Thursday, 1/15/2015

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.” ~ William Shakespeare 

GENESIS 36, 37

After the death of Isaac, Esau realizes that the land cannot support both of them so he takes his family and moves to the mountains of Seir.  Jacob remains and it is here that we begin the story of Joseph.  Joseph is 17 at the time and the son of Rachel...who has since passed away.  Jacob loves and dotes on him and as a result causes jealousy among his brothers. Joseph then has a dream in which he is above his brothers and they are bowing down to him.  This obviously does not go over very well so they begin to plot to kill him.

One day as Joseph is coming out to check on them as directed by Jacob, they see him coming and devise a plan to get rid of him.  After throwing him in dry well, they agree to sell him to a group of Ishmaelites as a slave.  In order to cover up their deed, they rip his robe and splash lambs blood on it. They then report to Jacob that Joseph has been killed by a wild animal.  Jacob goes into mourning...

Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.  all his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son." So his father wept for him. (37:34-35)

MATTHEW 12:1-21

Here we find Jesus walking through the grain fields on the Sabbath. He and his disciples begin to pick some heads and eat because they are hungry.  The Pharisees, who seem to be watching his every move, point out the fact that Jesus is doing what is unlawful.  He rebukes them using scripture, of which they pose him a question:

"Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and if falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 

JOURNAL

Jealousy is a cruel taskmaster.  I don't know that it ever plays out well.  It's pernicious ways can invade our hearts in seemingly subtle ways.  Yet it's objective is destruction.  At the root of jealousy is fear and selfishness...it is the complete opposite of trusting God.  The following is from Psychology Today...

Jealousy is a complex emotion that encompasses many different kinds of feelings that range from fear of abandonment to rage to humiliation. Jealousy can strike both men and women when they perceive a third-party threat to a valued relationship, it can be a problem among siblings competing for parental attention, or envy for a wealthier more successful friend. Conventional wisdom holds that jealousy is a necessary emotion because it preserves social bonds. But jealously usually does more harm than good to relationships, and can create relationship conflict and violence.

Obviously this is what is going on with Joseph, yet it is the same thing with the Pharisees.  The one's that know God's word the best are so blinded by their fear and jealousy that they completely miss God in the flesh right before them.   

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3-4)