#58: The Envy Test

This week we trace envy through Genesis 43 and the wider Genesis story, then ask what happens in us when someone close gets favour we think they did not earn. We land on a counterintuitive cure: God’s mercy and forgiveness free us to celebrate others instead of comparing and resenting. 
• Joseph’s brothers returning to Egypt as a mirror for the heart 
• Envy in Genesis as a repeating family-pattern sin 
• Distinctions between coveting and envy as resentment toward a person 
• Shakespeare’s Iago line as a picture of envy’s ugliness 
• Cain and Abel as envy at another’s righteousness 
• James 3 on bitter envy producing disorder and every evil practice 
• Joseph’s “envy test” with Benjamin’s undeserved favour 
• Shalom and table fellowship as a sign of mercy 
• Paul’s question about receiving grace as an antidote to comparison 
• Luke 7 and the link between forgiveness and love 

Transcript

Welcome And Genesis 43 Setup

SPEAKER_03 0:03

Welcome to Beyond the Pulpit. Exploring the life and ministry of Walnut Creek Church downtown. Walnut Creek Church exists to glorify God by making authentic disciples of Jesus Christ who love and worship him in all they do. Alright, welcome to Beyond the Pulpit. My name is Derek Wadley, and I'm joined by Lou Cookie. Morning, everyone. And Dan Root. What's up, everybody? And this last weekend we continued our study of the book of Genesis. We are in chapter 43 now, so we're making some progress. We're gonna be done soon enough. We'll be done soon, yeah. June, the end of June will be here before we know it. Uh but yeah, in this we we looked at the story of Joseph's brothers returning to Egypt and for the second time for the second time. Yeah. And they uh uh and then you spent a lot of time talking

Envy Across Genesis Family Stories

SPEAKER_03 0:50

about uh the envy test this weekend. Looking at envy from the passage.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Yeah. You know, in uh chapter uh 37, Genesis chapter 37, uh you see envy and jealousy uh described in in the brothers' lives, uh the brothers of of Joseph. And it it says that they they they they were jealous of him or envious of him in verse 11. His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind, and uh you see this jealousy, this envy in the hearts of his brothers, Joseph's brothers. That's what motivated them to get rid of to get rid of uh Joseph, to sell him as a slave. Well, first they decided they were gonna kill him, but then they say, no, let's not kill him, let's sell him as a slave and and make some money. And um and and so one way to frame the entire book of Genesis is through uh the lens of envy and jealousy. I mean the whole book over and over. It's just it it's over and over and over and over and over again. You see jealousy, envy destroying relationships. And uh you see how uh typically the the jealousy and the envy is within the family. You know, you you you see these relationships with uh Rachel and Leah and how they envied each other and it it destroyed the relationship with Cain and Abel. Uh Cain envied Abel, he was jealous of Abel and uh killed him. And you just keep going all throughout that Jacob and Esau. I mean, he just keeps going, keeps going, keeps going. And um Yeah, so it could be good just to think a little bit about the difference between jealousy and envy and how those words relate to each other, how how they even relate to coveting. And um, so something that I think is helpful to keep in mind is that in Hebrew there's only one word for envy in jealousy. So in English, but we have two words, but in Hebrew it's just one word. And so sometimes it's translated envy and sometimes it's translated jealousy, but the word covet is always translated covet. Okay, so uh how how do we explain the differences between coveting and jealousy slash envy?

SPEAKER_00 3:08

How do we think through that? Well, coveting, I think it's clear that it's like your desire to have something that someone else possesses. So your neighbor's wife or you know, your neighbor's car or whatever it might be, you you yearn to have the thing that someone that belongs to somebody else.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Uh so that'd be the way that would be, I think, coveting, the idea of what coveting is. Yeah, wanting what someone else has. Yeah. Yep. But jealousy or envy seems to be uh there's another piece to it which you got into, which is that you develop a resentment and bitterness towards that person. Because they have what you want. Yeah, so now they become the enemy. That's the idea. And um so you look at them not as just somebody that has something I want, but now I hate you because you have what I want and I can't get it. It's like you're keeping it from me. Totally. Or as you got it this week, you don't deserve it. I deserve it. So that'd be another way to angle it. But it deals with there's there's bitterness and resentment towards that person. Totally, totally.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

You know, probably the the most famous

Othello And The Cain Pattern

SPEAKER_01 4:10

line ever written in the English language on envy is in William Shakespeare's play Othello. Have you ever heard this before?

