King Saul was furious when people compared him to David…
1 Samuel 18:6-9 (NLT)
6When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals. 7This was their song: “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” 8Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” 9And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
My Esteemed King,
My quill hesitates over the parchment and my soul trembles as a leaf in the wind. I am but a humble servant to your wife, the queen, yet you wrote me and sought counsel. I was lost to find a reply, but having witnessed your recent outburst over the unsettling refrain, the weight of your recent actions compels me to break my silence.
You pondered, “Could God do for us what we cannot do for ourselves?” Ah, the Divine can indeed move mountains, but even He won’t plant the seed if you won’t till the soil [1]. Envy, my king, is the wood of comparison doused by the fuel of resentment; it could spark a fire of destruction without a self-control spirit. It has now darkened your soul and clouded your judgment. You’re fixated on the kingdom [2], but have you forgotten who bestowed it upon you?
Your choices, sire, echo through the halls of this palace and ripple across the kingdom. Consider Merab, your daughter, a flower in the garden of your life. Might she not be happier with Adriel, the man she loves? And what of Michal, another bloom in your familial bouquet, whose heart beats for David? You are not just a king; you are a father, a husband, and a vessel of God’s will.
David, the young shepherd, is not your adversary but a mirror reflecting your own divine potential. The enemy you should fear is the envy gnawing at your heart. Turn your face to God, and He will turn His grace to you [3]. But if you persist in this path of darkness, I tremble for what will become of your reign and your soul. Now you still have a chance to control your envious spirit, but one day the spirit of envy will control you.
I pray you find the wisdom to look beyond your own shadow and embrace the luminous plan God has set for you. For His tapestry is woven with threads finer and stronger than our understanding. Will you let the wood of comparison and the fuel of resentment consume your soul, or will you douse the flames with the waters of self-control and divine guidance?
With a heart full of prayers and a soul yearning for your righteous reign.
Rizpah
Examine your heart and share with your friends “What are the wood of comparison in your life? How are the fuel of resentment in your heart? And how effective is your dousing the flame of envy by aligning self-control with God’s will?”
[1] This was the question raised back in the previous communication
[2] We don’t envy others about the same thing. This reveals our heart’s idolatry. For Saul, it’s “What more can he get but the kingdom?“
[3] James 4:7-8 said “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world“
(from Mikey)
I would always compare myself to others why can’t I easily conversate with others easily I never know what to say so I joke around alot. I would get kinda anxious around a lot of people in groups also because usually in the past I’d be the person everyone including my family would talk about even if they said it was joking it still bothered me since there is usually a little truth in those jokes or else it wouldn’t have been said. So I’d see all these people enjoying time together talking having a blast and id get resentful for not being able to be a social butterfly. Then I kinda met Steve and I kinda feel like God brought him in my life to show me how to be kinder to others and help with my getting closer to God since Steve always goes with me to Bible studies with my uncle and has kind friends like Don and hui that help us get to church but I need to make the effort and try to get closer to him and be a kinder more social person.
For me wood of comparison is actually just comparing myself with others. Especially in size I’ve always been seen as someone was shorter and someone who probably needs more Kare since he is smaller. This comparrison has made me not feel proud of myself or as happy. Though being this way it also has fueled my pride in the way I think such as thinking I’m better since I’m smaller and I’m doing more than this person because they are bigger than me or these people are wasting the potential they have by doing nothing and thinking wow I could be better if I had their genetics. I found the way to douse myself is tolearn to be happy with others, but also just be happy with my own progress and realizing that everyone’s time is different and God has different time for everyone. Also asked God for help is a huge because it helps me to instantly not compare and just find joy in all of it.
We were reminded in yesterday’s sermon, as well as today’s reading about the dangers of comparison. When we compare ourselves with others, it robs our joy and discourages us. We are reminded that we ought not to compare. When it comes to resentment I did have it
towards my parents, growing up. I was the eldest of 5 kids and my parents expected to do everything for them. I had to bare the consequences of their failures. Everything was my fault when they made a mistake. I had a lot of resentment and frustration about it. When I became a Christian God removed my anger and replaced it with peace. He healed me and reminded about the transformative power of His forgiveness.
