Saul was very angry… “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 close eye on David. – 1 Samuel 18:8-9
It can destroy a marriage. It can end a friendship. It can ruin a business. It can even divide a church. And in the case of King Saul, it can even lead to death. Nothing good comes from a jealous heart, and that’s why God says jealousy is a sin.
That day when Saul and David came back home after slaying Goliath and routing the Philistines, they were met with a huge parade. It was a joyous celebration, with women lining the streets and playing music and singing. Everything seemed perfect. But when the women gave more credit to David than to Saul, everything changed.
The text explicitly tells us that Saul became very angry at this. So angry, in fact, that from that time forward he began looking for ways to have David killed. Saul wasn’t just jealous of David; he became fearful of him. And not because David had killed the giant that Saul himself was too cowardly to confront, but ultimately because he knew that the Lord was with David and he would someday be his replacement on the throne.
But that’s what jealousy does. It breeds fear and insecurity. And while Saul had every reason to feel insecure – for the Lord was no longer with him but with David – it’s a reminder to us that we too can easily feel threatened by other peoples’ success if we’re only concerned about ourselves.
Besides a jealous king wanting him dead, David would face yet another challenge. But we’ll talk more about that at a later time.
Today’s prayer: Lord, help us to appreciate the talents and successes of other people without feeling insecure about ourselves. And help others to feel that same way towards us. Help us to not have a negative spirit of comparison and competitiveness, but a healthy spirit of camaraderie and mutual trust, as we share in our common purpose of serving Christ and sharing his love with others. Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 