Why Is God A Jealous God?

In Exodus 20:5 God says “… I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…”
So the question is: If jealousy is a sin, then why does God describe Himself as “a jealous God”?

The word jealous can be generally be described as the following:
1. Strongly wanting someone else’s position, advantages or possessions
2. To covet or be envious
3. Suspicious or unduly suspicious or fearful of being duplicated by a rival

The above definitions would be used to define or describe the sin of jealousy that is mentioned in such verses as James 3:14-16 or Galatians 5:20.

However, the kind of jealousy which God refers to in Exodus 20:5 is different from the sin of jealousy.
In context, God is speaking of the love, commitment and faithfulness that is expected in His relationship with mankind.
Just as in a marriage relationship between a husband and wife, there is the expectation that both spouses will be loving, committed and faithful to one another.
A husband who deeply loves and is faithful to his wife would expect the same reciprocal response from his own wife.
A good husband would not want to share his wife with other men. He would not desire his wife to flirt or be interested in other men because he loves his wife and because he values the marriage relationship that he has with his wife.
If a husband were to discover that his wife is flirting or having sex with another man, then the husband would be naturally jealous or protective over the relationship that he has with his wife.
The husband would do what he possibly can to prevent the violation of their relationship and he would jealously guard his wife and do what he can to protect his relationship where possible.

In the same context, God is like our husband who does not want to see mankind falling into the sin of idolatry or worshiping any false god. This is the context of why God describes Himself as jealous.
In Exodus 20:3-6, God gives the reason why He describes Himself as a “jealous God”.

Exodus 20:3-6
“You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me,”

There is only one true God and therefore it is God alone who should be worshiped and no one else.
God alone is the Creator of the universe and the Creator of all of mankind. Therefore when mankind directs his worship to other things or entities besides God, this becomes idolatry and is likened to a wife who cheats on her husband.
It is in this context that when God sees mankind worshiping false gods and participating in idolatry that He describes Himself as being “jealous”. It is because God desires that all of mankind be loving, committed and faithful to its relationship with the one true God.
In Ephesians 5:22-29, the Scriptures also describe the relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church as being that of a marriage between a husband and a wife with Christ as the groom and His Church as the bride.

HOW MUCH DOES GOD LOVE US?
God loves us so much that even when we are actively engaged in the sin of idolatry or the worship of false gods, He is ever ready to reconcile with us so that we may be faithful to Him alone (2 Peter 3:9).
Therefore even though we are not committed to God, the Lord remains committed to reconciling with us. 2 Timothy 2:13 says that “if we are faithless, He remains faithful”.
The Bible tells us that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ on the cross to die for our sins so that we would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Therefore even though we are sinners and even though we fall short of God’s perfect standards (Romans 3:23), Jesus Christ came to pay the debt of sin that we cannot pay.

Romans 5:6-10 says: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN or A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST???

1. ACKNOWLEDGE: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
This means that we have all broken God’s laws and God’s 10 Commandments like those mentioned in Exodus 20:1-17. For example, if you have told a lie; if you have stolen something; if you have lusted after somebody or if you have coveted. This means you are guilty of breaking at least one or more of God’s 10 Commandments. Breaking God’s commandments makes us sinners. The fact that we are sinners who have broken God’s law means that we are accountable to God who is the Lawgiver. Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death BUT the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
You must acknowledge that you are a sinner who has broken God’s commandments and that you therefore need Jesus in your life.

2. REPENT: “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3), “Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19)
Repenting means: to change your mind; a sincere turning away, in heart, mind and action;
Therefore God wants you to repent of sinful values and of sinful living. God wants you to decide to
follow Him and to make Jesus the Lord of your life.

3. CONFESSION: “If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)
God is a forgiving God. God will forgive any sin that you have done because Jesus died for ALL your sins and to set you free from the bondage of all types of sin in your life.

4. BELIEVE: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
You must believe that ONLY Jesus can save you and restore your relationship with God. You must believe that Jesus is the ONLY way by which you can have everlasting life and escape from eternal separation from God. You must believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and resurrected from the grave.
“He came to His own, and His own did not receive him, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:11-12)
By faith, You must receive Jesus as Your Lord & Savior and therefore; you become a child of God; you become born again; you become a Christian; you restore your broken relationship with God.

Why Not Make Your Eternal Decision NOW?

We become born again Christians by GRACE through FAITH or TOTAL TRUST in Jesus Christ as our Lord & Savior (Galatians 3:26) & (Ephesians 2:8,9). Salvation is a FREE gift received through FAITH in Christ.

PLEASE NOTE: You can choose to pray in your own words. This prayer is a sample prayer and it is only an EXPRESSION of your faith, belief & trust in Jesus. Salvation is by GRACE through FAITH or BELIEVING in Christ Jesus as your Lord & Saviour.

“Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your love. I thank You that You died on the cross for me and resurrected so that I may have life through You.
I confess Lord that I have sinned against You and today I ask You to forgive me of all of my sins, past present and future.
Today I repent and have decided to follow you. Thank you for forgiving all my sins.
From this moment, come into my life Lord Jesus & take full control of my life. I want to follow You Jesus and I want to follow Your ways. Save me and from today, make me the person You want me to be.
I receive You Lord Jesus right now by faith. I trust You as my Lord and Savior – Amen”

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