Genesis A New Look at Envy May 7, 2017

Transcription

1 Genesis A New Look at Envy May 7, 2017 We are in the second week of our sermon series on the 7 deadly sins; pride, envy, anger, greed, gluttony and lust. Altho sin isn t the defining aspect of a human being, nor is it the chief concern of our life with God, our life with God enables us to openly confess our sin and begin again. But to confess our sin, we must be able to identify what is at the root of our sinful behavior, that we better grow within and more fruitfully sow throughout. Because, part of what makes these sins so deadly is they for the most part start out as simple thoughts but they grow into destructive behaviors. So, it is important that we take a new look at each of these sins. We certainly see envy exemplified in fairy tales and fables, other than that we don t much like to talk about it, there isn t much written about it Probably the reason for the silence is the searing effects of envy. It burns into us like acid, whether we are the envied or the envying. But make no mistake we still hear about it. The true as life effects of envy are tragic, 1986 Charles Rothenberg tried to burn his son to death as he feared his estranged wife would not let him see him again 1991 Cheerleader mom, Wand Holloway attempted to hire a hit man to kill the mother of her daughter s competitor on the cheerleading squad,.1994 Olympic champion Nancy Kerrigan was physically attacked indirectly by her fellow skater Tonya Harding And from Hassan Rafie we hear an all too common phrase, If I cant have you no one else can. In attempting to kill his wife who was leaving him, he and his mother-in-law were killed by a gas explosion. But this is not a new phenomenon. Last week we looked at pride how it had resulted in the down fall of king Saul, we could have just as easily continued to highlight Saul in this week s topic of envy. But the truth is he wasn t the only one who suffered from it in the Bible narratives. 1 kings King Solomon s wisdom is highlighted by a case that came to him involving envy. Two women were sleeping in the night each with their baby beside them. When the women awoke the next day one of the babies laid dead and lifeless next to the alleged mother. But the mother on closer inspection realized the child wasn t hers, accusing the other of switching their babies in the night. Solomon came up with a rather gruesome idea on how to solve the mystery of which woman was the child s mother. He ordered the child to be cut in half divided between the two women. Of course, the true mother forfeited her right to her child in order to save it, while the other was all for the division even though it meant neither of them would have a full living child. The book of Genesis is filled with bad behavior brought on by the deadly sin of envy. Joseph s brothers were envious because of their father s favor toward their little brother. (Gen 37) The philistines envied Isaac as he had possession of flocks and herds, and a great household, (Gen 26:14) But the very first case of envy is revealed in the 4 chapter of Genesis. Adam and Eve have started a family; Cain and his younger brother Abel. Cain farmed as his father did while Abel became a shepherd. Over time it says, Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. Notice how the author seems to accentuate the difference between these offerings that goes beyond farmer vs shepherd differences. Cain simply brought his offering of the fruit of the ground, but then there was Abel, he brought the firstlings, their fat portions. What the author includes in Abel s description seems to shine a spot light on what is missing from Cain s. His first fruits. Which has led many biblical scholars to believe it s why God rejected Cain s offering. Of course, God s receptivity of Abel s offering didn t go unnoticed by Cain. Who became angry. So,

2 God asked him, Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? warning, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it. Of course, we know that Cain did not master it, he did what I think most parents of 2 or more children fear, he killed his brother. While envy and jealousy have their similarities, they are not truly the same. Jealousy is usually about something someone has, whereas envy is a sin against another person s very being. We aren t afraid to claim we are jealous of another person, in fact it often comes off as a compliment. Envy attempts to keep to itself, is shy to reveal its true feelings, it seethes, and perhaps it is that seething that leads to eruptions that are far more destructive than simple jealousy. More destructive not only to the one who is envied but also the envier. Perfect example is the legend of an old saint who came upon two men arguing over who was the greatest. The saint told them, make a wish and I will give you anything you ask, but know, that whatever you ask for your adversary will get double. The first man thought hard on this. He thought about asking for riches but then the other would have twice that. He thought about acquiring fame but then that would make the other famous. But then he thought of it. He requested he be struck blind in one eye. It means wishing ill on another person even though it may negatively affect yourself as well. What happens is when we Envy someone, we tend to magnify that person s good fortune while at the same time minimizing our own. The sun seems to shine more brightly upon them than us. As the cartoon on the back of your insert shows (see below), the Johnson s get the big cloud, of course. We look at others and they appear to live a charmed life. We, on the other hand, must be the victims of lousy luck. In Envy, there is a kind of diminishment of ourselves, which is one of the things that makes this sin so sad. Envy brings no positive pay off to the envier nor the envied. In the case of envy it is not enough to merely achieve a status of attractiveness; it wants to be the most attractive of all. This sort of comparison is bound to lead to lives of great disappointment, as it leads to setting up unrealistic goals for itself and then pays in its eternal sense of frustration. Envy goes beyond the passivity of mere resentment at the achievements of others, or joy at their failures. Samuel Johns wrote in his 183 essay the Influence of Envy and the Interest Compared, Yet I am inclined to believe, that the great law of mutual benevolence is oftener violated by envy than by interest, and that most of the misery which the defamation of blameless actions, or the obstruction of honest endeavors, brings upon the world, is inflicted by men that propose no advantage to themselves but the satisfaction of poisoning the banquet which they cannot taste, and blasting the harvest which they have no right to reap. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that in loving our neighbor, we are indeed loving God. He argues, in article 6 of the Summa, that hatred of neighbor would then be referred to hatred of God. Why? Because our God is our neighbor s God too, our neighbor s Creator and Father; to hate our neighbor is to hate the God who gave us the neighbor. Although Aquinas doubts that Envy is the child of hate, by implication, to Envy our neighbor s goods is not only to despise ourselves but also to despise God. To regard our lives as diminished, in comparison with our neighbor s life, is to despise the God who gave us our lives as they are. It is to say that God made a mistake in making us as we are, in giving us the gifts that we have been given, and by implication, in making our neighbor and giving our neighbor the gifts that have been given. So just as any sin we may partake in is a sin against not only neighbor but is also aimed, whether intended or not, afflicts God.

