Playing the Green Game
1 Sam. 18
How many of you own a dog here, raise your hands? We own a dog at our house by the name of Maggie Mae Mutt. Contrary to popular belief, she is a playful and even friendly dog- as long as she knows you. We have had her since she was just a puppy, and in a lot of ways, she still has a lot of puppy in her. Whenever I come home, she always has a game she loves to play with what me which involves what we have come to call her SPECIAL TOY. The game goes something like this: I sit down, and start doing something- watching TV, reading, studying- and Maggie runs and grabs her SPECIAL TOY in her mouth, and starts to make it squeak. Then she starts to wander around near me, but not too near. She starts shaking the SPECIAL TOY from side to side, bringing it nearer, nearer, nearer… and just when she thinks I might possibly be able to get it, she backs off, and then starts the process all over again. She is trying to entice me with her SPECIAL TOY. She wants me to want it. In Maggie’ mind, if I had any sense at all, I would stop whatever I am doing when I hear the SPECIAL TOY squeak and come running after her, grabbing and begging to be allowed to hold the SPECIAL TOY in my mouth. The most important part of the game for her is that I have to want what she has- not to get it from her, but more importantly to want it enough to run after her and try to get it.
I know people who would be real good at Maggie Mae Mutt’s game. They might not be too interested in the SPECIAL TOY, but they are very interested in what other people have. Their thoughts are full of wanting, without having: wanting the car, or the man/woman, or the job, or the money, or the power, or the position- any of these things that somebody else has, they want it. William Shakespeare once called envy “the Green Sickness.” I want to call it the Green Game, and the sad part is that in this game, nobody wins, and everybody loses.
Now you might not think envy is very serious, or at least not much of a problem for you. But before you jump to that conclusion, let’s remember that sin is very subtle; it can fool us into overlooking its presence, especially on our own hearts. The fact is that we all play the Green Game of envy, at least to some extent. More importantly, all of us face the danger of allowing envy to hurt us, and if we do not deal with it, it may even destroy us. This morning, I want to look at a case study in envy, found in 1 Sam. 18, but before we get there, let’s be sure we understand a little more about envy:
I. ENVY IS A SERIOUS SIN
Envy is an attitude that is hard to define. Many of us think of envy and jealousy as pretty much the same thing, but Christian psychologist Dr. Gary Collins writes:
There is a distinction between jealousy and envy. To envy is to want something which belongs to another person.
In contrast, jealousy is the fear that something which we possess will be taken away by another person.
Another author explains envy this way:
The envious man feels other’s fortunes are his misfortunes; their profit, his loss; their blessing, his bane; their health, his illness; their promotion, his demotion; their success, his failure.—Leslie Flynn
I have come up with a working definition of envy that helps me grasp its meaning. Envy: when someone else’s happiness makes you unhappy; when someone else’s blessing makes you bitter; when someone else’ advancement makes you angry.
When you really understand what envy is, then you can recognize it all around you. In the heart of that young man or woman not chosen for the team, envy simmers in their heart towards that friend who is chosen. When that girlfriend of your buddy is really the only woman for you. When you are passed over for that promotion that your coworker now enjoys, envy can wrap its slimy tentacles around your heart. I’ve seen people play the Green Game when a church member gets a new car, or a new job, or a new house. Many people play the Green Game whenever someone else is given an award or recognition that they wanted. Why should they get all the applause instead of me? How come I can’t own things like that? Why isn’t my husband/wife like that? For every person who enjoys a blessing, there are others around them who become angry, and bitter, and unhappy because they didn’t get what the other person got. That is envy, and there is not a person in this room who has not, at some point, to some degree, played the Green Game of envy.
So what? Isn’t that just natural that we envy what others have or enjoy? What’s the big deal? The problem is that the Bible says that envy is not just a harmless attitude. The Bible says that envy is a serious sin. Let me list just a few passages in the Word of God dealing with the serious sin of envy:
Ro 1:29 29being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness;…
Ga 5:2121envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
It was envy that led Cain to murder Abel (Gen. 4:1-8). It was envy that led the religious leaders to demand Jesus’ crucifixion (Mt. 27:18; Mk. 15:10). God says envy is a serious sin.
