We’re all guilty of it: envy; we were born to want what we do not have. Of course, the word envy connotes more than just a want. It is often synonymous with the word covet. It is the word we use to say that we want something because we are not content with our present circumstances, position, or possessions. It is not necessarily wrong to want something, but it is wrong to want it out of discontentment. In Philippians 4:11 Paul speaks of learning to be content in every situation, which is good because he lists envy as a fruit of our sinful nature in Galatians 5:21.
The evil one is very aware that discontentment, and thus envy, are part of our fleshly nature. In Genesis 3:1-7 Satan tempted Eve by telling her that there were things she did not already have. He said that if you eat of it “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan effectively created envy in Eve by explaining that the forbidden fruit would make her like God, and it would give her a certain knowledge that she did not possess.
It is easy for us to look at this passage and say “how could she be envious? They had it all.” However, we can learn from this story that envy is most dangerous in times that we have plenty. King Solomon was possibly the richest man who ever lived. He had everything. Yet, we read his thoughts in Ecclesiastes 4:8: “There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.” Meaningless, he said. So it is clear that having plenty does not prevent someone from being envious.
If we take a moment to consider everything that the Lord has provided for us, and trust that He will continue to provide, we may begin to see the foolishness of our envy. It is likely that Eve did not take time to consider everything that she had. If she had done this she would not have been tempted for more. She lived in a paradise where everything was provided by God.
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