ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

Solomon wrote, “Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy?” (Proverbs 27:4). Our key text for this chapter, Numbers 12:1-15, centers on Moses, a man who stood up under numerous obstacles and adver- saries, jealousy being among them.As the Israelites made their way to the Promised Land, Moses, married a Cushite woman. Soon after she was elevated to such a prominent position, Moses’ sister Miriam and brother Aaron erupted with envy. As we work our way through our key passage and explore the nature of this toxic emotion, observe first the cause of jealousy. I thought at first I would need several sub-points to explain the reasons behind what Shakespeare called “a big green monster,” but it came to me in a single phrase: Jealousy comes when we wish we had, and feel entitled to, something acquired by another; whether it is possessions, talents, or attention. Such was certainly the case with Moses’ siblings, who envi- ously questioned, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?”(Numbers 12:2). God, in His providence, chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, yet Miriam and Aaron, perhaps because Moses was the youngest, felt like they were being slighted. This brings to mind Joseph from the latter chapters of Gene- sis. Because he was set apart by God and favored by his father Jacob, Joseph was hated by his brothers--so much so that they sold him into slavery. David, who came along centuries later, was also a target of jealousy and disdain.Though the youngest of Jesse’s sons, he too was set apart by God and anointed by Samuel to succeed Saul as King. His oldest brother, Eliab, was furious when David entered the bat- tlefield. Following Goliath’s death, Saul burned with jealousy as his star faded and David’s popularity escalated.As David returned from killing the Philistine giant, the women sang, “Saul has slain his thou- sands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7).After Jesus’

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