When they saw him (Joseph) from a distance and before he came close to them, they (his brothers) plotted against him to put him to death. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer! Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” 

                                                                                                                  Genesis 37:18-20 

Read: Genesis 37

Whether it is envy or jealousy, these negative emotions have no place in the life of a believer. Joseph was a man who experienced the wrath that comes from those who are consumed by these feelings.

Favored by his father, Joseph quickly became despised by his other brothers. He would speak of the things that God had showed him, sharing the dreams that he had received from the Lord. Couple that with being the recipient of a magnificent coat (something his brothers did not receive) and we have a recipe for trouble. They plotted to kill him but it was the wisdom of his brother Reuben that would save him. He convinced them to alter their destructive plan and to merely sell Joseph to a caravan passing through on their way to Egypt. Of course, all of this was to fulfill the plan that God had in making provision for Joseph and his family against a severe famine that was to come. We see this in Joseph’s words at the time that he was reunited with his brothers:

Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 

                                                                                                                 Genesis 45:5-7 

For Joseph, everything ended on a good note. Love, mercy, and kindness were the rule of the day as he was reunited with his brothers and father (Genesis 45). But envy and jealousy have the potential to do plenty of damage and, if left unchecked, can bring destruction on the one possessing these emotions as well as those around them. Consider James’ words about this issue:

 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. 

                                                                                                                 James 3:16 

Along with keeping John 3:16 close to our heart, we should add James 3:16. One tells us of the wonderful offer of salvation through Jesus while the other warns us of the dangers of jealousy. James equates the existence of jealousy to disorder and “every evil thing.” Consider Paul’s list of sinful, fleshly attributes: 

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

                                                                                                         Galatians 5:19-21 

Are we guilty of emphasizing some of these traits to the exclusion of others? Do we stand against sexual immorality and idolatry while tolerating jealousy and strife? This is a dangerous practice and we should consider each of these things as spiritually deadly as the rest.

And lastly, consider Paul’s words to the church: 

For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

                                                                                                         1 Corinthians 3:3 

When we demonstrate to the world an attitude of jealousy and strife with one another, we project a distortion of the gospel. By acting this way, we are simply behaving like the rest of the world.

Envy and jealousy are destructive emotions and must be dealt with the moment we find ourselves moving down that road. If we are to exemplify the kind of people described in scripture as “Spirit-filled”, we must rid ourselves of all such negative emotions. After all, love, joy, peace, kindness, and mercy are much more fun to experience, have the power to edify others, and are more likely to draw people closer to the cross of Christ!