A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 27:4

Proverbs 27: 4     Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy?
KJV Provebs 27: 4  Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

Our culture has twisted and diminished the concepts of love and hate.  Today, most uses of the word “love” really mean“to like” or “to be entertained by.”  Likewise, “hate” has been subsumed by the idea of “haters,” which can refer to anybody who doesn’t like you or who isn’t properly impressed by whatever you’re doing.   

You really should care a lot less about getting everybody to “love” you (in the weak contemporary sense).   And your haters?  Well they aren’t the ones you should be most worried about.  Most haters (as we call them) just don’t agree with you.  They think you’re wrong, or stupid, or ugly, or talentless; but they’re not out to get you.  They don’t think you’re worth the effort, and they don’t want to spend enough time close enough to you to cause you harm.  

And that’s O.K.

The ones who should really concern you are the ones who are filled with jealousy/ envy. 

Recently I came across a very old story.  (It’s either an ancient Jewish tale or a medieval Christian story.)  

In the story, a jealous/ envious man and a covetous man met a king as they were walking along the road.    The king promised to give them both any gift no matter how expensive or difficult the request.  However, they could only ask one at a time.  Whomever asked first would receive his request, but the one who waited to ask would receive twice  as much of whatever the first man got.  
The covetous man wouldn’t ask first because he wanted to get double.  The jealous man wouldn’t ask first because he couldn’t stand the thought of his companion getting more than he had. 
Finally after long silence, the jealous/ envious man spoke up.  He asked the king to pluck out one of his eyes.

Jealousy doesn’t just hate you or hate on you, it hates the idea of you having anything other or more than it has.  So the person who envies you will get to know you.  Envy/ Jealousy will try to stay close to you.  It will keep careful tabs on what you’re doing, how you’re succeeding, and what you’re gaining from your success.   Given the chance Jealousy/Envy will wait and watch for just the right moment to pluck out one of its own eyes if doing so might leave you blind.

Just because someone just “loves” your new purchase and wants to hear all about it doesn’t mean that she  actually really loves you.   Just because some “hater” doesn’t get all excited over every little thing in your life doesn’t mean that he’s out to bring you down.  Shoot, he might just genuinely not give a crap.

But-----

Beware the brother/ sister who always wants to know exactly how much you just made.  Beware the brother/sister who wants to know the price of everything you own.  Maybe he/she is just nosy and tactless.  Or, maybe he/she is tallying up exactly how much they need to take you for so that you end up with nothing.
 ----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order made out to: Hall Memorial CME Church

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,

Montgomery, AL 36116