What Are Gods Moral (Communicable) Attributes? JEALOUSY
What Are Gods Moral (Communicable) Attributes? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
A few weeks ago, I preached on the Love of God. I preached on the communicable attributes of God. {Attributes communicated to and through us by God} If you remember, I listed off all these attributes, one of which was LOVE. So, tonight, I wanna speak on what some may consider a problematic attribute: God's Jealousy. Tonight, I want to answer 3 questions.
What is Jealousy, really?
How Can God Be Jealous?
Do We Make God Jealous Today?
Let's unpack these questions and see how understanding God's Jealousy can impact our relationship with Him.
Jealousy: What Is It ?
When I say Jealousy, what do you think of ?
Many of us think of Jealousy as a flaw or sin. When we think of Jealousy, we may think of negative emotions like envy, insecurity, or possessiveness. Our Jealousy is often infected by sin. But Jealousy in itself is not inherently sinful. It has to do with the motivation and context behind it. So, what is Jealousy?
Webster Describes Jealousy like this:
Jealousy
“Suspicious fear or apprehension,Suspicious caution or vigilance”
Vigilance
“The action or state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties.”
Human Jealousy
In the Context of Human Jealousy it is often fueled by Fear and Insecurity
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
This verse shows dangerous nature of Jealousy, Human Jealousy often leads to self destruction.
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, And I was jealous for her with great fury.
This verse shows:
Gods Jealousy
Gods Love
Gods Commitment To Protect His People
God’s Jealousy
God's Jealousy is not a flaw but a testament to His Love for us. It's a pure, holy emotion deeply rooted in that love.
God’s Jealousy isn’t about insecurity; it’s about His desire to protect our relationship with Him because He knows that only He can truly fulfill us.
James 4:5
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
This verse reminds us that there is a godly kind of jealousy a zeal for what is right and holy.
Think of it this way:
God's Jealousy is His passion for His people. It's not about wanting what He doesn't have but safeguarding what He has already given: His love, grace, and presence in our lives. It's a personal, intimate form of protection that shows how much He values each of us. With :
His love,
His grace,
His presence in our lives.
How Can God Be Jealous?
Now that I have explained Jealousy let's tackle the big question:
How can God be jealous? After all, isn't God perfect? Doesn't Jealousy imply a lack or a need?
Instead of giving you my opinion, let's go straight to Scripture.
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
God isn't shy about His Jealousy; He identifies Himself with it. But why?
God’s jealousy is not like human jealousy;
It's not born out of insecurity or a need for validation. It's a righteous and holy jealousy that reflects His deep love and commitment to us. God is jealous because He knows our hearts are designed to worship Him alone. When we give our worship—our love, our devotion, our trust—to anything or anyone else, it's not just idolatry; it's settling for less than what we were made for.
Fiery Jealousy
24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
His Jealousy is a consuming fire, not to destroy us, but to refine us, to purify our hearts from anything that would draw us away from Him.
Many of you have seen or meet my young son, who's just learning to walk. He's at that stage where, when he gets tired, he crawls instead. And let me tell you, he's a fast little guy when he gets going! One of his favorite things to do is stand up in the bathtub during bath time, but since he's still a bit unsteady, he often slips and slides around like a baby seal. It's all fun and games until he tries to turn on the bathtub faucet. The problem is that he always reaches for the hot water. Every night, my wife and I must keep him from turning that faucet because we know it would burn him if he succeeded.
As a parent, I feel a deep, protective jealousy in those moments, a powerful desire to keep my child safe and out of harm's way. That same kind of protective Jealousy is what God feels for us. God knows that only He can truly satisfy our deepest needs and desires.
When we turn to other things instead of Him, He feels a righteous jealousy—not because He needs us, but because He wants us to experience the fullness of life that only He can offer. God's Jealousy is His way of saying, "I love you too much to let you go." It's a powerful, transformative force that, if we allow it, can lead us to the life He has always intended for us.
God’s jealousy is not about Him needing us; it’s about Him wanting us to experience the fullness of life that only He can offer. His jealousy is His way of saying, “I love you too much to let you go.”
Do We Make God Jealous Today?
Lastly let’s bring this closer to home:
Do we make God jealous today?
The answer is yes, we can and often do. But how?
We make God jealous when we allow anything to take His place in our hearts. When we prioritize our careers, relationships, possessions, or even our own comfort over our relationship with Him, we are essentially creating idols. And just like in the days of the Israelites, God’s jealousy is kindled when He sees us worshiping these false gods.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. 4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
The image of jealousy that provokes God is any idol—anything that takes the place of God in our lives.
Let’s be honest
What competes with God for our attention and devotion? It could be our pursuit of success, obsession with social media, desire for approval, or even our self-reliance. These things aren't necessarily bad but become idols when they become more important to us than God.
And here’s the thing:
Jealousy isn't about punishing us for loving other things. It's about calling us back to Him. He knows that these idols will never truly satisfy us, and His Jealousy is a passionate plea for us to return to the one relationship that will, our relationship with Him. It's a comforting reminder that no matter how far we stray, God's Jealousy is always there, calling us back to Him.
God’s jealousy is a sign of His love for us. He’s not content with us giving our hearts to anything less than Him because He knows that only He can provide what we truly need.
Conclusion:
Embrace God's Jealousy
I want to challenge each of us to reflect on our lives.
Are there areas where we’ve allowed other things to take the place of God?
Are there idols in our hearts that need to be torn down?
Remember this:
God’s jealousy is not a flaw;
it’s a reflection of His fierce love for you.
It’s a reminder that He is deeply invested in your life and that He won’t settle for anything less than your whole heart.
As we leave tonight lets respond to God’s jealousy not with fear, but with gratitude.
We should allow His righteous jealousy to draw us closer to Him
to purify our hearts,
and to strengthen our commitment to living for Him.
Let’s pray IN JESUS NAME
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your deep love for us, because of your deep love for us,
we thank you for you holy jealousy
Help us to recognize the idols in our lives and to turn away from them.
We surrender our hearts fully to You, knowing that Your jealousy is a reflection of Your fierce love for us.
Draw us closer to You, and may we live in a way that honors You every day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.