A tranquil spirit revives the body,
but envy is rottenness to the bones.
1. A tranquil spirit vs envy
A tranquil spirit=lit-a healing heart
envy=(BDB) ardour of anger: a. of men against foes;
(NET) The term קִנְאָה (qin’ah, “envy”) refers to passionate zeal or “jealousy” (so NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT), depending on whether the object is out of bounds or within one’s rights. In the good sense one might be consumed with zeal to defend the institutions of the sanctuary. But as envy or jealousy the word describes an intense and sometimes violent excitement and desire that is never satisfied.
Summary: A tranquil heart is more than peaceful and quiet, it involves our exercise of calming down or the refusal to have the wrong passion. The wrong passion including anger or jealousy.
2. revives the body vs rottenness to the bones
revives the body=(NET) Heb “life of the flesh” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NIV “gives life to the body.”
bones=(BDB) pl. as representing entire person = one’s whole being...of individ. (incl. physical and moral); (UBSH) make the bones rot. In 12:4 this expression suggests a disease that weakens the body and leads to death. Some modern translations, like TEV, say “like a cancer.”
Summary: The tranquil spirit or when a person calm down from anger and jealousy or giving in to the wrong passion then this will give life to the whole body even when it was rotten. On the other hand, if we give in to the wrong passion our whole being including physical and moral will be ruined.
Conclusion: How we handle our emotion is crucial to our life. Do not give in when anger or jealous arose.
Reflection: In the media, getting out our anger seems to be acceptable and made a person feels better afterwards. Not in God's words. Do I accept what the media tells me or do I obey God's words? The well being of my whole body depends not just the medication prescribed to me, but I am also responsible for it.
3. Questions from NMM
Where are you most easily tempted to envy (and anger)? Why?
Envy-when I saw a person being praise whom I thought was not better than me. I deserved those praise, too. Why was that person being praise and not me?
Anger-When I thought I could have done a better job than the current person-in-charge of that ministry, but I was not given the opportunity to do so.
The common reason for my envy and anger was my pride. My pride causes me not in healing heart and thus it cause me my life.
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