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Are you guys are you guys Othello? Are you guys Othello experts? You know, Dan, I I studied Shakespeare one time for like a week in high school. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:30

You know, I'm more of a Leonardo DiCaprio's uh Romeo Julian.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

More of a Titanic guy. So yeah, 1603, William Shakespeare, he writes the play, Othello. Now, in Othello, the villain is a man named Iago. Iago. He's a bad guy. He's not a good guy, he's a bad guy.

SPEAKER_03 4:53

Not to be confused with the parrot from Aladdin. That is correct.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

But there is a relationship there. They're both bad class. I'm just totally not even okay. Iago is the parrot. Okay, back to Othello. Okay. So Iago is he's the villain. Cassio, he's he's not the hero, but he's one of the good guys. Casio is virtuous, he's a good man. He's he's a good friend, he's a good man, he has virtue, and and he's he lives a blessed life. Uh Iago, bad man. He's the villain, he's the villain. And probably the most famous line in the English language on envy, um, outside of the Bible, is there's this place in the play where he says, he, where Iago says of Cassio, he hath a daily beauty, and that makes me ugly. That it is a profound line. He hath a daily beauty, and that makes me ugly. And so what made uh Iago angry, sad, ugly, distraught, it was the goodness of Cassio. It was the fact that Casio was a virtuous man. So then Iago uh he moves to try to kill him. Now, does he kill him? I have no idea. Okay, well, I'm not gonna answer the question. I'll leave you on the clip. I'll chat you that thing later. Yeah. He tries to kill him. You're sure this is the most famous line in the English language? I think so. Okay. I think so. About envy. Well, yeah. He hath a daily beauty and that makes me envy or that makes me ugly. It is it is so profound. Why? My public education coming out. He hath a daily beauty and that makes me ugly. And it's profound because instead of being inspired by the goodness and virtue of another, the blessing of another, it's the the the goodness and the blessing and the virtue of Cassio is what makes Iago turn in on himself.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Yeah, instead of striving for that and saying that's what's good and I should pursue, it now becomes a thing that is weaponized against him and what sounds.

SPEAKER_01 7:10

And he could feel it. And so the only way, the only way to deal with his own ugliness is to kill Cassio. And that is the echo of Cain and Abel in 1 John chapter 3, it says, and don't be like Cain who killed his brother. And why did he kill his brother? Because it says, Because Cain or because uh Abel's uh what how does it go? Because A Abel's deeds were righteous. That's why it's because he was doing the right thing. Yeah, it's because Abel was doing the right thing. And so you're like, wait a second. Cain killed his brother because his brother was doing the right thing, because his deeds were righteous.

SPEAKER_03 7:59

Yep, yeah, his own deeds were evil, and his brother's righteous.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Yeah, and and so what it meant, what it means is that Cain couldn't stand to look at his righteous brother, his virtuous brother. Yeah, yeah. And he says the only way to deal with that is to get rid of you. Um, and that's the story of the whole Bible. Yeah, it's the story of human history.

SPEAKER_03 8:19

Well, and it the picture of this jealousy, I mean, like you had said earlier, and we see all throughout, is that like the jealousy, like this type of jealousy, this bitterness that we get at, it's like uh it's always those that you're close with. Like we're not sitting here coveting like all of Michael Jordan's like rings. Yeah. Because

Envy That Breeds Every Evil

SPEAKER_03 8:40

it's like I never even stood. Like, it's like the I never had a chance at it. Like, I my knees crack at getting out of bed in the morning. It's like I'm not. Um and so that's like, but it's the people that we're closest with that we get to those feelings we when we get that destructive streak in us. Totally.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

