In their celebration the women sang, "Saul has killed thousands, but David tens of thousands." Saul did not like this, and he became very angry. He said, "For David they claim tens of thousands, but only thousands for me. They will be making him king next!" And so he was jealous of David from that day on.

The next day an evil spirit from God suddenly took control of Saul, and he raved in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did every day, and Saul was holding a spear. "I’ll pin him to the wall," Saul said to himself, and he threw the spear at him twice; but David dodged each time.

Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with David but had abandoned him.

1 Samuel 18:7-12

Beware of envy. It is resentment at the success or happiness of others. It was out of envy that religious leaders sought to kill Jesus. Envy contributed to the downfall of King Saul. He had ruled well, but he disobeyed God’s command and he was rejected as king. Instead of accepting God’s decision, he became consumed with envy and hatred toward David.

Envy can ruin a life. Never take it lightly!

When you turn green with envy you are ripe for trouble.

Our Daily Bread – October 11, 2002