July 8, 2020
When you were a teenager were you ever jealous of someone showing affection to a person you liked? Did you respond with hurt or anger? Was it justifiable? If so, why or why not? Is jealousy bad? Today we are going to look at the topic of a Jealous God. Is God’s jealousy bad or is it different from the teenage jealousy that I experienced and maybe you experienced?
The Bible tells us that God is jealous, ‘“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”’ Exodus 20:3-6 (ESV) God Himself tells us He is jealous God, yet this form of jealousy must be good, righteous, holy, and just to align with God’s character. None of His characteristics conflict with any other parts of His character. So, when God says in Exodus 34:14, “for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God,” (ESV) not only is it true, it also aligns with everything else we know about God. Therefore, God’s jealousy towards us must be different then the jealousy we experience as people.
So, what makes God’s jealousy righteous? First of all, people do not own other people. The person that we were jealous for as a teenager did not belong to us. We had no claim on the sole affection of that person. But in the case with God, He can “own” us.
God purchased our salvation and bought us through the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 we see this explained, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” (ESV) When we were purchased by God, we became His. Our bodies became His “home” and we were given the responsibility to glorify Him. When we don’t do that, He reveals his jealousy toward us, because we are not doing what is best for us.
Secondly, God doesn’t just own those who believe in Jesus, as Creator of everything, He owns, well… everything and everyone. Psalms 100:3 says, “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (ESV). The Bible goes on to say, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,” Psalms 24:1 (ESV) Which means everything on earth belongs to Him! It is easy to see how He can be jealous for us when someone or something is trying to take us away from Him. This form of jealousy is good and right because we are only at our best when we are being faithful and obedient to God. Paul talks about this kind of jealousy saying, “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2 (ESV) The divine jealousy that we are talking about is a jealousy that protects us from Satan and other distractions. It is for our good not for God’s benefit because as Jeremiah says, “There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.” Jeremiah 10:6 (ESV).
So, as God protects me from Satan and distractions that occur, His divine jealousy protects and keeps me safe. Therefore, I have hope for the future being safe in God’s loving arms for all eternity.If you do not know this kind of safety and security which leads to hope you need to know Jesus.
