day 827-828

“the Lord your God is a jealous God”  (Deut 6:15, NKJV)

The last few teachings have been an exploration of the spirit of jealousy, its foundation, also spiritual jealousy, and all related matters that spring forth from that.                                                                                                                                                  A last perspective on this matter is the inevitable question people then struggle with – the fact that God is often described as a “jealous God”. If God is jealous, why is He against human jealousy? Three explicit examples:

  • 34:14 – “for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
  • 4:24 – “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”; and
  • 6:15 – “for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you”.

Perpahs the starting point in discussing this interesting aspect of God’s character is to understand that jealousy, like for instance anger, is not so much a transgression, but an emotion. The perverting of this emotion is the problem. (In its original meaning perverting points to something which was straight, but has been made crooked, in other words something which has been abused in its original created form. Later more on this issue when we will be discussing the spirit of perversion.)

To illustrate this we should perhaps spend a moment by concentrating on anger, as it clarifies the jealousy analogy. At points Jesus became very angry, especially when He came across what was happening in the temple: “When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.” (John 2:15).

In accordance with this Paul’s guidelines in Eph 4:26 almost sounds like an order to get angry: “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” The Message makes it clear: “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry–but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry.” When we for instance read of Moses who left Pharoah “in hot anger” (Ex. 11:8. ASV) you realise the worth of holy anger, but James 1:19 warns that you should be “slow to wrath”, as Eph. 4:27 makes it clear that we should not give Satan any foothold through our perverted anger.

In speaking on this, I can’t help but think of Stephen, one of my favourite characters from the film Braveheart, who joined William Wallace in his journey. I am always reminded of his remark about the “holy war” in challenging or provoking situations: “The Almighty says this must be a fashionable fight. It draws the finest people.” The sons of thunder (Mark 3:17), and the Elijahs who are called as warriors to take the kingdom by force (Matt. 11:12), are Biblical archetypes that demonstrate something of this holy indignation.

If a man for instance flirts with your wife, it would be unnatural then not to be jealous. Two Scriptures from the New Testament illustrate this unperverted jealousy in a striking manner:

  • “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:2)
  • “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’?” (James 4:5)

These two Scriptures have at their foundation the Godly notion of jealousy, a notion that points to consuming zeal. The Hebrew word for this is qana, which means, “to envy, be jealous, be envious, be zealous” (BDB). If God’s name in Ex. 34:14 (NJB) is used as a proper noun, El Qana, it is important to understand the Godly characteristic of Yahweh: “for you will worship no other god, since Yahweh’s name is the Jealous One; he is a jealous God”. It is very interesting that various primary sources about the nature of God, for instance Arthur W Pink’s The Attributes of God, do not even name or discuss this specific element of God’s character. There are also very few books about the names of God that list El Qana at all. This creates the impression that theologians struggle with the notion that jealousy can in any way be a Godly quality.

In both cases the use of the word jealous in the New Testament Scriptures noted above is linked to God’s jealousy over the Bride of Christ. The object of God’s jealousy is this “Godly offspring” (Mal. 2:15). In this light it is thus quite understandable that in our exploration of the perverted spirit of jealousy we will get to the core of the human problem of jealousy – the fact that the jealous party does not think of him/herself as God’s beloved. The believer who does not believe that he/she is a beloved of God, can also not know Him as El Qana, cannot know his jealous nature, and cannot understand the pressing zeal Yahwe experiences in wanting to present an unspoilt Bride to the Bridegroom.

A beautiful example of justified spiritual jealousy is found in Num. 25. When Israel lived in the Acacia Grove, the people started fornicating with the women of Moab. Part of their religious rituals was temple prostitution, and in the process the Israelites joined themselves to the idol Baal of Poer. Despite the fact that the Israelites learnt that they are part of an “eternal priesthood” (verse 13), and should thus not taint themselves in this way, they continued in their ways, despite Moses seriously warning them about it. The drastic punishment meted out, of hanging the guilty parties in the harsh sun, or by pummeling them to death, did not stop the inherent desire to sin. And then, in front of Moses and Aaron and all who were gathered in the tent of assembly, an Israeli man had sex with a Midianite women.

When Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron the priest, saw this, he arose from the meeting and took his spear and killed both of them, the Israeli man and the woman, by thrusting the spear through their bodies. After this the plague amidst the children of Israel ceased.

To take the law in your own hands was strictly speaking against the law, but God came to Phinehas’ aid and makes this amazing statement in verse 11: “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.” Phinehas acted with a sanctified jealousy, and saved his people.

In his book Knowing God, JI Packer calls this “a zeal to protect a love-relationship” (p. 189). This best explains the characteristic nature of our God named El Qana.

With this we conclude our teaching about the spirit of jealousy.

  • Selah: Explain to someone why one of God’s names is El Qana.
  • ReadEx. 31-36
  • Memorise: Ex. 31:6
  • For a more in-depth understanding: Read J.I. Packer’s book Knowing God.