The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
All in Jealousy
The inspired wise man who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes said: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…a time to love and a time to hate” (3:1,8a). Most of us probably have a pretty negative view of hate. We think of it as a bad emotion. But in and of itself, hate is not any better or worse than love. Both love and hate have proper objects, they are both appropriate feelings to have toward certain things at certain times.
What is the secret of a satisfying life? Paul gives three answers in Philippians 4:10-13 – “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
After David defeated the giant Goliath and rallied the armies of Israel to attack and defeat the Philistines, a song was popularized and sung by the women of Israel:
“Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7)
We learn later on that this song was so popular that it even spread among the Philistines (21:11), the very people who were the thousands and ten thousands being struck down in the song. Upon hearing this song, King Saul grows jealous of David’s growing popularity. “What more can he have but the kingdom?” (18:8) Saul asks rhetorically. After this point, Saul attempts to pin David with a spear multiple times, sends David out on suicide missions (all of which David returns victorious and even more popular than before), and eventually leads to multiple periods of time where Saul pursues David across Israel to kill him.
It shouldn’t have been that way, of course.
