 Samuel 18:8-9 reads, “And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” And Saul eyed David from that day on.” Having first become the victim of envy, David later gave into this sin himself by coveting and taking another man’s wife, Bathsheba, in II Samuel 11. Worse, he sent her husband, Uriah, to certain death in battle to cover his sin. In verse 15, David tells Joab, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” Envy, or jealousy, is a powerful emotion that we must always be on guard against. Proverbs 27:4 warns, “Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?”

How do you know if envy has taken hold in your life? One way would be to look at your finances. Are you living beyond your means? Running up credit card debt to finance a lifestyle that you can’t afford?

If you don’t get it under control and learn to live within your means, you’re headed for financial disaster. Here’s how you can slay the sin of envy: First, pray that the Holy Spirit will give you contentment with what the Lord provides. Look to Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Second, if you need help setting up a budget and finding ways to cut your spending, download the FaithFi app. It has 3 easy ways to set up a spending plan. Download it wherever you get your apps. You can also listen to the related podcast on this topic.

Envy: A Sin By Any Name

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