“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Theodore Roosevelt

There’s nothing new under the sun, am I right?  How is it that Teddy Roosevelt, King Saul, and literally every person you know has the same problem?  I don’t know about you, but comparison and jealousy threaten to steal my joy on the daily.

So, I have to ask you this question:  Have you ever hurled a spear at someone you love?  Tried to pin them to a wall?

This is what King Saul did in 1 Samuel 18.  See, my guy was losing it.  David had just killed Goliath, and you would think that Saul would be celebrating. When Saul came home though, this is what all of his homies were saying:

“And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7)

Now, Saul and David were on the same team- the God squad, if you will.  You would think that the more battles won for Israel, the better!  Jealousy and envy were brewing in Saul’s heart, though.  Comparison was doing its work- stealing joy and replacing it with insecurity.  Saul’s thousands were nothing compared to David’s ten thousands.

The next time David was playing the harp for Saul (like, ugh, he’s musically gifted, too), he literally threw a spear at him and tried to pin David to a wall.  Yikes.

So, I have to ask you again, have you every hurled a spear at someone you love?

Maybe your spears aren’t literal.  Maybe your spears are the words you speak.  After all, the tongue is a deadly poison, set on fire by hell, and nobody has ever tamed one (see James 3).

No, we might not throw spears, but we do throw snide comments and gossip at our friends when their backs are turned.  We don’t want to pin them to a wall, but we do want to knock them down just a few pegs.  Just like Saul, we want to be #1.  We want to kill Goliath and we can’t stand when someone else does it first.

I read in a commentary once that jealousy is an indicator of a lack of trust in God.  We usually get jealous when we believe that God’s resources are scarce, not abundant.

Let me take a second to remind you of this: God is an eternal, omnipotent, and sovereign God.  Here’s what that means: no one is going to get your position at work.  No one is going to marry your spouse.  Just because someone is beautiful doesn’t mean that you aren’t, too.  Just because your friend is successful doesn’t mean that you can’t be, too.  Things are going just as planned, and God is not running out of anything.

Saul’s son, Jonathan, reacted a lot differently to the “David is #1” song.  See, Jonathan was next in line for the throne.  If anyone should’ve been jealous of David, it was Jonathan.  Instead, Jonathan “loved [David] as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1). Jonathan gave David his robe armor, sword, bow, and belt.  He trusted that God had enough for him and for David.  David could be a leader, and Jonathan could be too.

Let your jealousy be an invitation to strip off your own negative feelings towards someone and celebrate what God is doing for them.

Jealousy is more than an invitation to celebrate, though.  It is also an invitation to serve.  Jesus is the greater Jonathan.  It was Jesus, the King of literally everything and everyone, who stepped down from his throne, emptied himself, and took on the form of a servant.  He sacrificed it all for us, while we were yet sinners.  No jealousy there.

So let your comparison-driven thoughts prompt you to both celebrate and serve those who are more successful, more beautiful, or more anything than you.  God has unlimited resources, and someone else’s gift is not your lack.  It all comes from Him anyway.  More than that, if the object of your jealousy is a believer, realize that we are all on the same team.  Praise God that there are better speakers, writers, and teachers than me.  Praise God that there are better athletes, businessmen, and artists than you.  May we reach all kinds of people with the Gospel because of our varying gifts, and may the Lord capture our “thief of joy” as he renews our minds with His Word.