When they envied Moses in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord, the earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, and covered the faction of Abiram. A fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. (Psalm 106:16-18)

For humans, jealousy is a dangerous emotion to give into. In the beginning, it provoked Cain to commit the first murder on record. It convinced Jacob’s ten sons to sell their younger brother into slavery and fake his death. Throughout time, jealousy has continued to be the root cause of many other murders and all types of violent deeds and words. And as we see in the life of Saul, jealousy led to his own demise and the destruction of his family and kingdom. Thus it is written, “Where envy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16).

In the verses above, the psalmist reminds us of the rebellion in the wilderness led by Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Korah, a kinsman of Moses, was not satisfied with the position and responsibility given to him and his family in regard to the Tabernacle — he wanted Aaron’s job. Dathan and Abiram, both descendants of Reuben, were apparently still smarting from the fact that their ancestor had lost his position in the family as the firstborn. It would seem the common denominator was the sense of being slighted; thinking someone else (in this case Moses and Aaron) had taken something from them. As we know, things did not end well for the rebels — the ground opened up and took them down alive into the pit.

Giving into this type of jealousy is to exhibit an attribute of the Adversary. The Bible seems to say that Satan fancies himself a god and has convinced himself that he should rule the universe. As recorded in the Scriptures, he said, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God … I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). Accordingly, anything and anyone that God has declared to be His, the Adversary’s jealousy compels him to seek their destruction. In short, this kind of jealousy does not reflect the character of God, in fact, Paul lists it among those things regarded as deeds of the flesh. Therefore, we should not give into its passions. To the contrary, we are admonished to learn contentedness; as it is written, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have” (Hebrews 13:5). Remember, a burning jealousy will end up burning you — just ask Korah.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill