Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.” And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. (Genesis 31:1-2)

The last verse of Genesis 30 explains that under God’s blessing, Jacob became a prosperous, wealthy man. Sometimes when people become prosperous, other people become envious of them. This what happened in Jacob’s case. When he grew wealthy, the sons of his father-in-law Laban became jealous.

Under the influence of envy, the sons of Laban lied about Jacob and the reason for his prosperity. They said, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s. In truth, Jacob had not taken anything that belonged to Laban. Rather, it was that Jacob’s wealth was increasing faster than Laban’s wealth. The problem wasn’t that Jacob stole; it was that Laban’s sons were filled with envy.

Envy is a deep and dangerous sin, and it will distort the truth. Jacob had not taken anything of Laban’s, but envy will make people lie. Therefore, Laban’s sons said, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s.

Worse, the envy of Laban’s sons began to poison the heart of Laban against his son-in-law Jacob. Over time, the countenance of Laban…was not favorable toward Jacob anymore. Previously, Laban was pleased with his agreement with Jacob (Genesis 30:34). Now, because of the poison of envy, Laban was no longer happy with their arrangement.

Envy is bad not only on its own, but also for the company it keeps. According to 1 Corinthians 3:3, envy is often accompanied by strive, divisions, and unspiritual living. Self-seeking, confusion, and evil things go envy (James 3:16). In contrast, love does not envy (1 Corinthians 13:4), and God wants to deliver His people from envy, considering it part of the believer’s past, not their present (Titus 3:3).

Envy is no small sin. In a sense, envy sent Jesus to the cross. When the religious leaders brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate for the death penalty, Pilate knew that they had handed Him over because of envy (Matthew 27:18).

Dear brother or sister in Christ, can you examine your life for the sin of envy? Do you resent it when others seemed blessed or prosperous? Do you often wish you had what belongs to others? Do you dread the success of other people? Do you take pleasure in the failure of others?

Envy is not a sin to take lightly, or to indulge in any way. Knowing the destructive power of envy, we must ask God’s Spirit to help us deal strictly with this sin. Living free from envy is true freedom – able to rejoice in the success and prosperity of others, and also able to deal with our own seasons of struggle.

Make it your prayer: “Lord, search my heart, and keep me free from the dangerous sin of envy.”

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 31

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