You
must fear the LORD your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use
only his name. You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, for
the LORD your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare
up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 6:13-15
A jealous
God…a jealous friend? God told the Hebrew people, His chosen people, that He
wanted no other gods before Him. He was a jealous God.
 |
| Who is worshiping other gods? Dome of the Rock - Jerusalem. |
"I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from
the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god
but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of
anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to
them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not
tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon
their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and
fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a
thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. " Exodus 20:2-6
The Ninevites
were told prior to the destruction of their city in 612 BC that they needed to change
their ways. They were under God’s judgment.
The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and
rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his
enemies! The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never
lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the
storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. Nahum 1:2-3
When someone deeply
loves someone else there can be an element of jealousy in their feelings. They
want to be loved unconditionally and exclusively. No one can even give a hint
of admiration without evoking feelings of jealousy. That is just how God feels.
No other gods before Him. Does that make Him a jealous friend? God is our God…and
our friend, but I think He wants us to “share” Him with others—for us to be
friends together with others who are His friends—His disciples—and to continue
His way of teaching others.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach
these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of
this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
Although we
think of jealousy as being a bad attribute, the jealousy of our God is good. It
shows His perfect love for us.
How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All
humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7
Prayer
~ Jesus, please continue to reveal more and more of Yourself to me, to my
family, friends and neighbors…and everyone reading this that we would become
more like You. Loving and compassionate. Help us to honor God with our whole
heart, soul, mind and strength…and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Daily
Bible Reading: Matthew 4; Luke 4-5
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
As usual every Friday is Feast Day—Feasting at the King’s Table. We can’t
live on just spiritual food …nor can we live on bread alone. We’ve got to have
some meat, veggies, fruit and tasty cakes. Try this one with all those recently
harvested apples or pears.
Simple
Apple or Pear Cake
½ cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups chopped apples or pears
1¾ cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ cup chopped pecans, optional – can
sprinkle on top of cake before baking
Combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased
and floured 9 X 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. This will store
and keep fresh for a week or more. Enjoy warm with ice cream or whipped
topping.
© 2018 photo and
text by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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