And and the way that it works is that envy, uh John Stott talks about this, but uh envy cannot celebrate. Right. It just cannot celebrate uh the success or joys of others. It can only compare. Envy only compares. So it's a comparison between what you have and what I have. It doesn't celebrate what you have. That's what love does. Love, love rejoices with others. It celebrates when others celebrate. But envy says, what do you have versus what do I have? And if you have more than what I have, and I think you don't deserve it, um, this is what twists the human heart. It's because, see, if I think you deserve, you have more than what I have, but you deserve it, then I'm like, whatever. Maybe I'm maybe I'm, you know, I feel bad about myself, maybe, but I'm not gonna, it's any moved to murder. I'm not, I'm not gonna hate, hate that person. Um, or I'm less likely to. But when I sense that you don't deserve what you have, now think about then the mental gymnastics I need to do in my soul to say that what you have, you don't deserve. It it is the very act of justifying self, it's self-introspection at its max. It's it's it's building yourself up with your own accomplishments, your own goodness. Yeah, you're elevating yourself to a place that's that's not reality, it's not reality, and so it twists you up, and you it twists you up in order to to elevate yourself above that person to justify looking down on them, being angry with them. And so it it it is it's it's really uh it's really ugly. Super messy. It is an ugly sin. And it leads you to do all kinds of evil in James chapter 3, verse 13. It says, Who among you is wise in understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter envy, whoa, if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder. Now this is wild, and every evil practice. Every evil practice. So envy, uh, if that's the root in our hearts, it can produce every type of evil. Murder, yep. Check, selling your brother as a slave, check, lying, lying, check, slander, check, you know, sleeping with someone, check. All the sins, like all the sins.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

And you think about how often then is envy often uh actually the motivation behind many, many sins that we're committing or people are committing disorder, yeah. Because it's it's like that's the disorder that's coming out, and and uh yeah. So it's like that I mean what a statement, it's like it's demonic where there's envy and selfish ambition, there's disorder in every evil practice. Um that's a that's a that's a huge thing to hear. And uh yet like how often I think little is envy talked about and addressed, and probably how how little do we actually pay attention to our own hearts and recognize is there envy and jealousy that is motivating me to act this certain way?

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Yeah, and this is why one of the tests that Joseph gives for his brothers is

Joseph’s Test And Shalom At Table

SPEAKER_01 12:55

what will you do, brothers, when you see your younger brother uh receive this undeserved favoritism? When he gets five times as much as what you get. What will you do? And that that story plays out in chapter 37, and when they see the favoritism that Joseph experienced from his dad, the love that he experienced from his dad, they say they it says they get angry and it escalates in the chapter. They can't even speak peaceably to him. They hate him, they hate him, they hate him, they hate him, and then they say you're gone. But this time when they see the favoritism, uh they they party. Celebrate, they celebrate, they celebrate. Was it no duels? It was non-alcoholic wine. That's right. Grape juice. They were drinking kombucha. That's right. It's just kombucha. See? That's right. It's biblical kombucha's in the Bible, I guess. Um so so the the they party. They party. And so the the story it follows, it follows the exact message that God tells us. You know, when when we come to him and we're afraid and we're humble before him, you know, the the the steward, uh Joseph's servant who's speaking on Joseph's behalf. Um, when Joseph's brothers walk through the door, the threshold to the house, um, they're they're thinking to themselves, we're in big trouble. So they talk to the steward and they try to they immediately try to explain what happened. Yeah. And they're like terrified, like we're in big trouble. And the big houses in Egypt had prisons in the basement. Have you ever heard this before? Potiphar's house. Yeah, they the the the royalty of of Egypt, they had prisons in their own house, in their basements. And part of the reason you is that you had so many servants, you had so many people who reported to you, and you had enemies, people you didn't like. And it was like their timeout. Go to timeout, go to the dungeon. That's right. No, but part of it was in the Egyptian mind was at any time I can throw you in prison for any reason. Yeah, it keeps you in line. It keeps you in line. Well, in theory. Yeah, they just say, Oh, take him to the basement. You know, so that's probably where Simeon was. You know, the brother Simeon was probably in the basement. Um they think they're in trouble, but the steward says, Um, may it be well with you, or shalom. And then he says, You're God. There's a little hint there, your God and the God of your father. Yeah, wait, is that that's covenant language there in a minute? That's covenant language. Yeah, how do you know about how do you know about this God? Uh He's taking care of the dead. So now you can come in and eat. And I just I think that's exactly what the Lord says to us. Peace be to you. Your God's taking care of the dead. Come and eat at the table. Come eat at the table. And that's what cures the brothers. That's what that's what saw that that's what takes away their envy. Yeah. Um it's the mercy of God.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