3 So how do we deal with a sin that is birthed out of thought? First, we must admit that we are experiencing envy, acknowledging our weakness and insecurity. We are better off unravelling this form of vague resentment and identifying its green-colored root before it gets the better of us and damages our relationships. Paying attention to bodily cues may also be helpful, as certain forms of envy can trigger a fight-or-flight physiological response involving symptoms like increased heart rate, clenched muscles, and sweaty palms. We need to recognize that pride is the flip side of the coin we call envy. It s tempting but unhelpful to try to counteract envy with pride. Sure, he has a nice car, but I m better looking is not going to get you very far. You might feel vindicated in the moment, but sooner or later someone is going to come along who has a nicer car than you and is better looking. In other words, reassuring ourselves about our own enviable traits is unlikely to be sustainable, and it maintains the same unstable social comparison hierarchy where someone else needs to be put down in order for us to feel boosted up, and vice versa. Instead of responding to the pain of envy with efforts to bolster your self-esteem, try selfcompassion instead. Acknowledge that it is hard to see someone do well when you re floundering, and remind yourself that you are very much not alone in your feelings of inadequacy. Even the most successful people suffer from self-doubt at times. We need to remember as human beings we are perfectly imperfect. So, as we exercise more self-compassion, we must extend compassion to others. We must remember that no matter how perfect another may appear, there are certainly chinks in their own armor. This way we may discover a fuller picture of who they are. Appreciating a person in their fullness can help us feel genuinely happy for their successes, but also promotes relational wellbeing. Sometimes envy is rooted in things we cannot change about ourselves, such as a difficult childhood, a traumatic event, or certain health conditions and disabilities, using envy to motivate self-improvement is more likely to dig us deeper into frustration and self-blame. However, envy can alert us to things that we want in life things that are potentially attainable, if we re willing to make certain changes. Envy is counting the other person s blessings instead of our own. So, the best thing you can do to counteract envy is to count your blessings. Note this exercise is not an attempt at boosting our ego by reminding ourselves how we re better than others. It s more about refocusing on what is really important in life, and on the sometimes intangible or invisible things we possess things that are less dependent on social comparisons, like a strong spirit, a diversity of life experiences, or just the simple fact of being alive. The bottom line: Envy drains our happiness and saps our energy. It s appreciation that reveals abundance in places where we might have failed to look. The saints have told us to shun competitive posturing, to relate ourselves only to God, as a remedy against Envy. The Pharisee was talking only to God when he prayed, in Luke 17, God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, adulterers, thieves, etc., such as that tax collector over there... The Pharisee demonstrates how very difficult it is to say much to God without saying something about our relationship to others, and, as we have noted, our relationships with others have been characterized, since Adam and Eve s brood, by Envy. Jesus promises us that wherever two or three are gathered, he is there. And wherever two or three are gathered, it is hard to imagine there being an absence of a third by the name of Envy. Let us pray.

4 A new look at ENVY 7 deadly sins: pride, envy, anger, greed, gluttony and lust. Although sin is not the defining aspect of a human being, nor is it the chief concern of our life with God, our life with God enables us to openly confess our sin and begin again. But to confess our sin, we must be able to identify what is at the root of our sinful behavior, that we may be made new in Christ What s so wrong with a little envy? Envy and Jealousy what s the diff? It makes us insecure about who we are. Gratitude is a strong antidote 5 Ways to Ease Envy Acknowledge Envy Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:15, 20 Pride is the flipside of Envy Replace Envy with Compassion Let Envy Fuel Self-improvement Count your Blessings

5 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant. NEXT STEPS 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 I will memorize 1 Corinthians 13:4 I will read Matthew 20:1-16. I will start a blessings journal. I will attend the entire sermon series on the Seven Deadly Sins.