“For you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”  Exodus 34:14

The context of Exodus 34 is that Moses is on Mount Sinai for the second time to receive God’s commandments.  While he was with Jehovah the first time, the Israelites got impatient and made a golden calf to worship.  After dealing with their sin and interceding on their behalf, he is once again with God.

It’s one thing to be described by another as jealous.  However, to not only declare yourself as jealous, but to also bear it as a name seems to be extreme.  Yet that is exactly what God does when He meets Moses for a second time.  For us to consider this as extreme, harsh or even a bit wrong would be an incorrect stance.

The term jealous has both positive and negative connotations.  The latter is what we tend to think of first.  That is, when we hear the word jealous, we usually think of envy.    Considering that all power, glory and honor belong to God alone as well as the fact that all that exists was both created by Him and belongs to Him, there is no reason for God to envy anyone or anything.   Rather, the closest synonym in this case is zealous.  In other words, God is intent on protecting our relationship with Him and is zealous to that end.  Given recent events with the Israelites, it is no wonder that God felt the need to be clear about His position.

“Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me.” (Isaiah 46:9)  Our Lord alone can make this statement definitively.  He is the only being with no beginning or end.  He is the only one capable of creating the heavens and the earth from nothing and sustaining them.   He is the only living and true God.  He is Holy.  He is Almighty God and it is from this position that He gives His first commandment by declaring:  “You shall have no other gods before Me.”  (Exodus 20:3)

In a world where independence and relative truth are celebrated, the fact that God has standards of conduct and requires adherence to those standards is an affront to many.  However, prior to giving those commands, He also makes a proclamation as He meets Moses:  “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;  who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.”  (Exodus 34:6-7A)  It is this loving, compassionate and truthful God that requires us to worship Him alone and obey His precepts.   Taking the time to read through Deuteronomy, Jesus’ teachings and the letters to the early church, one comes to understand that all of God’s instructions are intended to help us maintain a healthy relationship not only with Him, but also with those around us.  They are for our protection and our wellbeing.  If we have any doubt about His love and faithfulness we need to look no further than Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.    Therefore, He is both jealous and loving.

God is very clear that we are not to have any other gods in our lives.  As various cultures move around the world and intermingle, idolatry and the blending of religions is becoming more of a threat to us.  In fact God proclaims His jealousy in the middle of His directive to wipe out the idols in Canaan and to refrain from making covenants, intermingling, associating and intermarrying with the inhabitants of the land so that their relationship with God would be sound.  While we are to love and share the gospel, we are also called to be vigilant about guarding our faith in Christ.  Worshiping religious icons is quite similar to idolatry in that one is worshipping the created thing rather than the creator.  However, graven images, icons and relics are not the only threat.  There are many more subtle ways in which we supplant God by elevating other things to the prominent place in our lives.  While they may be important to or enrich our lives we need to be cautious about attention and importance given to our careers, sports, hobbies, etc.   Even our devotion to our children, spouses and other family members can impede our devotion to God.  Finally, we may become so focused on our problems that they strain our relationship with God.  Whether they consume the majority of our energy and time or we allow our resulting disillusionment to drive a wedge between us and God, elevating our worries to the preeminent positions of our lives is just as destructive as serving an idol.  The possible threats to our relationship with God and His position as Lord of our lives are endless.

Paul addresses the subject of jealousy with the Corinthians when He writes:  “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.  But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”  (2 Corinthians 11:1-3) This applies to us as well.  Whether we view ourselves as individual children of God or believers collectively as the bride of Christ, we need to focus on “the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ”.   If we are to be wholly devoted to God we need to be just as zealous with our affection for Him as He is for us.  We do this first by drawing near to Him and keeping Him close and in His proper place as Lord of our lives.  We also keep the important and enriching people and things in our lives in their proper places looking to God to direct our ways in all matters.  We should humbly bring our concerns to Him and allow His peace to invade our lives trusting His wisdom, love and faithfulness.  And finally, we seek out relationships that encourage our faith and avoid those that undermine it.  In so doing, we worship and glorify God while living well.

God is jealous.  It is jealousy born in pure and perfect love that seeks to protect our relationship with Him and eliminate anything that threatens it.  Our Lord’s call to worship Him alone is not an onerous request, but one that keeps us focused on what is most important.  It allows us to have the best possible experience in this life and to abide with Him in the next.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

Will

For further study of God’s jealousy, consider reading The Lord Whose Name Is Jealous by John Piper and  A Jealous God by C. H. Spurgeon.