Jonathan convinced his father to stop his jealous attempts to destroy David, and David was once again welcomed into the Kings palace. But the story continues, “And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre.  And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.” 1 Samuel 19:8-10

Gary Collins describes the difference between envy and jealousy. He writes, “There is a distinction between jealousy and envy. To envy is to want something which belongs to another person. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, his wife or his servant, his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. In contrast, jealousy is the fear that something which we possess will be taken away by another person. Although jealousy can apply to our jobs, our possessions, or our reputations, the word more often refers to anxiety which comes when we are afraid that the affections of a loved one might be lost to a rival. We fear that our mates, or perhaps our children, will be lured away by some other person who, when compared to us, seems to be more attractive, capable and successful.”

Once upon a time the Devil chanced up a group of demons tempting a holy man. They tried seductions of the flesh, doubts, fears, etc. But it was all to no avail. The holy man was unmoved. Satan himself moved forward and said, “your methods are too crude, watch me.” He then bent over and whispered in the monk’s ear, “your brother has been made the Arch Bishop of Alexandria.” A scowl of malignant hatred and jealousy clouded the serene face of the holy man.”

One of Dr. Seuss’ children’s book creatures is the “Grinch” who is a creature who can’t bear the sight of anyone enjoying himself without getting so mad it bites itself.

Chuck

“Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.” Galatians 1:4