𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐲: 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐩’𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

It is a peculiar truth of life that not everyone who smiles at your success genuinely celebrates with you. There are those who learn from you, even appear to admire your journey, yet beneath the surface, their hearts are clouded with a deep, corrosive envy. Your very life: the integrity, the choices, the path you choose to lead, silently rebukes theirs each day, highlighting the compromises they’ve made in their own lives or the wrong narrative they would want to spread about you.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. The Bible offers a powerful, timeless example in the story of King Saul and David. Initially, Saul recognized David’s anointing and potential. He brought David into his court, saw his successes, and even gave him his daughter Michal in marriage. On the surface, it seemed like support, even admiration.

However, as David’s fame grew after slaying Goliath and the people cheered, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands!” (1 Samuel 18:7), a dark envy consumed Saul. David’s righteous walk, his consistent success, and the clear favor of God upon him became a constant, unbearable rebuke to Saul, who had lost God’s Spirit due to his own disobedience.

Saul’s “support” quickly turned insidious. He didn’t just wish David ill; he actively sought his downfall. He gave David dangerous military assignments, hoping the Philistines would kill him (1 Samuel 18:17). The offer of his daughter Michal was cleverly conditioned on David bringing back a hundred Philistine foreskins, another calculated “snare” or “bait” designed to lead David to his death.

Why this elaborate deception? Because in David’s fall, Saul hoped to find justification for his own spiritual failures and realisation of his preferred trajectory for David. In David’s failure, he could soothe his own troubled conscience and declare that the life of integrity and divine favor David aspired to was, in fact, impossible. His hidden motive was to diminish David so he wouldn’t feel so diminished himself.

So, how do we navigate such treacherous waters? The wisdom remains: Know such people. Discern their intent. As Jesus himself commanded, “Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Be gentle, kind, and pure in your own heart, but also keenly aware and discerning of the hidden agendas that might lurk beneath outward appearances. Protect your path, trust your discernment, and continue to walk in integrity, for your light is often the very thing that exposes the darkness.