” You must not worship any of the Gods of neighboring nations, for the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. ” Deuteronomy 6:14-15
Just what does it mean when someone is described as being jealous? It means that the person being described is envious of others by wanting what they have through their achievements in life. It could mean that a person is suspicious of others in faithfulness. In the worldliest sense of the word, being jealous is not a good virtue to display. It can be used to destroy others in their lives and the lives of those who surround them. However, we are told in the bible that our God is a jealous God. So, just what does that mean? Is he against us if we don’t always agree with him? Is he against us if we are not moving along the right path at every moment? Of course not! The jealousy that our God possesses is a positive virtue. It refers to his commitment to his love, honor and glory for each of us who truly believe. It is a passionate energy that drives God to protect and avenge the evil that stands against those who love and fear him. Our Lord desires that we love him with all of our heart. We are to focus on him, love him and throw our allegiances to him. When we fail, he is jealous in what has taken place, but he is not out to destroy us. He instead is out to put us back on track. Our God is jealous of idols, and he condemns false worship in the strongest terms. God’s jealousy is displayed with the same amount of anger as his love is for us. The more he loves us the more effort he puts into his efforts to keep us in right standing with him. Yes, he does discipline those who betray him, and yes that punishment is sometimes very stern. However, we must understand that God’s jealousy comes directly from his love for us, and what he wants us to become and not from a jealousy as to who we currently are. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
Discover more from Bread of Life, JIL
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
