Acts 7:9

Love is longsuffering, love is kind, love is not jealous … 1 Corinthians 13:4

Jealousy is wanting what another person has. It is not just being resentful or angry of another’s good fortune or achievements, but a strong desire to possess them. Unlike zeal, which is an enthusiastic devotion to a cause or goal making someone eager and determined to do something, jealousy takes this type of attitude and uses it in a way that damages others to get what they have. So one who is jealous will be zealous to obtain what another person has.

Jealousy will produce actions that are harmful to others.

“And the patriarchs, becoming jealous, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him – Acts 7:9

We also see an example of jealousy in Galatia where men came down from Jerusalem who sought to make Paul look bad to the saints there as though he was their enemy so they could exclude the saints to themselves. This is a very common tactic of false teachers and those seeking to usurp a position of authority even today.

They jealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. – Galatians 4:17

Because of jealousy for their father’s love, the brothers of Joseph sold him into slavery. Because of jealousy for the saints, false teachers came into Galatia teaching that they had to keep the law to be saved, not for the sake of those they sought to persuade but so these false teachers could look good before others and get them to only follow them. Jealousy always leads to hurting others. The Jews were very jealous of Paul when he would teach […]