From sister Teri
Comparing the younger me to the much older me now, I can say that I am much less envious of others. It’s easy to compare ourselves to others then feel bad why we don’t have the material things such as this or that. Why we are not as successful as others. Why we are not popular or loved as others. Why we don’t have caring/understanding partner or good relationship/marriage as others. This is our sinful nature, but I also feel that it’s also maturity. We learn to be grateful the older we get for our blessings and gifts God bestow upon us instead of being resentful why we are not blessed with things we see others have.
To be honest, the fuel of resentment is pretty strong for me still because of some unresolved situations. However, I would say I am able to douse those flames of envy/resentments pretty quickly if these thoughts do creep up in my mind.
From the sermon yesterday, I really can relate to Pastor Jimmy’s point about praying to God for peace…which I have been earnestly praying but yet to feel…
This speaks to me “Envy is the wood of comparison doused by the fuel of resentment; it could spark a fire of destruction without a self-control spirit. It has now darkened your soul and clouded your judgment.”
Envy is what i think most women struggles with. Our instinctive nature is to compare with other women. We like to have what others have and sometimes fail to see the good of what we do have.
But what is harder for me is pride..thinking I am better than others. Then it easily makes me resentful towards people whose words are intentionally hurtful and whose actions causes others to stumble with them. I find myself angry when it happens…with so much anger that sometimes it clouded my judgement and made me such an unhappy person to be around. It was so hard to have self control, even my words became insensitive and divisive. The very thing I hate I became. Anger truly can eat us up. But God is merciful, he slowly addresses things with me as I continue to spend time with him. He is still addressing things with me. I am just glad God is slow to anger with me. Lord have mercy on us!
The wood of comparison in my life is the fear of not measuring up to worldly’s standards, keyword here is worldly. Often time I just keep telling myself I need to be and do better than others so that I can please myself with what ive accomplished and it quickly becomes my idol. Having this ideation causes me to fall short of what the world thinks about me and I beat myself over it just because I’, simply not “good enough”. But Christ is the ultimate prize here and all I am working towards. He died and resurrected and completely overcame the power of death, its sting got nothing on Him anymore, so that His power and might are made known to His creation. The fuel of resentment in my heart is at a medium level due to anxiousness of what the future holds and where I will be in the next couple years, but I am trying my best to be aligned with God’s will and His plans for me. Praying that this dry season will become a time where He is glorified and His Name is made known.
Being a twin, I am used to being compared and comparing myself to him..and also having 2 other brothers also provides plenty of wood for comparison. My brothers are all either also doctors or lawyers so the comparisons in lifestyles are constant.
What tempers the fire is 1) knowing that I’m but a steward of the skills/training that God has entrusted me with and 2) I already have the approval of the only One who’s opinion counts and 3) the awareness that my pre-believing brothers and their families are looking at me and Kathy and the kids and wondering:”what difference does this Jesus make in their lives?”
I believe that the woods of comparison in my life primarily relate to career. I think often of those that I surround myself around at work and hear the stories of those in higher positions, and it makes me want to strive for that. At the same time, it would lead to resentment or challenges when I continue another year in my current position, but I’m reminded of where my foundation is to douse the comparisons. I think back to how I was praying for God’s plans when I was debating my career in college, and now I see that He’s answered those prayers and that I need to move on His timeline and not my own. It gives me more peace in that sense when I surrender this to God.
（From Mimi）
In my life, I’ve consciously avoided the wood of comparison as much as possible. Instead, I’ve chosen to use self-reflection as my fuel for personal growth. Rather than letting resentment take hold of my heart, I’ve made an effort to channel any negative emotions into motivation for self-improvement. To keep up with this good condition, as Pastor Jimmy mentioned yesterday, I should remind myself that I am doing this for my kingdom or God’s Kingdom.