Jealousy

The Jewish leaders, the high priests and the Sadducees who were with him,

were so jealous of the apostles that they arrested them and imprisoned them.

Eventually, they also became jealous of Jesus

and handed him over to the Roman governor Pilate to crucify him

(Matthew 27:18; Acts 5:17-18).

We must not be jealous.

We should not be jealous of those who practice injustice

(Psalms 37:1).

We should not have jealousy and quarrels among us

like people in the world who do not believe in Jesus

(1 Corinthians 3:3).

Where there is envy and strife, there is confusion and every evil work

(James 3:16).

God even uses jealousy to save us.

God had told Abraham that his descendants would be foreigners in a land not their own,

where they would be enslaved and mistreated for 400 years.

In the process of fulfilling this promise,

God also used the jealousy of Joseph's ten brothers,

which eventually led Joseph to be sold into slavery in Egypt.

God's primary purpose in sending Joseph ahead to Egypt

 was to save Joseph's brothers and ensure the survival of their descendants

(Genesis 45:5, 7; Acts 7:8-15).

Ultimately, God preserved and rescued the descendants of Jacob's sons

through Joseph during a severe famine.

Our God is the God of salvation!