The Bible is filled with threads, some of which are more obvious than others. Bible scholars can trace the thread of the Messiah from Genesis to Revelation. We can trace the thread of wisdom throughout the book of Proverbs. We can see the thread of love in the gospel of John. Threads are themes we can find in the scriptures, which highlights to us subjects the Lord wants us to be aware of.

Reading Daniel 6 today highlighted a thread I have read from Genesis to Revelation, but does not get addressed much in church. Daniel 6 says, “Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other presidents and governors, for he had great ability, and the king began to think of placing him over the entire empire as his administrative officer. This made the other presidents and governors very jealous, and they began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs so that they could complain to the king about him. But they couldn’t find anything to criticize! He was faithful and honest and made no mistakes.”

Jealousy is a thread in scripture from Genesis with Cain and Abel; to 1 Samuel with Saul and David; into the gospels with the disciples asking who is the greatest, and who gets to sit on the right and left hand of Christ in HIs kingdom. To see jealousy in Daniel 6 was new to me, for I am so focused on the lion’s den story, but today, it was a study in jealousy.

Rabinnically jealousy is said to work in three stages: 1. Comparison; 2. Accusation; 3. Control. The jealousy noted in Daniel was triggered by his elevation, because he had a spirit of excellence. The rabbi’s say, jealousy does not attack weakness, it attacks excellence. One final word from the rabbi’s is that jealousy is a soul destroyer to the one who is jealous.

Jealousy needs to be addressed in the church for it is hidden in the hearts of more people than many realize. It manifests in a religious spirit, it divides people, and it launches false accusations. I can see this spirit of jealousy in operation and the Lord is wanting us to address it in our own hearts, for it is destroying our souls. Jealousy is an enemy not a friend and we must evict this enemy from our lives. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org