But you can look around you and see the evil of envy. Who knows how many people have been hurt because of their envy?
How many church fights, and church splits were caused not because of some serious doctrinal error, but simply by too many people playing the Green Game? How many crimes, from robbery to murder, were at their root, caused by envy?
There’s no doubt about it: envy is a serious problem. But I want to look at another question: why is envy such a serious sin? This is where we come to the sad story of King Saul, whose envy is a case study in the dangers of playing the Green Game:
II. ENVY PUTS YOU AT ODDS WITH GOD AND YOUR NEIGHBOR
Jesus was once asked what the two greatest of God’s commandments are, and in His answer, He defined for us the two main duties of everyone:
Mt 22:37-40 37Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Positively speaking, loving God and loving your neighbor is the basis of righteousness. Negatively, sin is refusing to love God, and love your neighbor. Why is envy such a serious sin? Because it transgresses the two basic commands to love God, and love your neighbor.
Perhaps nowhere is the sin of envy seen so clearly as in the life of King Saul. In 1 Sam. 18 3 things are obvious about why playing the Green Game always ends up making you the loser:
a. It puts you at odds with your neighbor. This chapter opens up right after David has killed the giant Goliath. Everybody in Israel- including Saul- is celebrating this new young hero of God’s people named David. Saul’s son, Jonathan, begins a lifelong friendship with David, even giving him some of his royal robes, possibly acknowledging God’s choice of David as the future king. But as they give him the tickertape parade through Jerusalem, some of the women begin to sing a catchy little tune to honor David and King Saul: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. It becomes an instant hit with everybody- except Saul. The lyrics to this tune were common ways of honoring more than one person, and these ladies probably did not mean anything offensive to their king. But Saul took it very personally. His admiration turned into envy, and verse 9 tells us that Saul kept a suspicious eye on David from that time forward. Why? Maybe Saul remembered the day when he was the conquering hero, the honored King of Israel. He saw that same look in the eyes of the people, but this time they weren’t looking at him, they were looking at David. Saul had begun to play the Green Game.
The next day, David comes to the palace, as usual, to play music to soothe the troubled soul of king Saul. But this time, the music does not do its work. Full of envy, Saul tries to kill David twice, but the young man escapes.
Still, Saul schemes to get rid of David: he puts him in command of the army, hoping the Philistines will kill him. He tries to humiliate David by first promising his daughter to him, and then giving her to someone else. Then Saul sends David out on a mission doomed to kill him, yet he returns the victor.
Even when Saul’s daughter Michal falls in love with the dashing young general, all Saul can do is to try and figure out how he can use her love to destroy David.
Yet the more Saul tried to defeat David, the more successful he became, and the more popular with Israel he became. Saul could not win for losing the Green Game, because envy puts us at odds with our neighbor.
b. It put you at odds with God. Several times in these verses the Bible tells us that Saul knew why David was so successful (v. 12, 28-29) What’s wrong with this picture? Saul knows God is blessing David- and yet he chooses to be an envious enemy of God’s man. It’s as if Saul shakes his fist at the sky and says I don’t care if you are blessing him- I will not let him take my place! I will not let You make this boy Your King! Make no mistake: Saul’s envy has drawn a line in the sand, with himself on one side, and God and David on the other. Saul will play the Green Game, even if it means defying God Himself!
Of course, the truly tragic part of Saul’s story is that he will try so hard to destroy David, yet in the end will only destroy himself. Saul will end his own life, still playing the Green Game to the end. His envy will destroy him.
Envy is rebellion against God’s leading in the lives of his children. It’s saying that God has no right to bless someone else more than you.—Erwin Lutzer
When God says the wages of sin is death, He knows what He is talking about. Whenever you or I play the Green Game of envy, we are asking for trouble.
You’re asking for trouble with your relationship with other people. When you envy someone else, you eventually begin to resent them; sometimes envy will lead you to belittle them, making their accomplishments smaller, in order to make ourselves feel bigger. Often envy will make us hypocritical: complimenting people to their face, and putting them down behind their back. Playing the Green Game will alienate you from good people, the same way it alienated Saul from his most loyal subject, David. You cannot love your neighbor as you love yourself with envy in your heart.
