“Jealousy calleth those things which be not as though they were.” The quote reveals the danger of a jealous heart.
Othello, one of William Shakespeare’s tragic characters, killed himself because of jealousy. He didn’t have faith in his love. His jealousy, left untamed in a fertile mind, turned assumption into reality. He lost everything, including his beloved and his life. He must have imagined his beloved with his friend, which threw out every sense of reasoning.
Envy kills, destroys, and cuts longevity off prematurely. A rotten bone becomes weak, breeds worms, and begins destruction from within. The host doesn’t notice anything at first until it is too late.
Through Solomon, God warns that envy is a rotten bone. A heart without envy is life and prosperity because it is a purpose-driven and purpose-fulfilling life
King Saul spent much of his time pursuing David. He heard people singing about how David slew ten thousand while Saul had slain only a thousand. At that moment, he forgot one crucial rule from the metaphorical compendium of kings: “The heart of the people is easily swayed by present glory.” He forgot who ordained him and assumed the people would prefer David as their king. Envy destroyed him.
We should never allow Satan to deceive us into neglecting and forgetting our creator, and we should never assume. Jealousy takes our hearts away from God and the things that matter. If Saul had forsaken envy and replaced it with introspection, he would have repented of his disobedience. We need circumcision of the heart to remove envy, which comes through prayer and repentance.
Look within at your bone, which is your heart. If jealousy fills it, let God cleanse it.
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John is a reader, speaker, and writer, who is based in Nigeria, where he majors in English. He is the author of Letter to Santa.