A Destroyer

I Samuel 18:5-9 (KJV) Says, "And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward."

As we see from the above passage of scripture, David was a Godly man, and he was well liked by all. In fact, King Saul liked him enough to have set him over the men of war. King Saul had no problem with David as long as he felt he was above him in all things which he felt he was, until the day they returned from battling the Philistines. It was a tradition in ancient Israel for the women to greet victors returning from battle with music, and dancing, and when they came out in celebration and gave David credit for slaying ten thousands, and Saul only thousands, Saul instantly became overwhelmed with jealousy.

King Saul had rule over everything in the land, his word was final in all matters. Being king he had the finest of living spaces, and he had an abundance of the best food in the land to eat. He had the finest apparel, he had wives, and children, he had chariots, horses, servants, and anything else he desired. Having all he could possibly want, however, wasn't enough to satisfy him once the women of Israel had given David credit for slaying more men in battle than they gave him. From that point forward King Saul was nothing short of miserable, and spent the remainder of his days in pursuit of David having the desire to kill him. He was so filled with jealousy that he couldn't love and appreciate David for the asset he was to him as a loyal friend, and a skilled warrior. In lieu of living like the king that he was and remaining at home in his palace, Saul spent his time roaming around in search of David with the hope of finding him and taking his life. He felt he could not be content until David was dead.  In short, King Saul allowed Jealousy to destroy him.

I've known people like King Saul in my lifetime, and more than likely you have as well. They are perfectly content and pleased to call you friend as long as you have less than them in all areas of your life. They are even okay with you being equal to them in possessions as long as their brand is better than yours. These type people go through life making everything a competition, and they must win. They may not be out to kill someone who surpasses them in some area of praise or materialism, but they certainly make it obvious that they will do everything they can to regain the position of top dog. Most often people like King Saul, who are prone to extreme jealousy, become jealous of those who are neither competitive or jealous, when it comes to what others possess or the praise they receive. Those who are filled with a spirit of extreme jealousy are so easy to spot, and the fact that they are miserable because of it is quite obvious to everyone around them.

Extreme jealousy caused Saul to spend countless days chasing David instead of spending time in the luxury of his palace minding his kingdom. His pursuit of David took him away from his family, and the finer things of life. How must he have appeared to the people of Israel as he pursued a man they hailed a hero? As with anyone else who is consumed with jealousy Saul's behavior made the fact that he was overcome with it blatantly obvious. He had it all, but that one statement made by the Israelite women ignited a jealousy in him that he allowed to absolutely destroy him.

Do you have a jealous spirit? Do you feel the need to always best your neighbor? Do you allow jealousy to consume you? Or, can you be genuinely happy for others when they receive praise or material possessions? For instance, if your friend purchased a home twice the size of yours, could you tell them congratulations on their new home and actually be sincere about it? Or, would you congratulate them by forcing the words out of your mouth through gritted teeth making it obvious that jealousy had its hold on you? When you hear of someone receiving praise or a new material possession do you walk around for days afterwards complaining that you deserve it more than they do? Do you become so jealous of others that like Saul you wind up in a state of misery? If so, I urge you to begin working on that area of weakness in your life immediately. I urge you to go to God in prayer confess that you have a problem with jealousy, and ask Him to help you conquer that negative emotion.

I encourage you to look around, and be grateful for all the blessings God has bestowed upon you, and your family. Be genuinely happy when you hear that God has blessed someone else with praise or some material need. Jealousy is such an ugly emotion, and it is a destroyer. It destroys friendships, families, your health, and it steals your joy, peace, contentment, as well as precious time from your life. I urge you to be happy for others in all they are blessed with, to walk in obedience to God, and to wait patiently for Him to rain down the many blessings He has in store for you.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.