You’re asking for trouble in your relationship with God. Pastor Erwin Lutzer writes:
Envy is rebellion against God’s leading in the lives of his children. It’s saying that God has no right to bless someone else more than you.
Let me ask you this question: Who is in charge of giving things out in life?
Ps 75:7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another.
1 Sa 2:7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.
Now I know what some of you are saying: “Bro. Mike, do you mean to tell me that God gives good things, and exalts people who don’t deserve to be blessed?”
Yes: God is in charge of all of that. He doesn’t let you and I know why He runs the universe like He does, but then, He does not owe you nor I an explanation. Besides that, if God only blessed the people who deserved His blessing, where would that leave you and me?
Envy puts you at odds with God, because when you play the Green Game you are really saying is that God doesn’t know how to run this universe—or how to run your life. It is not only questioning His wisdom- envy questions God’s love. It’s almost as if when you envy, you say to God, “You must not really love me, if you would give him/her what You really ought to give to me.” As surely as playing the Green Game destroyed Saul, it will destroy you, too.
According to an ancient Greek legend, a certain athlete ran well but placed second in the race. The winner was encompassed with praise, and eventually a statue was erected in his honor. Envy ate away at the man who had placed second. He resented the winner, and he could think of little else. Eventually he decided to destroy the statue of the winner. Night after night, he went to the statue under cover of darkness, chiseling away at the base to weaken the foundation. But one night as he chiseled in violent anger, he went too far. The heavy marble statue teetered on its base and crashed down on the disgruntled athlete. He died beneath the weight of the marble replica of the man he had grown to hate. His own envy had destroyed him.
If I left you here with only the command not to envy, and did not tell you how to deal with this sin, I wouldn’t be much of a preacher would I? So let me end by telling you
III. YOU CAN QUIT THE GREEN GAME
You don’t have to play the Green game of envy. But how can you quit?
1) Repent of your sin. You’ve got to admit that you are guilty of being envious. I don’t mean
that you need to feel guilty every time you see a nice car and say man, I wish I had a nice car like that! But when something good happens to someone else, and it makes you mad, or depressed, then you need to recognize the sin of envy. You need to call it by that name- sin- and you need to take it to the Lord in prayer, and ask for forgiveness, and help in saying no to that temptation. Let me tell you- it will probably take a lot of praying to overcome this sin, because your feelings are going to try and keep dragging you back down into envy. But God will give you victory, if you truly want to stop playing the Green Game.
2) Quit comparing. One habit that we struggle with is comparing ourselves to others.
You look at your car, and then you look and see an old junk heap, and look at your friend’s car and see a luxury sedan. You see your friend’s husband, and he is so charming, and helpful, and supportive, and your husband- well, he’s OK, but he could use some improvement. You look at your life with all of its struggle and problems and pains, and wonder what you are doing wrong, and what Mr. or Mrs. Super-Christian is doing so right. Get out of that habit. Remember the old adage:
If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.
3) Learn to be content.
Php 4:11-13 11…for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Being content is not always easy, but it is always possible. You and I must learn to be content if we are going to quit playing the Green Game. We have to practice being content with who we are, and what God has given us. Contentment is not just a feeling it is a choice. That choice has to be made over and over again, and as we do this, we will be able to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
A rich businessman was walking along a beach and was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked.
“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” said the fisherman.
“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?’ the rich man asked.
“What would I do with them?”
“You could earn more money,” came the businessman replied impatiently, “and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you’d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me.”
The fisherman asked, “Then what would I do?”
“You could sit down and enjoy life,” said the businessman.
The fisherman looked out over the beautiful blue sea, with the breeze gently blowing on his face, and said “What do you think I’m doing now?”
I don’t think anybody really enjoys playing the Green Game of envy. Maybe today is the day you need to quit the Green Game. That may mean that you have to come clean with the Lord: confess your sin, repent of it, and come to Jesus and ask Him to help you learn to be content with who He has made you, what He has given you, and where He has put you. Don’t end up a loser today at the Green Game. Come to Jesus, and He will make you white as snow.
