God’s Great Jealousy

When a newly married couple announces pregnancy to family members and friends, a sense of anticipation and joy like they’ve never experienced before enters their hearts. The couple, and many of their family and friends, often petition others to pray for the birth of a healthy child and perfect delivery. When the day comes for the baby to be born, adrenaline and excitement rush through the couple with tremendous anticipation to greet and hold their newborn. Often the new parents will have an overwhelming supernatural love, caring desire and zealousness for their new baby – just like God did for His son when Mary gave birth.

“For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” 

─ Exodus 34:14 ESV

J. I. Packer explains, “God’s jealousy is not a compound of frustration, envy and spite, as human jealousy so often is, but appears instead as a … praiseworthy zeal to preserve something supremely precious” (Packer 1973, 153). God passionately loves you enough to have sent His Son to forgive you of your sins and make a way for you to have a perfect relationship with Him. God is perfect and desires to know you on a deeper level.

Frequently, jealousy is perceived as someone with an inferior complex compounded with envy and covetousness, often caused by Satan’s twisted approach to encouraging someone to desire to have more, seasoned with envy of what someone else has obtained. This jealousy is a sin, but the Lord’s jealousy is a passionate zeal.   

God is passionately zealous for you. 

Jealousness in God is a supernatural love and passion. God is jealous for your devotion, wholeheartedness and loyal quest for His Son. He loves to hear you in your time of prayer, and He wants to see your thirst to receive guidance from the Holy Spirit and wisdom through His Word. Jesus is the avenue for you to be in His passionate protection. 

God is on your side, passionately loves you and wants the best for you. During this Christmas season, praise God for His zeal for you.

Today’s One Thing

Honor the Lord by reading Matthew 1-2 and Luke 2 and praise Him for His zeal.

Go Deeper

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