Bible Study: The Paths of Envy Lead to Great Troubles

Envy should be avoided at all cost, because this sin leads to great troubles that will make life a living hell. Learn what the Holy Bible teaches about the sin of Envy, and then change your life, so that Envy cannot take a foothold in your life.

The Holy Bible is the spoken Word of God and the only tool, which Christians ought to trust in to guide their life; in their personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we get started, let us together understand the importance of the Holy Scripture and what it actually is and why it is important to understand it.

According to the Scriptures, the Holy Bible is the Word of God, and the Word of God is the Lord Jesus Christ; who is God in the Flesh.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

John 1:15 “John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.”

John 1:16 “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.”

John 1:17 “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

The following is a continuing study of the scriptures and is meant to be shared with all of my brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. Personally, I do not know where or when this study will end, but I do know that it is all for the knowledge, understanding and wisdom wrought by the Word of God, and to edify the children of God through his Son Jesus Christ – “THE WORD.”

The following study is not going to be taught by my own words, but only through the Word of God. The scriptures regarding the topics being studied are given in their entirely, so that the child of God can learn from them through prayer and mediation relying on the

Holy Spirit to lead them to understand the knowledge of God to wisdom in relationship with God and in the Spirit of God.

ENVY (The definition according to Webster’s Dictionary: “1. A feeling of discontent and ill will at another’s excellence or good fortune. 2. An object of envious notice. ”)

Job

5:2For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

Proverbs

3:31Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

14:30A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

23:17Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

27:4Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

Ecclesiastes

9:6Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Isaiah

11:13The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

26:11LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

Ezekiel

35:11Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and

according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.

Matthew

27:18For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

Mark

15:10For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

Acts

7:9And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

13:45But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

17:5But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

Romans

1:29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Philippians

1:15Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

1 Timothy

6:4He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

Titus

3:3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

James

4:5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

ENVYING

Romans

13:13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

1 Corinthians

3:3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Galatians

5:26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

James

3:14But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

3:16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

ENVYINGS

2 Corinthians

12:20For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

Galatians

5:21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

ENVIED

Genesis

26:14For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

30:1And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

37:11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

Ecclesiastes

4:4Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ezekiel

31:9I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

ENVIES

1 Peter

2:1Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

ENVIEST

Numbers

11:29And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

ENVIENT

1 Corinthians

13:4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

ENVIOUS (The definition according to Webster’s Dictionary: “a. Feeling of envy; jealously pained by the excellence or good fortune of another; -- with of, at, or against.”)

Psalms

37:1Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

73:3For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Proverbs

24:1Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

24:19Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked:

STRIFE (The definition according to Webster’s Dictionary:)

Genesis

13:7And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

13:8And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

Numbers

27:14For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

Deuteronomy

1:12How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

Judges

12:2And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

2 Samuel

19:9And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king savedus out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.

Psalms

31:20Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

55:9Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

80:6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.

106:32They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:

Proverbs

15:18A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

17:1

Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

17:14The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

17:19He loveth transgression that loveth strife: and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.

20:3It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.

22:10Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

26:17He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh adog by the ears.

26:20Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

26:21As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

28:25

He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.

29:22An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.

Isaiah

58:4Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Jeremiah

15:10

Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.

Ezekiel

47:19And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.

48:28And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.

Habakkuk

1:3Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.

Luke

22:24And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

Romans

13:13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

1 Corinthians

3:3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Galatians

5:20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Philippians

1:15Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

2:3Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

1 Timothy

6:4He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

Hebrews

6:16For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

James

3:14But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against thetruth.

3:16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

STRIFES

Proverbs

10:12Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

2 Corinthians

12:20For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

1 Timothy

6:4He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

2 Timothy

2:23But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

INSURRECTION (The definition according to Webster’s Dictionary:)

Ezra

4:19And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.

Psalms

64:2Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

Mark

15:7And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

Acts

18:12And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,

As you study these scriptures; please take note that allowing envies and strife to take a foothold into your life will lead to other troubles to enter into your life and will make life a living hell, not only for yourself, but also for those that live around you.

In the next study, we will be studying God’s Commandments and the reasons we should be keeping them by living them daily. The next study will continue with this study; as they go together; as with all of God’s Word.

The scriptures used in this study are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Bible Studies Coming Soon:

The Importance of Obeying the CommandmentsKnowing GOD through a Living Personal Relationship

The Power of ForgivenessThe Power of GraceProphecy