Jealous, Are You?

Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God. –Exodus 34:14 NIV

When we think of jealousy, don’t we usually think of suspicion, greed, distrust, and selfish motives? If that’s all we know about jealousy, it’s no wonder we have a hard time believing it to be a characteristic of God…even though He’s described that way in Scripture at least ten different times. But every one of those references relates to His attitude when His people chase other gods and is related directly to His immense love for us. He knows that when we give our affection to anything other than our Creator and Source of Life, we will end up disappointed and harmed. The Bible says, as believers, we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV); we have been “bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 7:23 NIV). We can confidently rest in the secure knowledge that God always guards what is His. His pure version of jealousy actively drives away things that will destroy us, sometimes, that comes in the form of painful discipline or withholding something we want. But even when it hurts, we can be assured that His actions are always motivated by a heart of genuine love that works for our good and His glory.