I Get It!
We read in Scripture that God is a jealous God. At first that seems arrogant and even some
will go as far as saying that it makes God vulnerable to sin. We are continued to be told not to attain
jealousy in our everyday life. Yet we
read in Exodus 20:4-5, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of
anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You
shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a
jealous God…” Moses prior to him being
taken up to heaven, warns the Hebrew children, “Be careful not to forget the
covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves
an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord
your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:23-24). Even Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:21-22 states,
“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot
have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to
arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?”
God jealous?
Not towards others, yet towards you….YES!
Let me explain.
Isaiah 42:8 “I
am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
Isaiah 44:6 “I am the first
and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”
Isaiah 45:18 “I am the Lord and
there is no other.”
Isaiah 46:9 “I
am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.”
Isaiah 48:17 “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what
is best for you, who directs you in the way
you
should go.”
These are just a few, but what we read is a God who
sounds confident in who he is. Nowhere
in Scripture do we read God being jealous towards others by saying…”I wish I
could have more power like that god over there.” Or, ”If only I could acquire more people to
believe in me like those gods.” Nowhere
in Scripture! What we do read is a God
who is jealous for us! A God who says,
and I am paraphrasing, “Why do you put your faith in something that cannot
speak to you…I’m right here!” “Why do
you put your time in other things, when I am right here!” God is jealous for you, not because he needs
you, but because He knows that if you put your trust in him he will meet all
your needs! He will be able to bless
you! He will be able to provide for you
emotionally and spiritually! And the
main reason…God will be able to remove sin that separates us from him! God is jealous for you!
This did not become real until my eldest moved away to
attend college. My daughters and I have
always been close. From the time my
girls were young I made it a point to build a relationship with each of
them. Daddy and daughter dates. Shooting the breeze moments. Coaching their soccer teams. Going to concerts with them. I enjoy being in their presence. Yet when my eldest went to college things
obviously changed. So to keep us
connected we text throughout the week and have family “FaceTime” every
Sunday. When we would “FaceTime” I would
be disconnected. It was hard to have my
daughters’ attention as mommy and sis wanted some of her time, so I would
disengage. It was frustrating! We would disconnect and I left feeling that
my cup with my daughter was not full.
Then one Saturday I received a text…”Daddy, do you want to
FaceTime?”. Trying to keep my emotions
from exploding, I said “Yes!”. We
FacedTime for an hour, catching up about classes, life and what God was
teaching her through his Word. When we
disconnected I was filled with joy and then it hit me! I am jealous for her time! Then the Scriptures began to flood my mind as
I was reminded of God’s jealousy for me.
I get it.
He is not jealous of culture or the “gods” of this
time…He is jealous for me! The God who
is holy, just, righteous all knowing, everywhere present and all powerful just wants me to trust in him. Not self or other ideas….just Him. So is God a jealous God…you betcha! He is jealous for YOU!!!
His call. His
gift to you. Your purpose. Irrevocable.
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