EVIL EFFECTS OF ENVY

EVIL EFFECTS OF ENVY

1. Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2. This [is] the history of Jacob. Joseph, [being] seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad [was] with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
3. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he [was] the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of [many] colors.
4. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
5. Now Joseph had a dream, and he told [it] to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
6. So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7. “There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8. And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9. Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10. So he told [it] to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What [is] this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”
11. And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter [in mind.]
12. Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
13. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding [the flock] in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.”
14. Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
15. Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
16. So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding [their flocks.”]
17. And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
18. Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.
19. Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!
20. “Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
21. But Reuben heard [it,] and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.”
22. And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, [but] cast him into this pit which [is] in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him” — that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.
23. So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph [of] his tunic, the tunic of [many] colors that [was] on him.
24. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit [was] empty; [there was] no water in it.
25. And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry [them] down to Egypt.
26. So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit [is there] if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27. “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he [is] our brother [and] our flesh.” And his brothers listened.
28. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29. And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
30. And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
31. And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
32. And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.
33. And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
34. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
35. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
36. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.

THE MESSAGE:

The brothers of Joseph hated him until their hatred grew Into envy (verses 4, 5, 8&11). It was envy and not hatred that moved them into selling their brother to slavery (Acts 7 9). Envy is therefore an aggregation of hatred, expressed in an act of wickedness. It is a selfish and unfriendly grudging of what another enjoys. Envy does not give its captive the opportunity to think objectively, For while their father observed and kept Joseph’s dream in his heart, his brothers, having their hearts overcharged with envy, had no single space for objective thinking (verse 11).

Had Joseph’s brothers known that their salvation in the days of the famine that lay ahead would come through their brother, would they not have thought twice before selling him off? “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there (James 3:16) How do you feel when others share their dreams and testimonies with you? Watch out lest any root of hatred spring up into envy. Learn to love your siblings and others in spite of their gifts and talents. Show love to someone God brings your way this weekend.