God's Jealousy: A God Centered vs Man Centered View

[1still_waters]

Exodus 20:4-6 (New International Version)


4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.


Exodus 34:13-15 (New International Version)

13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. [a] 14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.



Deuteronomy 4:23-25 (New International Version)

23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.





Deuteronomy 5:8-10 (New International Version)


8 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

I've noticed two approaches to the issue of God being a jealous God. One view is man centered. Another view is God centered.

The man centered view sees God's jealousy and thinks something like, "Oh look at me. God just loves me and revels in me so much. He's jealous because of His passionate love for me me me me."

This is a view that says," I'm so great. Look at me. God loves me!" It's a view that brags and almost boasts before God."

Yet we know from the Bible that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. We know that no flesh glories in His sight. We know that we should do all to the glory of God and not to the glory of self.

A God centered view of God's jealousy is very different.

The God centered view doesn't glory in 'oh how much he loves me.' Rather it glories in His glory! This God centered view says, "My God is of such great worth and importance, I'd be a fool to go after something else. My God takes offense because His glory is diminished when I go after other things of less glory!!"

It says, "My God is justified in being jealous, because His glory and dignity is offended and violated when I go after inferior things. I will shut my mouth and be silent before this great and wondrous God. I will focus on His greatness and not my own."

It says, "I will glory in his love, because it shows he loves best. It's not about him loving me. It's about Him exercising his love perfectly! It's about me seeing the glory of His love, not glorying in the fact that I'm great and am to be loved."

[Ryan1976]

I've noticed two approaches to the issue of God being a jealous God. One view is man centered. Another view is God centered.

The man centered view sees God's jealousy and thinks something like, "Oh look at me. God just loves me and revels in me so much. He's jealous because of His passionate love for me me me me."

This is a view that says," I'm so great. Look at me. God loves me!" It's a view that brags and almost boasts before God."

Yet we know from the Bible that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. We know that no flesh glories in His sight. We know that we should do all to the glory of God and not to the glory of self.

A God centered view of God's jealousy is very different.

The God centered view doesn't glory in 'oh how much he loves me.' Rather it glories in His glory! This God centered view says, "My God is of such great worth and importance, I'd be a fool to go after something else. My God takes offense because His glory is diminished when I go after other things of less glory!!"

It says, "My God is justified in being jealous, because His glory and dignity is offended and violated when I go after inferior things. I will shut my mouth and be silent before this great and wondrous God. I will focus on His greatness and not my own."

It says, "I will glory in his love, because it shows he loves best. It's not about him loving me. It's about Him exercising his love perfectly!

co-sign!

I believe Philippians 2:5-8 illustrates the attitude we should have in our aim to be Christ-o-centric in all we do.

(It's often helpful to look at different bible translations/versions because the words chosen to express the Truth often act as a window through which we might see a clearer or more nuanced picture of the Truth. On the other hand, we also have to be careful not to let one translation/version color the Truth inappropriately. This is just a general disclaimer because there are several different ways in which the following verse is expressed. Some versions read "grasped", others that Jesus didn't consider equality with God to be robbery and others still use "exploited" in place of grasped.)

Philippians 2:5-8 (New International Version)


5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

It's about me seeing the glory of His love, not glorying in the fact that I'm great and am to be loved.

I think maybe what you meant and what was written are two different things. The first part of this sentence reminds me of where it says we are to enter into His joy (and not the other way around). And the second half of this sentence reminds me of:

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

and also:

1 Corinthians 6:2 (New International Version)

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?


Nice post.


God bless

[MahogonySnail]

I don't think i've encountered the man-centred type before, might be an American idea.

Originally Posted by MahogonySnail

I don't think i've encountered the man-centred type before, might be an American idea.

Yes, it is. I suspect that it has gone out into other parts of the world as well, though. Main stream American Christianity is very shallow, man-centered, and full of teachers tickling itching ears. I firmly believe that it is, at least in part, the Apostasy spoken of in 2 Thessalonians. Of course there is a remnant; there always is. But for the most part, it is all about your best life now, or 40 days of purpose, or how you can get something from God. There is an equating of gain with godliness, and the list goes on. What I am learning from this forum, however, is that there is chaff among the wheat the world over, and apostasy is not confined by national borders.