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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."
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."