What’s Yours Is Mine
For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Psalm 73:3 NASB
Envious – All of the major English translations use the word “envious” for the Hebrew qanah. But this is strange. The word qanah can mean envious but it is most often translated “jealous.” Even the LXX uses the Greek equivalent of “jealous” (zelos). Clearly the translators believe that the context calls for envy rather than jealousy. What’s the difference and why does it matter?
Envy is the desire for the property of another. Jealousy is the desire for one’s own property. Envy is the emotion I experience when I want what belongs to you. Jealousy occurs when I want what is rightfully mine even though it is in your possession. Asaph is not jealous for that would imply that the prosperity of the wicked is rightfully his. He is envious. The prosperity of the wicked belongs to them, but he desires it to be his. This distinction helps us to see a crucial difference between Asaph’s struggle over the success of the wicked and our typical approach to prosperity.
It is common among the proponents of the prosperity gospel to claim that the wicked have no right to the rewards of this world. We often hear proof texts claiming the treasures of the wicked are stored up for the righteous. We assume that God intends the righteous to have wealth, health and good living and that somehow the wicked have usurped this divine plan. Prosperity Christians claim that they are the rightful heirs of God’s blessings. They are jealous of the success of the wicked.
Asaph recognizes the fallacy in this argument. Followers of the King realize that He distributes as He wishes. The wicked do not circumvent God’s purposes, stealing treasures from the heavenly Kingdom for their own use. They also fit within the will of the Father. Exactly how they fit isn’t clear to us, but there is no suggestion in Scripture that the wicked come by their rewards independently of God’s will. Since Asaph realizes that God is in control of distribution in this life, he correctly evaluates his emotion as envy, not jealousy. What the wicked have is also the will of the Lord. Asaph’s temptation to take what is theirs is not motivated by desiring what really belongs to him. It is motivated by wanting what belongs to them. Therefore, in this context, qanahis translated “envious,” not “jealous.” Asaph needed to hear Yeshua’s parable of the land owner who paid all of the laborers the same amount.
Asaph’s use of qanah clarifies our reaction. Are we envious of the fame or fortune of others? Do we believe that God should have given us those gifts? The Bible tells us that the wicked will pay a very high price for rewards in this life. When we find ourselves secretly asking why God seems to have favored them, we need to consider the cost of such accumulation. In the Bible, there is a place for jealousy, but there is no place for envy. Envy is a cancer on the God’s sovereignty.
Topical Index: envious, qanah, jealous, Psalm 73:3
YES, THERE IS A PLACE FOR JEALOUSY IN THE BIBLE BECAUSE HE/GOD/JESUS IS JEALOUS OVER US – BECAUSE WE BELONG TO HIM… ♥
“Jealousy is the desire for one’s own property.”
Hmmm
My mother taught me at an early age that jealousy was a “green eyed monster”
And that no woman “could stand” a man who displayed jealousy, because he was acting like a fool
For me jealousy is the emotion I feel when I’m afraid that the person I’m “in love with”
Is attracted to someone else and it is a form of fear, of losing that love
On the one hand, I rarely feel envious of another person’s property
But, on the other, my eyes are green when I wear a green shirt 🙂
Once again we learn that the meaning of a word is what the culture tell us. Our idea of jealousy is not the same as the biblical, Ancient near-Eastern, Hebraic definition, is it?
Jealousy is the desire for one’s own property.
Jealousy occurs when I want what is rightfully mine even though it is in your possession.
Hi Skip,
I’m not sure if it is Hebraic, but I think jealousy can be the desire for “one’s own property”
For example, my “love” for my daughter is my “property” and I can feel as though I’m losing it
Or that it (my love) is being taken away from me and that it is rightfully mine
I think that is different than envying the property of others
Yup. That’s the idea. It is MY property but you have it. Therefore, I am jealous to get it back. This is Paul’s point. When Christians finally realize that they have nothing to offer Jews until they embrace Torah, they will continue to insist that Jews “convert” to a “new” religion.
MICHAEL, YOU MUST HAVE HAZEL EYES… ♥ THEY TURN DIFFERENT COLORS WITH WHAT YOU WEAR…
MY SON USED TO HAVE A GREEN IRIS & A BLUE IRIS BUT THEY ARE SORT OF HAZEL NOW…
PROVOKE THEM TO JEALOUSY:
ROMANS 11:14
http://bible.cc/romans/11-14.htm
ROMANS 11:11
http://bible.cc/romans/11-11.htm
2 CORINTHIANS 11:2
http://bible.cc/2_corinthians/11-2.htm
IN REGARD TO WOMEN DISLIKING JEALOUS MEN – I LIKE IT TO A CERTAIN POINT – WHEN IT BECOMES OBSESSIVE JEALOUSY IT IS SCARY & DANGEROUS & VIOLENT – BUT TO HAVE A MAN OR A WOMAN BE JEALOUS OVER YOUR ATTENTION OR LOVE IS AN EMULATION OF GOD/JESUS… WE/YOU CAN BE JEALOUS & NOT BE SINFUL – BUT AWARE OF WHAT OUR OR THEIR AFFECTIONS MEAN TO ONE ANOTHER – IF GOD/JESUS CAN HAVE THIS EMOTION OVER US – WE CAN HAVE IT OVER OTHERS – WE CAN BE JEALOUS & LET IT BE BECOMING TO US…
GOD/JESUS DOES NOT WANT TO LOSE OUR LOVE EITHER – IS HE FEARFUL WHEN HE IS FAITH IT/HIMSELF??? GOD/JESUS IS DISPLEASED WHEN OUR AFFECTIONS ARE SET ON OTHERS BESIDES HIM – HE DESIRES WE BE FIRST IN HIS LIFE TOO… ♥
YES, JESUS WAS JEALOUS OVER HIS HOUSE OF PRAYER: Jars of Clay – Jealous Kind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQAIVC1yRC4&feature=related
Know Hope Collective – Jealous God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLK_jjXlVRs&feature=related
God is Jealous for You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLHsQF131HQ&feature=related
Phil Joel – Jealous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2tLR4xSPpM&feature=related
HAZEL EYES
