Shortly after David returned from the slaughter of Goliath, the women celebrated the victory with an innocuous song. In their naivety they said Saul slew a thousand, but David had slained ten thousand. This did not go down well with Saul. He became jealous, bitter, and murderous in intent. Saul could not stand another man’s success. He would not want another man praised, not over and above him. He became jealous and began to think of how to end David’s life. What gave Saul the impression that the death of a successful man automatically means success for a drowning or failing man? The death of David would in no way reverse the downward trend in Saul’s life; that could only come through conviction, confession, and repentance. Rather than do this, he sank deeper into works of the flesh until he reached a point of no return.

Jealousy is what everybody will have to deal with one time or the other. The good news is that you can conquer it by the help of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says many uncomfortable truths about jealousy or envy. James said that an atmosphere of envy is a toxic one that makes all forms of evil prevalent (James 3:16). In Proverbs 27:4, jealousy is rated far worse than cruelty and anger. Finally, Proverbs 14:30 puts the health of a jealous person at risk – “A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.” Jealousy is what everybody will have to deal with one time or the other. The good news is that you can conquer it by the help of the Holy Spirit.