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“Beware Of Envy”
Categories: Character Study, Daily Living, Envy, Esther, Haman, Mordecai, Old Testament
In Esther 5, we read that Esther approached the king with a request that he and Haman come to a banquet she had prepared (Est. 4:16; 5:1, 4). The king graciously accepted, as did Haman, and while at the party, they were invited to yet another (5:5-8). After this, Haman went home but saw Mordecai along the way (5:9). Mordecai refused to bow to Haman as before (3:2-5), and this brought Haman’s anger to a boil. When he got home and told his wife about the party he had gone to and the opulence of the king’s house, he told Zeresh, “Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate” (Est. 5:13). How petty!
The wise man said, “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?” (Prov. 27:4). Envy is a dangerous emotion. It motivated the brothers to sell Joseph and prompted the Jews to kill Jesus (Mk. 15:10; Acts 7:9). It caused Paul to be run out of Thessalonica (Acts 17:5) and has been the cause of many more sinful actions throughout the years. In the case of Haman, his envy would not allow him to enjoy anything so long as Mordecai was living. Truly, envy will ruin a life, and it will jeopardize one’s soul!
Let us check our attitude toward our fellow man. Love others, don’t envy them (Matt. 22:39). Beware of envy because nothing good comes from it.
- Jarrod M. Jacobs
