Jealousy Don’t Let It Get A Foothold

David and Saul are very powerful figures in the Old Testament. The
Philistines and the Israelites had prepared for a very large battle and Saul,
King of the Israelites, feared the outcome because of a warrior the
Philistines had who seemed to be invincible. Saul had enlisted a young man
from Bethlehem who could play the harp very well to help him overcome his fear when an "evil spirit from God came upon him". The relationship grew and Saul selected David as the next King of Israel. David was asked to take the fight to the Philistines in exchange for the hand of Saul’s daughter. David met the Philistines, faced Goliath and with a slingshot killed him. David was hailed  as a hero, bigger and greater than Saul which caused Saul to become very jealous of him. 1 Samuel 18:8-9 - Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. As a result of this jealousy, Saul tried several times to kill David. Jealousy had destroyed a good relationship.

Jealousy is a very strong dividing force that has been responsible for
crumbling relationships. Jealousy destroyed the relationship between Isaac
and Abimelech. Genesis 26:12-16 Isaac planted crops in that land and the
same year reaped a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. Jealousy again divided and destroyed a healthy relationship. God gives us many more examples of the destructive power of jealousy and makes it very clear that jealousy is not an appropriate feeling and not pleasant to God.

I remember being a teenager and having a girlfriend for three years during
high school. I remember the wonderful times that we had and how convinced we were that we would get married. I also remember the feelings of jealousy that I had toward her and how that jealousy divided and eventually destroyed our relationship. I remember being very immature and not understanding what was happening to us. As I think back, it is certainly possible that we could have been happy if it were not for jealousy. I am sure that everyone has gone through the same feelings of jealousy that I have and have lost much as a result. Think back when you were seven or eight years old and how jealous you were when a friend had something that you really wanted or even now, when your friend has a boyfriend or girlfriend and you don’t. These feelings are very destructive but what can you do about them. They are real and unless you know how to deal with them can make you miserable.

What can we do about this? God tells us to befriend those who are jealous of you …… 1 Samuel 18:11-12 says that Saul continued to try to kill David but David responded by protecting and comforting Saul. This is very good advice and it works. Love them to death and you will protect any relationship that you cherish. You can learn to discuss your feelings openly and honestly and you will find out most of the time that you really have nothing to be envious or jealous of. You might even find out that the person you are jealous of is equally jealous of you. Isn’t that a hoot? You will have saved a wonderful
relationship that is blessed by God by honesty and openness. Learn to
recognize that the feelings you have are jealousy. Jealousy is selfish and if
you recognize this, you can put those feelings aside and have a good solid
relationship with anyone. You will find that the relationships you develop at
every stage of your life are far more important than the material things you
accumulate. You can take a relationship to Heaven, but you have to leave the material things here. God bless all of you and I pray that you will
understand. Amen.

In His Grace and Love

Donn Adams TEEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL MINISTRIES