Don’t Choose Jealousy

Over the last few months, I’ve been captivated by the Old Testament story of Saul. Saul was the first king of Israel, who began with the desire to follow God and lead his people God’s way, but through multiple misadventures, his own ego took over. God decided to take the king’s lineage away from Saul and give it to another man – David.

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.”

Saul’s jealousy morphed into obsession with David – some would say to the point of insanity. At one point, this obsession causes Saul to hurl a spear at his own son, Jonathan. Saul’s focus abandons God for David – the person who represents his failures, the person who has gained all Saul ever wanted. You might even say that David has become Saul’s idol.

Today, we use the phrase “stay in your own lane,” or “keep your eyes on your own paper,” to remind ourselves that life is not a competition. But in moments of frustration, do my eyes lift to God? Or do I “keep a jealous eye” on that person who has everything I want, the one I might jokingly call “God’s favorite?” I’m confident I don’t want to walk in Saul’s footsteps. Let us thank God for the blessings He gives to others as well as ourselves.