As we read scripture, we see throughout the Old Testament God warning us not to worship and serve other gods. We hear that there is a dire consequence if we do. And we learn that God is a “jealous” God.
For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 4:24
How does that make you feel? What is your immediate response to having the Lord, Father God, Creator of all, actually have this ugly human emotion?
I am using this example so that you might mature your understanding of scripture and how to approach understanding, so when a human word is attached to a God attribute, you will look for a deeper meaning and not be repulsed or reject this as, “It can’t be true, so the Bible is lying.”
If a human is jealous, they are:
- Envious or resentful of the good fortune or achievements of another.
“I felt jealous when my coworker got a promotion.” - Fearful or wary of losing one’s position or situation to someone else, especially in a sexual relationship.
“Her new boyfriend was jealous of her male friends.” - Having to do with or arising from feelings of envy, apprehension, or bitterness.
“Jealous thoughts.”
But if we look up what it means Biblically to read that God is jealous, we get something entirely different:
God being a jealous God means that He desires an exclusive relationship with His people and is intensely protective of that relationship. This jealousy is not like human jealousy, which often stems from selfishness, but rather reflects God’s passionate love and desire for His people to remain faithful to Him.
- He desires exclusivity
- He is intensely protective
- His passionate love and desire for His people to remain faithful
Sounds like the God of creation loves us so very much!
Also, we cannot project our understandings onto who God is. He is not like us. He does not have human emotions, and His thoughts are greater than we can imagine. Yet we are like Him, meaning He created us in His image and likeness.
God is great. God is good.
We are so blessed to experience that kind of jealous love from Him.
There are 13 passages referring to God as a jealous God. Here are a few you can research:
- Exodus 20:5
- Exodus 34:14
- Deuteronomy 4:24
- Deuteronomy 32:16
- Deuteronomy 5:9
- Deuteronomy 6:15
