Knowing God Study - Lesson 19 Ý
Copyright 2004-5 by William Meisheid

Chapter 17: The Jealous God

Today’s theme: God, The Jealous Lover

Scriptural background: Exodus 20:5 "You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..." 34:14 "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."

Quotes for the week

“God enters by a private door into every individual.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The idea that we are physical beings descended from primeval cells in nutrient soups, that idea does violence to my intuition, stomps all over it with football-shoes. The idea that we are descended from a jealous god who formed us out of dust to choose between kneel-and-praying or fires-of-damnation, that stomps me worse.”   Richard Bach

”But the true God hath this attribute, that he is a jealous God; and therefore his worship and religion will endure no mixture nor partner.” Francis Bacon. Of Unity in Religion, Essays, Civil and Moral. The Harvard Classics, 1909–14.

Concern: That we misinterpret God’s jealousy into something we reject.

Jealousy (in the biblical sense) is essentially a passionate commitment to someone, and for their well-being. It can be morally good or morally bad, depending on its context and the motive behind the zeal. We should note that God is not jealous of, as we so often are, but jealous for. We often fail to appreciate the intensity the yearning of God's heart for us, something the OT prophets understood very well.

1   Can you think of a time when you were righteously jealous?  How did that appear different to you than common jealousy?

Interacting With The Text

Goal: To see God’s jealousy as an active component of His everlasting love for us.

1   Is it hard for you to accept jealousy being part of God? What about in the believer? What about jealousy causes you problems, if any?

2   What two facts does Packer argue effect our perception of the nature of divine jealousy? (state them in your own words)

3   Why is jealousy protecting the bond of marriage a holy jealousy? In what ways can this holiness be perverted?

4   Why is God's jealousy couched in the terms of the marriage bond?

5   What two things does God's jealous require of us as Christians according to Packer?

What To Do Next

Review Section Two and read over your responses to each chapter. Notice how Packer built his arguments as he progressed through the attributes of God, with each adding something substantive to the emerging picture.

Goal: To remember that God is balanced in His approach to us and our growth as His children.

Jealousy is a dangerous emotion because it is so easily perverted into something extremely ugly and dangerous. That said, we have to learn to properly apply this emotion in the contexts that demand its expression. Always remember that righteous jealousy is jealous for not jealous of.