Jealousy Destroys!

Judges 12:1-4 -  The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head."  Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn't save me out of their hands.  When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"  Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh."

 

Jealousy and pride….are never people builders….so when these two negative emotions are allowed to rule the hearts of two tribes….one loses badly.  Forty-two thousand people lost their lives in a senseless feud….fueled by jealous feelings and pride…that turned into full-fledged anger and hate. Satan once again tricks the people into a senseless time of destruction…of not just lives…but of human love and kindness…of brotherly love and teamwork.

 

My own life is so spotted with these moments of jealously that it is hard to pick just one to admit too.  None of them turned out good…because satan fueled the insecurities that caused the jealous thoughts in the first place.  The hate and anger that resulted just kept me from seeing God’s real purpose for my life at that that moment....kept me from realizing that God had a plan for using my abilities….small and insignificant as they seemed to me at the moment.

 

What  I need to do is cling to the scriptures the next time I feel satan trying to remind me of my lesser side.  Just as John says in John 16:13….. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” If Jephthah and the leaders of Ephraim had sat down together and prayed to God for this kind of guidance…this story might have had a different ending.  The truth will indeed set us free!

 

Father…thank you for the reminder to stop and ask you for your help when satan tries to remind me how small I am.  Help me to guard my heart and emotions against this horrible emotion of jealousy. You made me small for a reason…and you plan to use my smallness to teach other people about you.  Help me to stop comparing myself to others…and accept myself….the way you made me…..so you can take those weaknesses that you created in me on purpose…and embed yourself into them…and show others your great power. Amen.