(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Remember Commandment #2?
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:4-5a, emphasis added).
God reaffirmed this trait of his several chapters later: “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (34:14, again, emphasis added).
Doesn’t that seem…odd? Jealousy seems such a petty, immature emotion. By contrast, God is holy and perfect, so how can he be jealous?
First, we can’t compare God’s jealousy to that of people. Human jealousy often grows out of discontent and selfish desires. It can cause reactions of bitterness, unkindness, and anger.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By contrast, God’s jealousy is “holiness reacting to evil in a way that is morally right and glorious” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 169). His jealousy grows out of a desire to preserve his relationship with his people. After all, he made us. Every human being belongs to him, whether he/she acknowledges that fact or not.
God’s jealousy is an aspect of his love that motivates him to action. He knows that loyalty to himself and his ways is what’s best for us. So he provided the way for mankind to experience full, abundant life with him. Through his Son, Jesus, he bought us with his own blood.
The Death of Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And what does that full, abundant life include?
Close companionship with the King of the universe. His love, joy, peace, strength, and more overflowing in a continuous supply.
And then, when our time on earth is complete, a perfect life with him in a perfect place—forever.
Therefore, God cannot bear that we would choose other gods—people, activities, or things that seize all our attention. He’s been known to take strong action when his children disregard him.
Think of the Israelites taken captive by the Babylonians.
Think of Jonah in the belly of the great fish.
Jonah (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And then consider the situation from God’s point of view. “If God has to choose between your eternal safety and your earthly comfort, which do you hope he chooses” (Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment, p. 226)?
God’s jealousy is simply a case of eagerness to protect what belongs to him, what is precious to him—you.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for being a jealous God, for being passionate about your children. How I want to be zealous in return, seeking to please you, to reflect your glorious moral attributes into a hurting world. Keep me mindful of my desire so that I can make moment-by-moment choices for what is good, right, and loving. Help me to be strong for you.
From the Inside Out 
Love your perspective on this, especially your last sentence. “God’s eagerness” – now that needs some pondering and prayer!
Thank you, Jean. Praise God for words that make us ponder. (You give me plenty of those, too!)
I’ll just echo Jean–that last line was great, Nancy. I like the way God gives you to put things together.
Thank you Jody. How humorous you would make the above comment, because that is SO true of the posts YOU write!
Thank you Nancy. I like that God helps us to be strong for HIm. His strength is always there for us. We just have to lean on it. My favorite verse is Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It has gotten me through many trials. God bless you and the strength you get in writing the Blog. I am blessed by it.
You are a poster child for Philippains 4:13! What a comfort to know he will indeed supply the strength we need for each day–until we reach heaven! Thank you for your loving comments, Laura.
Thank you, Nancy, for this refresher course on jealousy. As you said, man’s jealousy can be destructive, while God’s jealousy is Him wanting us to take the time to be with Him, putting Him first, delving into the Word, receiving instructions/learning from the Greatest Teacher of all so that all of our responses to situations are influenced by His love and the sacrifice he made for us. I loved this one.
Thank you, Cheri. It’s truly wondrous that God considers us very precious, which leads Him to be highly-protective of us. All praise to him who takes delight in his people (Psalm 149:4a)!