The Jealousy of God
I. A Jealous God? A. Sounds slanderous 1. We know the green-eyed monster as a vicious vice, but our God is perfectly good. 2. Hard to imagine Him being jealous. B. Don’t be making God up in our imagina on. 1. His revela on tells us the truth about Himself. 2. Revealed through many agents. a. The prophets b. His Son – Hebrews 1: 1-2 c. Scripture – Has not le record to be lost through oral transmission. C. Scripture doesn’t seem to hide or downplay God’s jealousy at all. 1. Exodus 20: 5 2. Exodus 34: 14 – His name! Not inconsistent with the foregoing statements. 3. Part of His Holy Perfec on 4. A constant mo ve for God’s intervening ac on. a. Repeatedly throughout Old Testament. b. I Corinthians 10: 22 – James 4: 5 5. We are not to dwell on His goodness alone – Romans 11: 22 II. How can it be a virtue in God and such a vice in humans? A. Anthropomorphism 1. God is a personal being and we are more like Him than anything else in all crea on. 2. Scripture uses language drawn from our personal experiences, but without the corrup ng and limi ng influence of sin. 3. His jealousy is not a compound of envy, anger and wounded pride as ours so o en is. 4. Vicious jealousy is an expression of “I want what you have and I hate you because I don’t have it”. a. Infan le resentment, malice and meanness. Potent because fed by pride. b. If indulged for long can tear an otherwise solid character apart. B. Jus fied jealousy 1. Zeal to protect a love rela onship (Numbers 5: 11-31 – The suspicious husband) 2. An aspect of God’s covenant love for His people. 3. References o en have to do with idol worship provoking Him. a. Ezekiel 16 – Jerusalem as a whore - vs. 38 b. Ezekiel 23 – Oholah & Oholibah - vs. 4 4. God’s jealousy in light of His overall plan leads Him to protect, judge, destroy and discipline. 5. Also leads Him to restore when His people properly respond – II Chronicles 7: 14 III. The Jealousy of God requires us to be Zealous for Him. A. His concern for us is great. Ours should also be. 1. All God’s people should be passionately & posi vely devoted to Him. To His person, His honor, His cause. 2. The Bible word for this is zeal. B. Examples 1. Elijah – I Kings 19: 10 2. Phinehas – Numbers 25: 11 3. Paul – Romans 10: 1-2 , Titus 2: 14 4. Jesus – John 2: 17 C. His message to a church that no longer is – Revela on 3: 15 1. How many modern churches are big, respectable, pres gious and lukewarm? 2. Vs. 19 – Why we have to keep praying, singing “Revive us again” and mee ng to “provoke” one another – Hebrews 10: 25