Envy is an old feeling. It’s an ancient concept. It dates back to the first brothers (Cain and Able) when Cain angrily envied God’s acceptance of Able’s offering (Gen 4:6).
Envy was identified over 400 years before Jesus called it a sin. The Greek Herodotus wrote “It is better to be envied than to be pitied” (480- 425 B. C.) This proverb was first recorded in English in 1546 as “Better be envied than pitied, I always say.” The point was that the condition of being wealthy and thus envied was preferred over poverty and being pitied.
Stories of envy fill the pages of the Bible. Leah and Rachael constantly lived with envy as they sought their husband Jacob’s love (Gen 30:1). Joseph’s brothers resented his dreams and fancy coat so, out of envy, they sold him into slavery (Gen 37:11). Saul coveted the accolades David received after a battle (1 Sam 18:6-9). The older brother of the prodigal son envied the attention his younger brother received upon coming home (Lk 15:25-30). And the most significant event caused by envy (from a human perspective) was the crucifixion of Jesus (Mt 27:18).
David Learned a Great Lesson
King David wrote Psalm 73 as a meditation on a great lesson he learned. He learned how not to envy the wicked. Envy produces no good fruit. It’s a discouraging feeling that leads to jealousy and 
covetousness. Envy almost caused David to stumble and deny the goodness of God, which is why we love and serve the Lord. If God isn’t good then he isn’t worth serving or obeying or worshipping.
We envy the arrogant because their lives appear good and pleasant in spite of their denial of a Creator. They enjoy health and a trouble-free life. It seems that self-sufficiency wins the day (Psalm 73:4-5). But all that appears good isn’t always good. The crack in the plaster is that when prosperity is disconnected from faith in God it breeds arrogance and pride. If left unchecked the crack becomes a gaping hole in the wall as the prosperous squander their wealth on entertainment. Finally, the wall becomes unstable as the wicked scoff, look down on, and resent those less fortunate than themselves. Their conceit leads to oppression of others and even mocking any need for God.
Envy Enters the Room
Envy enters the room when pride guides our thinking. Pride can cause a Christian to deny God’s goodness and think there are no consequences to living selfishly (vs 10). The pride that will eventually be the downfall of the wicked is thought by the Christian to be not all that bad. Evil’s goal is to make us say “How can God know?” When we question God’s good intentions we begin to think that the wicked are getting away with evil. As envy enters our reasoning, we lose the perspective that God judges our behavior. And, holiness loses its practical value (vs 11).
“Behold, these are the wicked; Always at ease, they increase in riches,” was the thought that tempted David to envy (vs 13). It made him think that keeping his heart clean and his hands washed in innocence was all in vain. This is the point where each Christian is tempted to stumble and fall. The hypocrite is described in Psalm 73 as the one overcome by envy. They are the ones who actually turn back to their old way of living. They envy the wicked and thus return to their previous sinful lifestyle.
Keeping Heart and Hands from Envy
But don’t think anyone is exempt from envy. Seeing the wicked prosper tempts the faithful to also think there is no God. Note that David’s temptation was two-fold. He considers that having a clean heart and innocent hands were both worthless endeavors. Here we begin to see how to overcome envy.
A person who leaves the passions of his heart and the works of his hands in God’s providence is a believer in the goodness of God. To overcome envy, we must be concerned for both our hearts and hands, and keep them together under the direction of God’s Spirit. The first step to freedom from resentment and envy is to love God by trusting him with our feelings and dedicating our efforts to his glory.
Envy isn’t satisfied with bringing down a believer into an unbelieving condition. Its secondary goal is to influence a younger generation. David didn’t simply feel the pressure to deny God’s goodness and take up the lifestyle of the prospering wicked. He was also tempted to speak like them, to act like them, and to endorse their values. He was tempted to pass on these sins to his children (vs 15). This would have been a betrayal of truth to the next generation. To speak and act and hold the values of a pagan would not only harm himself— but it would also harm others as close to him as his children.
Envy’s Target is Faith in God
The primary target of envy is faith in God. It’s to think to value godliness and to do good is vanity (vs 13). When we experience envy our true motives for serving God are unmasked. Ask yourself, “Is serving the Lord a means of pleasing God or of getting what I want and pleasing myself?” We would never say “I’ll serve the Lord if ‘X’ happens” but this is often what’s behind our efforts. Envy capitalizes on this. Even so, God uses the temptation to envy to expose what or who we love. What we place in the ‘X’, if it isn’t God, is what we will envy. God wants us to come to him and to serve him out of love. We are not to come to God so he will serve and please us. Envy twists this all around. It makes a thing something to envy rather than God being our object of devotion.
David said the eyes of the wicked “swell out through fatness” (vs 7). He was using an ancient proverb that has come down to us through the phrase “eyes popping out of my sockets.” When God is ignored or forgotten opulent living becomes the end game of life. An unbeliever lives for what makes their eyes pop out of their sockets. It’s a lustful lifestyle that pleases only the wicked.
Envying Another’s Lifestyle
Why people, who look down on those less fortunate, prosper remains a mystery. To attempt to understand why the wicked prosper is a wearisome task (vs 16). It’s a hard thing to accept in light of God’s goodness. And that is why envying the wicked can causes a believer to stumble and fall. It appears that God isn’t only ignoring their sins but blessing them.
I had a neighbor who appeared to be living the dream. He was able to purchase new vehicles, upgrade his home with all the latest amenities, and eat like a king. All the external details of life appeared to be in his favor. He was the envy of his neighbors. But he died suddenly and left his wife and children with a mountain of debt. The wife lost the home and much more. Not all that appeared envious was worth envying. In the end, it’s not those who live within their means that stumble and fall but those who give the appearance of prosperity (vs 18-19).
Thinking others are doing better than us is as worthless as a dream (vs 20). Envy lulls the minds to sleep thinking destruction will never befall us. Yet the Lord makes the wicked fall to ruin. When a lavish lifestyle is flaunted and God ignored, failure comes suddenly, completely, and surprisingly (Lk 12:18-21). God is not fooled. The appearance of wealth or success is not to be envied. Only God truly knows how secure a person really is. And the Lord never envies anyone.
So, what is a Christian to do with feelings of envy or jealousy or when they are tempted to covet? David troubled over these questions and found the solution to overcoming envy in the most unlikely place. In our third of these three talks, we will discover the final solution for overcoming envy.
