Burning With Envy

Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. 

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” 

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” 

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” 

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 

But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4:1-16‬ ‭NIV‬

Is there any greater hate than jealousy? Abel would probably cry a resounding, "No!" from the grave.

It's a cancerous thing that grows inside the human heart. At first, it may only be a single cell of cancer. But it multiplies and grows and knows how to occupy and take over if it's not dealt with head on.

Jealousy has no boundaries. It doesn't stop itself just because the person is our brother, or sister, or best friend, or wife. It's a consuming fire in our bones whose smoke blurs our vision and chokes out any love that is growing there. It's not logical or rational. It's only looking out for itself as it takes down all those in its path. Its destructive nature lets the flesh have its absolute way. 

And the ultimate result? Death. Jealousy's hate is so strong that it won't stop until its target is absolutely disintegrated. It yells "Shoot to kill!" as it distorts reality, refusing to hear the truth and let humility have any kind of say in it. It will always tell us that we are justified as we move in agreement with its vindictive ways. It will never caution us to see where we might be in the wrong. It will never warn us of its side effects on our own lives and how it ultimately will burn us from the inside out. 

Jealousy only seeks to kill and destroy...both the target and inevitably its host.