God is Jealous

Imagine for a moment that you created something for a specific purpose, but then it was used in a way completely opposite to your intentions. Naturally, you would feel upset—perhaps even jealous. In the same way, when God created mankind in His own image, He designed us to bring Him glory, to worship and adore Him above all else. In Exodus 20, God declares, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” This helps us understand why Jesus was righteously angry—flipping tables in the temple—when He found people worshiping something other than God. At first glance, we may be confused by the idea of God’s jealousy, especially since jealousy is listed as a sin in the Bible (Galatians 5:20). However, God’s jealousy is entirely different from sinful human jealousy. God is perfect, holy, sinless, and righteous. There is nothing impure or sinful in Him. When God describes Himself as jealous, it means He is rightfully owed our worship—He created us for that very purpose. His jealousy is holy and godly, not tainted by self-centeredness or sin. This week, we will explore this divine attribute of God and examine the difference between godly and sinful jealousy.