Our Jealous God

Would you ever call yourself a zealot about anything? Is there something you can't shut up about? Is there something you'd defend no matter the conversation and who's putting it down. Maybe it's something like crossfit, a certain band, a certain sports team, a political figure, or something else. We all have things we're zealous about. We all have things that we love to talk about or even may defend.

Our God is both jealous and zealous for himself. His jealousy comes in the form of zeal to protect his name, his honor, and his glory. His zeal comes in the form of protecting the people his Son gave everything to purchase. He is zealous for his relationship with his children and he is jealous to keep them his. 

Packer says, "For God's ultimate objective, as the Bible declares it, is threefold—to vindicate his rule and righteousness by showing his sovereignty in judgment upon sin; to ransom and redeem his chosen people; and to be loved and praised by them for his glorious acts of love and self-vindication. Our God is rightly jealous. He is unlike us in that we can be jealous for the wrong things. His jealousy is perfect and good."

My jealousy at times can be sinful. I can be sinful of a person who is more successful than me or has found themselves in a better position than I am currently. I can be jealous of what someone else has, wishing it was my own. I can be jealous for many wrong reasons, but God's reasons are always right.

Packer points out, "As our right response to God's love for us is love for him, so our right response to his jealousy over us is zeal for him." If we are zealous about anything, we should be zealous for our God. We should be zealous for his name, his honor, an his glory. We should have a one track mind when it comes to making much of him and sharing him with others. Pack says, "[The zealous person] only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God." This should be the Christian's lot in life.

We see this example lived out for us in the Apostle Paul. He was a zealous man. He had his eyes only on one thing. He lived to make much of God and to please him. So should we follow his example. Far too often, I get distracted by the things of this world that are passing away. May we commit this week to pray for the Spirit's help in making us more zealous for the One who truly matters.

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