A word often associated with a negative narrative. A word often used when one craves that which it doesn’t have in that moment. A word that doesn’t appear to link to a positive scenario. If we were to call someone jealous, it would usually be perceived as a more negative insult rather than an encouragement. I’m sure maybe you who are either reading or listening have maybe been labelled as jealous before by others. I know I have before.
And it doesn’t feel nice.
So if it’s culturally, socially, personally, and emotionally recognised as a so called ‘negative’ observation to make about someone or something, then why do we find it as way to describe God in our Bibles?
Surely God is the very essence of perfection? Surely He can’t be associated with words and phrases any less than flawless? Surely being labelled as jealous is a mistake?
Nevertheless, we appear to find the phrase ‘jealously longs’ in in James 4:5:
“Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?”
Or what about Exodus 34:14:
“Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
So we see that this isn’t a one-time thing when it comes to trying to comprehend the nature of the God we pursue. We see that despite the negative connotations jealously has in most of its examples when used, it equally must have some degree of value in revealing an aspect of the nature of the God that we serve.
What is the writer getting at when using this provocative word?
Well we see that within the context of which it is used, there seems to be a driving force behind it to give us greater insight into His pursuit of His people. Whether it’s the pursuit of the spirit that He has put within us in our first example, or in the pursuit of the His people’s devotion in worship in our second example.
God appears to be a jealous pursuer.
One who won’t appear to share that which is His to anything or anyone other than Himself. One that isn’t willing to share His spirit that He has put within us with anything or anyone else other than Himself. One that isn’t willing to share His people’s worship with anything or anyone else other than himself.
God appears to be in a jealous pursuit.
See when we begin to understand that God isn’t just jealous for the sake of being jealous. Like God isn’t a God of FOMO (fear of missing out) like the rest of us are. He isn’t a grumpy, insecure, fragile King who needs loads of reaffirming in His identity.
He is jealous for that which is rightfully His.
If we are going to believe the words of David in Psalm 24:1-2 where he declares how everything that is in this earth that we come across is Gods, then God’s jealously is more than valid. Not that God needs our validation (as He can do whatever He wants and call it valid), but I think it helps us try to understand why jealous canactually be a fitting phrase to describe the nature of our pursuer.
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it...” is a phrase that covers pretty much everything and anything we can ever think of. From all creation to all landscape, to all animals to all galaxies, all are His. And so are we. So is every single person you have ever set eyes upon. To take it a step further, every single person you’ve ever met is describes as being made in the image and likeness of God Himself. No matter who the most annoying person you’ve ever met was like, or what the best person you’ve ever met was like. They both fall into the category that is ‘made in the likeness of God’.
The earth is His and everything in it.
And I don’t know about you but I’m fairly certain that the earth and everything in it isn’t perfect. That actually there’s both very imperfect places and people within this world we live in starting off most with myself. Like it isn’t a fairy tale of the how everything is God’s and the rest just works out happily ever after.
There’s pain, hurt, damage, and messed up things that we see and walkthrough in our lives. See while we know that God is in complete control of the destiny in which eternity will play out, there is also one who is part of this life known as ‘the prince of this world.’ And this prince has caused the King heartache to the highest degree. That prince is the devil.
So we are in that place of the ‘now’ and the ‘not yet’ where we know Jesus is with us and His Kingdom has come, but is still coming. And the more the prince gets his hands on, the more destruction he can bring.
God is in a jealous pursuit of your destiny. He is in jealous pursuit of you centering everything you are, around all of who He is. He obtains a degree of urgency for His people to withhold from defiling that very gift of His spirit that He has graced us with. He cares about the direction of His people’s worship in both where, and to who it goes to.
See while we can’t necessarily see the importance of these things in our moments of decision making, God can. God can see the consequences of where our decisions can take us and the outcomes of where paths can lead that don’t revolve around Him.
He can see the prince eyeing up our destiny ready to pounce on those who turn away from Him. Doesn’t it say that he prowls round like a roaring lion ready to devour his prey in 1 Peter 5:8? Like this isn’t a turn or burn message, but rather a realistic view on what can happen.
But God is in jealous pursuit.
The King is unwilling to share you with the prince. He is unwilling to compromise on the value He holds you in. He is jealous for the spirit that you have taken time to cultivate and develop over time. He is jealous for your heart of worship that has been stirring in this last season.
It is a righteous jealousy, from a jealous pursuer.
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