We’re encouraged to put forward questions for our question and answer nights, sometimes I remember a question, often I forget, but my own philosophy, and this is just for me is that I’d rather try to find out the answer for myself. First, I’m lucky, I have access to a computer and sufficient resources, so please don’t be put off asking questions and equally, please don’t be put off searching yourself. I’m just mentioning my approach.
I’d heard this thing mentioned, it flagged up questions in my head, but it was passed by quickly, never to my own recall being dealt with at all, never mind at length. And so a window of opportunity presented itself for me to examine a question that’s been at the back of my head for a long time, years now, perhaps you’ve asked the same question, perhaps I’m the only one and that’s way it hasn’t needed expanded upon. The question that is on practically no-one’s lips ----- “Why does God call Himself Jealous?”
All my life I knew jealousy as something wrong, it shows that there is a lacking/a fault in someone who had this characteristic in their personality. In Galatians 5, 19-21 it is listed as an obvious sin. Yet Paul himself says in 2nd Corinthians 11, 2 that he was jealous for the Corinthian church. In Exodus 34, 14 God says His name is Jealous.
So have I unearthed some contradiction or is there something that just needs a little more thorough investigation.
It doesn’t take too much knowledge to know, that God and sin are incompatible; they are opposites. Sin takes you on a path away from God. So what is going on?
The jealousy we are predominantly aware of is an unrighteous one. We are used to seeing this envy, this covet-ness being outworked around us or in us.
We see the bitchiness in the office when someone gets promoted. Rumours and comments and gossip about what must have done to receive this good fortune.
Someone treats themselves to a makeover, new clothes, hairstyle, new perfume, fresh make-up and its ‘who does she think she is?’ etc etc etc. They might be fighting their way out of or back from an emotional abyss, but that doesn’t matter.
You might have worked hard to get yourself the toys and gadgets you wanted, but that’s irrelevant. What you have is, I hope it crashes or breaks.
Your car vandalised just because it’s not theirs. The new boyfriend or girlfriend has a very critical eye drawn over them.
The reason for being jealous is as many as the ways people act jealous.
If you suffer from jealousy or know someone who does, look at what it does to them, where it makes them bitter and destroys their compassion.
That’s the jealousy we’re familiar with, what then about God’s jealousy.
God cannot be jealous i.e. envious in this way of anyone or anything. What is there that is not His already? You cannot covet if you already own everything. What God is jealous of and why He has given us commandments against is giving to others what belongs to Him.
What we are talking about in the context of the commandments is His Deity, His Supremacy, His Glory, His Worship and His People. We are not to put any idol before Him. God is the one who is pre-eminent and supreme. It is to Him we worship and He will raise His Hand against anything that’s put before Him, that includes things like your work, your car, your wife/husband/children, anything, business.
There is a good analogy to be used in the use of husband and wife. If the husband sees another man flirting with his wife, then it is right for him to be jealous, the flirting is only for the husband and wife, it belongs to no one else. So jealousy, much like anger is not intrinsically wrong, it’s just how it outworks itself in our life.
Like the husband/wife thing, God demands fidelity. Look at how strong a jealous reaction can be, it has provoked some to such an extreme as to kill both adulterers.
God is spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. How do you think the one who created everything feels when He’s been given the form of a beast or an insect or a sun or when these things themselves are worshipped? What an insult, what a slap in the face, what humiliation. Should the clay say to the potter, ‘Worship me’, ‘honour me’?
A man I like, C H Spurgeon in one of his writings goes on a bit of a rant against Catholicism, but he’s right. How should God feel when a fragment of bone, a piece of cloth or place is worshipped? Should we look at the Dead Sea Scrolls as important and historical artefacts or should we venerate them? (revere or worship) We could pretty up this building, but shouldn’t put it before God. It would be better to be torn down; God may decide to do that for us.
If you are not convinced of God being a jealous God just look at how He dealt with Egypt, each plague used was one against what they’d set up as gods.
Israel, His own people suffered as a result of their idolatry, up the point of Jerusalem being brought low as a result, the jewel in Israel’s crown, where the Shikinah was.
Take a quick look, a reminder of what has happened to nations who have put themselves against God, Rome, Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Israel when it deserved it. I don’t think that anyone can argue conclusively against the idea that countries and governments aren’t suffering because they put themselves and their selfish ambitions before God. They are their own idols, worshipping themselves. God has every right to, and for their good, bring them to their knees.
For those standing outside the love of God, for those who through action or inaction put their faces away from Him, for authorities not to give assent and acknowledgement of where the source of their privileged position comes, then they should rightly tremble with fear. They should have an anxious and troubled spirit not knowing where, when or how God shall raise His hand against them. As for I, my soul sings for joy that my God is a Jealous God. He is not and never will be jealous of me, but He is forever always jealous FOR me.
Those who are in His arms should feel safe. Forever unconcerned at what the world tries to do to them. We should be aware of our God’s feelings about this and it should make us step cautiously, making sure our path is straight and we’ve put nought of this world before Him. If this condition is met, then rejoice, smile, and cheer for the jealousy of God will never fail you. Remember too that the Church is the bride of Jesus. We are fully aware of the price He paid to redeem us, I’m sure I don’t need to go at length the shame He endured willingly for us. Would we shame Him all over again by breaking our Covenant with Him? Would we?
Smile that your God and your Saviour are jealous for you. Jesus is the seal of the promise that He made with you and He shall not have His promise broken, for that would make Him a liar and a liar He is not.
It would also deny His Glory, His Sovereign Power, The One and Only True God and He will not suffer that to be slandered or ignored.
Go and smile and walk carefully with your God and you Saviour, they are both jealous for you. There is no power that can assail Them and wrestle you away from Them.
Smile and be glad that your Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is a Jealous God. Exodus 34, 14.