Hmmm
I tend to think of myself as having blue eyes that are sometimes very green
Hazel was my great Aunt’s name and she lived alone in Ontario between Berdoo and LA
The first time I stayed with her I was about 5 years old and recall commenting on her paintings
The were inexpensive pictures above the windows in her den in blues and whites and sand color
I was wondering why she would have a picture of “arabs” and a camel on her wall (an oasis)
This little old lady with white hair with books on her shelves
And I was very surprised when she said “that is the Lord Jesus,” because I had only seen him in an ornate “roman” church on a crucifix
My father later explained that Aunt Hazel was a very devout Methodist and so was he by baptism, but he never mentioned Methodism again as I recall, except maybe in respect of her
And speaking of hazel eyes, a few years back I recieved a court order accusing me of various and sundry deeds
At the time, I remember asking myself if the person had ever seen me because I have blue eyes
It was very funny and definitely maddening if not somewhat upsetting
A homeless man, who looked like Jethro Tull delivered the message
An April fool’s joke, or so I thought; but my wife or friends never thought so
And that was definitely very maddening to me 🙂
Like Michael, the best way I can identify with this is I feel “jealous” of (maybe too much) attention my husband might give another, (or even his job when I was younger) for I feel the attention is rightly mine.
(I’ll dare say it here: I see some run around paying too much attention to the bride of Christ that ought to be home paying some attention to their own bride.)
When I read that God is a jealous God, (like Jan says) I love knowing that He loves me SO MUCH that He is jealous of anything I might spend too much time on: if it results in ignoring Him — He wants to be entroned in His rightful place in my heart. After all, I gave my heart to Him, I left everything, all my nets for casting out and gathering for myself, and signed my name on a blank sheet of paper titled: “my life”. I left those spaces for Him to fill in as He wills it to be my lot. He can fill it will poverty or plenty, that’s His business.
The wicked should be envious of us! the adopted children of God — if they only knew that after this short camping trip below, we are going to a glorious home prepared for us.
Who can be so foolish as to envy little passing away things down here that only last a little time before they crumble into dust that some future archaeologist will turn over with a spade & go hummmm…
“I can identify with this is I feel “jealous” of (maybe too much) attention my husband might give another, (or even his job when I was younger”
Hi Dorothy,
I’m sure my wife could identify with you when it came to paying too much attention to work
Both of us had stressful jobs and not enough time for the kids or each other
Now I get to pay a lot of attention to my dog Max
Who is barking at me now
For an after dinner treat
God bless you, Michael, God sees.
I said a special prayer for you.
I appreciate your insight here. It is very much like jealousy in marriage. However, just want to add this one thought. It is insufficient to expect that the wicked will be motivated by our “eternal” reward since that doesn’t matter much to someone who thinks this world is then end. What we must do is live HERE so that the wicked are jealous of our lives now.
Thanks for wiping off that shining point!! Yes, THAT is going to be my constant prayer!
Doesn’t this all tie together nicely? YHWH is jealous over us because we have been bought with a price, the precious blood of the Lamb. We are under His Providential watchcare and He now watches over us like a jealous husband would watch over His bride, for that, amazingly, is exactly who we are!- the bride of Christ! He is our heavenly Boaz and we are His Ruth!
sister Jan- this one is for you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxTOsQ3LDE4
THANK YOU CARL – I JUST NOW AM SEEING THIS LOVELY TRIBUTE FROM YOU & HAVE POSTED IT WITH A RHEMA WORD FROM “HIM” ON MY FACEBOOK – HERE IS A LINK SO YOU CAN READ IT & LOOK AT THE PHOTOS….
HERE: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1371917898
OR HERE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flygirljc/sets/72157629715711681/
WHEN HE CONFIRMS – HE CONFIRMS HIS WORDS 2 US SO CLEAR… ♥
Resourced from the Yavo Digest, Volume 5, Number 4, 1991, “Jewish Grace in Jesus’ Parables” by Brad Young, p.17
In human terms, the rabbis spoke about four different types of individuals. Their rich humor is betrayed by the well-known saying,
FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE
Four characters of people:
He who says, what is mine is
mine and what is thine is thine.
This is the average type. [Some
say it is the character of Sodom.]
He who says, what is mine is
thine and what is thine is mine.
He is ignorant.
He who says, what is mine is
thine and what is thine is thine.
He is a saint {chasid}.
He who says, what is thine is
mine and what is mine is mine.
He is wicked.
the rabbis
FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE
Their rich humor
the character of Sodom
the rabbis love puns
especially on the letters
the favorite of mine
Sodom was so dumb
Brian, haven’t heard from you for awhile. I was becoming concerned, are you well?
Robert Lafoy,
Thank you for your concern. All of the family is sick at this time and I am fighting a severe cold. Your continual prayers would be greatly appreciated and offered back up to Yah in gracious thanks.
We have discovered and met another Messianic family about fifteen minutes from our abode and were making plans to spend Pesach together. I do not believe this is going to happen because of our sickness. This family loves YHWH and Yeshua and desire to live out in obedience the ways of Torah. We are praising YHWH for this beautiful family of five girls and one boy! Lord-willing, I will share more about our relationship at a future date.
What did you find out about the growth under your eye?
In His Care, Brian