A Jealous God

Consider and Meditate on these verses:

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.

"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.

Do you find shelter under the wings of the Holy Spirit?

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

Consider again that God wants no idols for His people. Obey His commands.

Daily Bible Reading: Matthew 19; Mark 10

© 2019 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation

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