Jealous – God's character from A to Z

We think of jealousy as a bad thing. We point to jealousy as a character fault. We call it envy, monopolization, possessiveness, suspicion, and a whole lot of other nasty things. We paint jealousy as a green-eyed monster.

But God is jealous, and it’s a positive thing. It’s right, when it’s God.

Here’s a song I’ve been listening to lately.

I love this part:

“He is jealous for me. Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.”

That sounds almost scary, doesn’t it? How do we feel, if we consider God as a hurricane, fairly tipping us over and bending us almost to the breaking point?

But maybe that is exactly the point. Maybe God has to take us past our own strength. Perhaps He has to push and pull us past our own wants and whims, and anything that competes with our passion for Him.

“Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:23-24, NIV)

A consuming fire? Yikes. But it’s true. God’s passion for His people is simply that strong. He wants to burn away anything that gets in the way of our love for Him and His pathway to bless us.

God is jealous. The Almighty wants our undivided devotion, our wholehearted worship, our full praise. He is intolerant of any idolatry, which is anything that competes with His rightly merited place – right on top of all our priorities and hopes and dreams and desires.

He’s God. He is the only One who deserves to be jealous. In God, that’s a good thing. That’s who He is and how much He loves us.

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Fair – God's character from A to Z

“No fair!”

How many times has each of us complained that way, claiming we’ve been shortchanged in some way?  Maybe someone else got a bigger portion or a better deal. So we raise a ruckus.

And we do the same thing with God. It’s as if we think we are entitled to extra credit somehow. We’re like the hired workers in Jesus’ parable (see Matthew 20:1-16), who worked all day and then complained that they received the same pay as those who joined the crew at the very end.

“It’s not fair,” we cry.

It’s like we’re sort of satisfied with the lot we have, but only until we notice that someone else’s lot seems a whole lot nicer or grander or easier. Then we begin to think we merit more.

Have we forgotten what we really deserve?

The Bible says we all deserve God’s wrath. (See Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23.) The fact that we do receive anything better than that (and we do) points directly to God’s own grace and mercy.

God is fair. He is infinitely more than fair.

In fact, it’s fair to say that God is fair, whether we agree with His decisions or not. (It's not up to us anyway, is it? Our evaluation of God's fairness does not affect His intrinsic fairness at all.)

“For the Lord is righteous. He loves justice: the upright will see His face.” (Psalm 11:7, NIV)

God is righteous and just. What about us? Who is actually upright, unless the Lord picks him or her up? Who can look up to see God, unless God reaches down and picks up his or her face?

The Lord is fair, fairest of all by far. And if we actually caught even a glimpse of His glorious face, our complaints of apparent unfairness would likely flee.

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Potent Parent Prayers: Looking forward to God’s answer

The world has become a scary place. OK, that sounds simplistic. But it’s true. Perhaps it has always been so. But it sure looks like we have a lot to worry about, especially with our children growing up in a world where risks run rampant and human mistakes seem to cost more than ever before.

Still, we know how the story ends. By faith, we are assured that God will someday set things right. He will call them (and us) until the final hour. And we are thankful, especially when we remember to be and even when it hurts.

God is not silent or sleeping or stepping away, even for a second. Nothing in our world surprises Him. We cannot understand when innocents are murdered, cities are terrorized, and evil seems to have its way unchecked. 

But we have to believe anyway, if God is indeed our God.

They will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction. (Isaiah 29:23b-24, NIV)

Someday, every eye will see Him. Every knee will bow (see Philippians 2:10). Mockers will be silenced. Deceivers will be unmasked. And God will reveal the victory He has already sealed. For He is Elah Sh'maya V'Arah, God of Heaven and Earth (see Ezra 5:11).

Oh, Lord. We cannot see, and we do not understand. Our hearts break to see terrorists wreaking their havoc in the world and crime and other dangers lurking about. We fear for our children, ourselves, and all we love. We cringe to peek within the depths of our own hearts, where we find corners of darkness we have not yet yielded to Your hand. Make us more like You. Call those who have stepped from Your path, including us. Soften our hearts and the hearts of those we love to hear Your call. And bring Your will to pass in the world around us. Bring Your glory down again, and draw people to You. We ask in faith and in the name of our wonderful Lord, Your Son Jesus Christ.

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