The Jealous God

When I heard about God being a jealous God and I pictured some kind of fiery angry brute of a God forcing His will on those who do not want to obey Him. Images from movies run through my brain of an angry, usually drunk, always undeserving husband or boyfriend who is stumbling after the guy who stole his girl’s heart. He usually ends up falling face first in the snow and getting laughed at by the whole town. We all have seen that guy. That leaves me with a problem when the Lord says over and over that He is a jealous God Exodus 20:5 De 5:9 etc. In fact in one place he says that his name is Jealous Exodus 34:14. A couple of years ago the Lord had me study this out and straightened me out completely on this front. Today as I was studying for our Sunday School class on Song of Solomon I was confronted again with the Jealousy of God.

The Lord began my journey into understanding this in Numbers 25. The sin of the people has brought a plague upon them. One man brings a Mideonite woman into his family right in front of everyone; blatantly defying the Lord’s command, and Phinehas grandson of Aaron the High priest skewered them with a spear. This brings an end to the plague. God says that Phinehas was “jealous with my jealousy” and that is why the plague was stopped. This an incredible picture of intercession and the stopping of God’s wrath by agreeing with His heart, but that’s not where I want to linger today. Today I want to meditate on the jealousy of God. As I studied this the Lord said very loudly to me that jealousy was not about covetousness or wanting something that belongs to someone else, but it is about wanting something back that belongs to YOU! If someone took my wife from me they are taking what is mine. I would be jealous; burning with jealousy. It says in Proverbs 6:34 that jealousy is a husband’s fury therefore he will not relent on the day of vengeance. God will not allow that which is His to be stolen from Him for long. His wrath on Israel is out of jealousy. It is not so much His anger and lashing out in frustration at a woman who doesn’t want Him, no it is Him doing WHAT IT TAKES to get her back. It was then that this got turned around to me. Was he jealous because of me? How much of me wasn’t His? What would he do to get it? It scared me truly but it also gave me such confidence. I began to realize that this is why my life goes wrong sometimes. He is jealous for me, ALL of me. He is not happy with the 15% of me I willing give. He will do what it takes to make me His completely. The word of God over my life this year has been, “Josh I love you too much to let your comfort get in the way of your destiny!” Boy has that been true! This life is a story of jealousy and passion. My story, your story, His story; the drama of the ages. Oh how far will you go to get my heart? Can you hear His answer?

He says, with jealous fire in His eyes, “To Hell and back my love and I already have”.