It's God's mercy. Yeah, it's yeah, recognizing you've been given what you don't deserve, and what you've been given is everything. It's like everything you need is in Christ.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

Exactly. And and so that's why God's mercy, God's mercy, I think it is the cure. And uh envy is going to swell in our hearts as we look at

From What I Deserve To Grace

SPEAKER_01 16:40

other people and we compare ourselves with each other. But uh love, it it it actually it flows into our lives as we consider what we've received from the Lord. And and that's why Paul, Paul in First Corinthians, he says, Um, what do you have that you've not received? Yeah and if you have received it, why do you act as though you did not receive it? And and see, it's it's this it's the obsession with what we deserve. What do I deserve? What do I deserve? What am I owed? What am I owed? What am I what do I deserve? But see, the the Christian life is totally different. Our starting point is not what do we owed? What are we owed? What do we deserve? And if that is our starting point and we start living with this heart that says, um, you know, give me what what you owe me. Give me what you owe me, give me what you owe me. If it's that if that's our starting point in the Christian life, uh then we're gonna be very envious people. We're gonna be competitive to the core and envious with uh of uh of how God blesses other people. And you think about how how envy, it just makes you a small person, an ugly small person. Like you want to be the person, um, you want to be the type of person that when your brother is blessed, you hate him for it. It's like nobody who wants to be that type of man? Nobody, that type of woman. Who wants to be that type of person?

SPEAKER_00 17:59

Obviously, this is true of any sin, all sin, but it's like it's so enslaving. It's so enslaving at any moment you just get yanked by it. I know. Like if it's gripping your heart and you see that person that has what you want, and or you don't think they deserve it, it's like it just could it just easily you just get yanked around like a like a dog on a leash by it. And so it's so controlling, so gripping, so crippling uh to the to our own lives. And it's like, and once you get out of it, you're like, man, it does feel like a uh a weight or shackles have been taken off. You're like no longer am I bound to this thing of envy.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Oh yeah. Yeah, and god God wants us to live differently. You know, there's a better way than envy, yeah. And that way it really is love. It's a uh it is love that God wants us to learn how to love people well and to rejoice in the good fortune and blessing of others. And you know that the the Iago quote uh he hath a daily beauty and that makes me ugly. Like we don't want to be that way, like we want to rejoice, like when we see good in others and the virtue of others and the love of others. We actually want to be inspired by that. Yep, we want to be inspired, like we we don't want to become envious. Um press into it.

SPEAKER_03 19:26

Yeah, maybe look at Cas Cassio, yeah, uh, and say, like, what is he doing that I can do? Yeah, what is he doing that's worth mimicking? Like whatever's good, whatever's beautiful, like let's chase after that.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Yeah, but that love will not come until we uh fix our eyes on Christ and fix our eyes on what we've received in him. And uh the more we focus on him and the more we enjoy the forgiveness that we've received, I think the more we're gonna love. That's it, it's it's just the it's the Mark uh Mark 7. Um, is it Mark 7? Oh my goodness. Where the the the woman who washes the feet of Jesus the one who is forgiven much, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Loved much. You know, um I was thinking about that verse this weekend, partly because of that, but I I don't I off top my head, I can never remember what verse it is or what chapter I always have to look it up. I don't know why. Yeah, it's not Mark 7. Who who would think that?

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Um yeah, but whoever's been forgiven much loves much. And whoever's been forgiven little, yeah, I think it's Luke Seven. Uh oh. We see uh John the Baptist. No, that's when John the Baptist gets his head cut off. No, it isn't. I'm sorry, it is in Luke chapter seven. It's in Luke chapter seven. He has been forgiven much, loves much. He who's been forgiven little loves little. Yeah. And so we want to just be focusing in on uh the forgiveness that God has given to us.