Proverbs 27:4

“Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?”

The first time I sat and really thought about this Proverb, it seemed like a slight exaggeration on the power of jealousy in comparison to wrath and anger. But the longer I thought about it, I realized that jealousy opens the door to thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors that are in total opposition to the character, commands and principles of God. It serves as a “forbidden gateway” to sin. To illustrate, I will refer to one of the most famous stories of the Bible…Daniel and the lion’s den.

In Daniel 6, King Darius was in charge of the Babylonian empire at that time. He set up a group of 120 governors to help run his kingdom. To oversee the governors, he appointed three commissioners to make sure he didn’t suffer any loss. Daniel was one of the commissioners.

Daniel was a man of high moral character and integrity. We are told that he possessed an “extraordinary spirit” which was actually reflective of his personal relationship with God, revealed throughout the book. Because of this, King Darius considered appointing Daniel over the entire kingdom. And it was this possible appointment that opened the “forbidden gateway” of jealousy.

The other commissioners and some governors became resentful towards Daniel and plotted against him. Perhaps they were stealing from the king and feared that Daniel would expose them. Perhaps they didn’t like the fact that a Hebrew would be appointed to rule over them and the Babylonian empire. Perhaps they were resentful of the authority and power Daniel was on the verge of getting. The resentment, fear and suspicion they felt led them to not only plot to have Daniel removed from his position, but killed. Their plan even involved appealing to the king’s ego to manipulate him to sign an order that would directly lead to Daniel’s death.

Jealousy hinges on two primary emotions: resentment and suspicion. It opens the door wide to other sins. In the case of Daniel, it led to his adversaries plotting a murder and manipulating a king. In your life, what “forbidden gateways” to sin has jealousy led to? Has resentment turned into open anger? Has suspicion taken over rational thinking? Has fear or bitterness caused you to do harm or “murder” relationships with others? Has jealousy damaged your fellowship with God?

The tragic end of Daniel’s adversaries was the death of them and their entire families. The tragic end of Jesus’ adversaries (the scribes and Pharasees) was them not escaping the sentence of hell (Matthew 23:29-33).

Don’t let jealousy drag you to a tragic end. If the “forbidden gateway” has opened in your life, confess and ask the Lord for forgiveness; remember that He is faithful and just to forgive your sins (1 John 1:9). And if you have any resentment towards others who may have wronged you, forgive them also; its not a suggestion, its a command (Ephesians 4:31-32). These actions, along with a humble attitude before the Lord, will begin to close the “forbidden gateway”.