Envy Is Rottenness to the Bones (Proverbs 14:30)
Exhibit AKey Evidence
- The scene: Rocky (1976). “You don’t even throw a crumb to your friend Paulie!”
- Rocky finally gets his shot, and Paulie can’t stand it.
- He isn’t angry about something Rocky did to him. He’s angry about something God gave Rocky. So he grabs a bat and starts swinging at everything in the house.
- Scripture explains what was really happening: “A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones” (Proverbs 14:30).
- Envy rarely hurts the person you envy. It rots you from the inside.
- The cure is a heart at peace and content with what God gives (Philippians 4:11; James 3:16; 1 Corinthians 13:4).
- Put the bat down. Celebrate your friend.
Exhibit BFrom the Word
“A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.”
“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:”
“For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;”
Clip: Rocky (1976), dir. John G. Avildsen. Used for commentary.
ClassifiedFull Briefing
"You don't even throw a crumb to your friend Paulie!" 🏏
Rocky finally gets his shot, and Paulie can't stand it. He isn't angry about something Rocky did to him. He's angry about something God gave Rocky. So he grabs a bat and starts swinging at everything in the house.
Scripture explains what was really happening: "A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones" (Proverbs 14:30, NKJV). Envy rarely hurts the person you envy. It rots you from the inside. The cure is a heart at peace and content with what God gives (Philippians 4:11; James 3:16; 1 Corinthians 13:4).
Put the bat down. Celebrate your friend.
🎬 Clip: Rocky (1976), dir. John G. Avildsen. Used for commentary.
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