Uncontrolled jealousy can be dangerous. It is defined as a selfish fear or losing what one has. A jealous person often demands all your time, requires you to always check in. They can be suspicious, possessive, and quick-tempered. They want to know about and check on all your communications. Jealousy got the best of King Saul. He was impressed with David when he killed Goliath and brought him into his inner circle. But as David began to fight and win battles, Saul became jealous. Seeing how capable David was, Saul began to fear he might become king instead of Jonathan, his own son. So he assigned him to fight the Philistines, hoping they would kill him. Instead, David kept winning. This only intensified Saul’s jealousy to the point he tried on two occasions to kill David with a spear as the young warrior was playing his harp to quiet Saul’s nerves. We find in 1 Samuel chapter 19 that Saul’s daughter, Michal, saved David from Saul’s wrath. She woke him up during the night and urged him to sneak out of the window and flee from her father. We may never let jealousy control us. As a child of God, His Spirit in us can help us develop a genuine love for others so we need not resort to jealousy.
