“ for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. . .”
Exodus 34:14
My Beloved Ones in Christ our Lord,
You’d be completely forgiven if every time you encountered the word “jealous” (or “jealousy”) you thought of the plot line to a TV crime show. You know, someone is jealous, a jilted husband for instance, and then there is all manner of evil and mayhem that usually results. And you’d also be granted mercy if you thought of that awful emotion that wells up in our hearts, and the dreadful things that we imagine that always seem to accompany this contemptible beast called ‘jealousy.’
Of course, we all know that jealousy is roundly condemned in Scripture as a sin worthy of divine judgment (see Galatians 5:20 and James 3:16). And it is a sin that seems always to lead to other transgressions that are just as deadly and divinely displeasing, if not more so!
So it may be quite shocking for us to encounter such verses in the Word of God as the one quoted above. Perplexingly, we learn that not only is our Holy God a “ jealous God,” His very “ name is jealous”!
Well, the full scope of what this statement signifies (and how we might reconcile this Biblical claim with others that condemn this emotion) lies far beyond our time and space in this little Monday note. But there is something here that will provide our source of sweet encouragement for this new week.
Let’s first remember that the many ‘emotions’ that Scripture ascribes to our Sovereign God are only analogous to ours. That is, they are not like ours in every way. And our experiences of anger, rage, and jealousy, though in some way patterned after the Divine attributes, are those emotions of fallen, finite creatures. And the same goes for the other Divine characteristics that are much more pleasant upon consideration, such as love, mercy, patience, compassion, and the like.
So, for example, when we read of God’s anger in the Bible, we are to remember that it is the anger of an infinitely Holy God. And this goes for every such emotion that Scripture assigns to Him.
So His jealousy, then, is not that of one of us, full of evil, motivated by selfishness, and accompanied by a legion of other awful things. Rather, it is the jealousy of the Sovereign, Unchanging, Infinite, and Holy Lord of all creation!
Scripture presents our Heavenly Father as jealous for His glory, jealous for His Name, and jealous for His exclusive worship and obedience. The jealousy that He not only exhibits, but that in some way defines Him, is just as significant as is His love, His long suffering patience, and His gracious compassion.
In order to know Him more completely, then, we must embrace this attribute as well, even if we can’t (and never will!) fully fathom its depth of meaning.
But there is one other thing that our God is jealous for. He is jealous for those whom He has redeemed through the righteous blood of His Only-Begotten Son!
This fact is dramatically played out in the history of the Old Covenant people. God, by grace alone, had made them His special people. And He delivered them from their enemies and gave them their own land in order that they might worship and serve Him alone. But when they wandered away into rebellion and idolatry, and wander they did, He sent them the prophets who reminded the wayward Israelites of their Lord’s holy jealousy for them.
For just one example, consider the words of Zechariah 8:2–
“ Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.”
The entire book of Hosea also travels this trajectory. Israel has wandered away from their God like an unfaithful wife. She has acted like a harlot, worshipping any god that might come along. And Yahweh is righteously, and necessarily, jealous for her. And this holy jealousy is a function of His love! If He were not jealous for her exclusive loyalty and faithfulness, then His love would not really be love at all!
So, here’s something most encouraging to consider today: The Sovereign God who has saved us and “ blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3), loves each of us with a love that will never let us go! His is a jealous love for the Bride purchased by His Son!
It is His jealousy that moves Him to hover over us, spreading His protective “ wings” and hiding us in their “ shadow” (Psalm 36:7)!
It is His holy jealousy that gently nurses us back to the paths of His righteousness, applies His tender discipline, and shapes our souls into the image of the Savior!
It is because He is jealous for us that sends us through the fires of affliction that will make our faith stronger and our witness brighter!
His jealousy moves Him to be attentive to our every cry for help, for He will never permit even the weakest of His people to be swept away by the torrents of evil or temptation!
Because He is a “ jealous God,” He faithfully stands guard over us, always injecting into our troubled hearts a Spirit-born peace designed only for His people, and one that cannot be comprehended by mere mortals!
And it is His jealousy that will preserve our faith until the very end, and will sustain us throughout all eternity in His glorious presence!
On this Monday, don’t forget His Name; “ Jealous”! Don’t forget His Covenant-love, which is the very expression of His most holy jealousy for us!
And as we grasp more of this truth, let us be jealous for Him! Let us serve and worship Him exclusively. Let us love Him supremely! And let us jealously and zealously seek His glory in all that we do!
I love you all, more and more each day!
Mike