Jealous - to be intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness.
We need to realize and understand how the word jealous is used in the scripture. In Exodus 20:4 - 5 we read that God is a jealous God:
Exodus 20:4 – 5 Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
In Galatians chapter 5 Paul gives a list of the works - idols - of the flesh that are sin and Jealousy is listed. This jealousy is being envious of someone who has something we do not have. A person might be jealous or envious of another person because of their possessions. Or a person might be jealous of another person because of some ability or skill that other person has. Another example would be that one person might be jealous or envious of another because of his or her beauty.
In these verses, God is speaking of people making idols and bowing down and worshiping those idols instead of giving God the worship that belongs to Him alone. It is a sin to worship or serve anything other than God. It is a sin when we desire, or we are envious, or we are jealous of someone because he has something that we do not have. It is a different use of the word “jealous” when God says He is jealous. What He is jealous of belongs to Him; worship and service belong to Him alone, and are to be given to Him alone.
In Genesis 1:26 we read that we were made in the image of God:
Genesis 1:26a Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.
We were made to mirror God. This scripture doesn't mean we were made to mirror what God looks like. It means we are to mirror His nature, character, values, and principles.
God created us to worship Him and Him only. In Matthew 3:2, we read for the first time about the Kingdom of heaven by John the Baptist:
Matthew 3:2 and saying, "Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!"
God has one agenda - To glorify Himself through the advancement of His kingdom. The Greek word in the Bible for kingdom means as 'rule" or "authority." When we talk about His kingdom we are talking about a king and His ruler ship with power.
God has made Jesus Christ the sovereign over all of humankind's kingdoms:
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Colossians 1:13 – 18 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.
His rule is to be represented in history by those who are a part of His kingdom:
Matthew 28:19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 1:22 – 23 And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.
We see in Colossians these words: domain of darkness. There are only 2 kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. There are no in-betweens.
Matthew 12:30 Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.
We must have a kingdom mindset. Before the Israelites reached the Promised Land, they were delivered out of Egypt and God taught them and developed their character in the wilderness. The Promised Land - Canaan - was their destiny. It was not heaven. Their destiny included God's provision, but it also came with obstacles, temptations, and challenges. Because of sin our destiny also contains obstacles, temptations, and challenges. We have a choice in this life, do we chose the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan?
There are 2 things we must do as we realize that our God is a jealous God.
In the book of Deuteronomy Moses gives the children of Israel the first thing they must do:
First - Remember God
Deuteronomy 6:10 – 15 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give you--a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, wells dug that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant--and when you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Fear Yahweh your God, worship Him, and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God.
So many times when God sends His blessings to us we enjoy those blessings and forget about God. That is what Moses was warning the Israelites about “be careful not to forget the LORD".
When Moses died Joshua took over the leadership of the Israelites and led them into the Promised Land. He gave the speech to them to follow God, to obey His commands, to be faithful. He ended his speech that it was their choice but as for him, he and his family would serve the Lord. God would be first in their lives no matter what anyone else would do. The children of Israel said their choice was to follow God; He would be first in their lives. And all was true until the generations that remembered Joshua died. Soon children forgot about Joshua, they forgot about following God and followed those things that the world was following. They failed to put God first in their lives.
Judges 2:7, 10 The people worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the LORD's great works He had done for Israel.
That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works He had done for Israel.
How about us this morning? What kingdom are we following after? You see God is a jealous God. He created us, He has blessed us, there is nothing we have that He did not give us. Look what Moses tells the children of Israel:
Deuteronomy 8:11, 17, 19 – 20 "Be careful that you don't forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His command--the ordinances and statutes--I am giving you today.
You may say to yourself, 'My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,'
If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will perish. Like the nations the LORD is about to destroy before you, you will perish if you do not obey the LORD your God.
The second thing we must do to realize God's jealousy - we must fear God.
The word fear in the Bible combines the concept of awe along with the concept of terror. When you put the 2 together, it boils down to taking something very seriously.
We as followers of Jesus Christ must create a kingdom mindset in our home by cultivating a healthy fear of God. God wants your children to reach their destiny. God has a plan not only for you but also your children. He desires to guide and direct us, but He also demands reverence and respect. God is a jealous God, and when the fear that rightfully belong to Him is misplaced, He doesn't take it lightly.
Moses tells the children of Israel if they went after other gods rather than following after the one true God this would be their punishment:
Deuteronomy 6:14 – 15 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the LORD your God will become angry with you and wipe you off the face of the earth.
How could we in this time we live in be worshipping idols instead of God? Are we spending all of our time and resources trying to satisfy the culture we are living in? Do we spend more time trying to please man than please God? Have we put ourselves and our comfort above God?
In the book of Daniel, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, made a terrible mistake after his kingdom got established:
Daniel 4:30 the king exclaimed, "Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?"
God quickly reminded his who the true source of all good thing is:
Daniel 4:31 – 32 While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants."
God was telling Nebuchadnezzar, I am God, and you are not!
We wonder why so many of our children are not living up to the life God has intended them to live as adults. The reason is because their lives have been centered to the modern culture - they are like king Nebuchadnezzar - they are too me centered. Many of us are like king Nebuchadnezzar, we are too me centered. The kingdom of God is not me centered - the kingdom of Satan is. Remember there are only 2 kingdoms!
There are many scriptures in the Bible telling us to live in the kingdom of God, to not put any idols before Him, because He is a jealous God:
Exodus 20:1, 4 – 6 Then God spoke all these words: Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.
Exodus 34:14 You are to never bow down to another god because the LORD, being jealous by nature, is a jealous God.
Nahum 1:2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is fierce in wrath. The LORD takes vengeance against His foes; He is furious with His enemies.
2Corinthians 11:2a For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy,
WHY?
1Peter 2:9 – 10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
God is jealous for you, because you were bought with a price, the death of God’s Son.
God is jealous for you because He loves you with an undying love.
God is jealous for you because He desires you to be in His kingdom.
There are only 2 kingdoms – The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. You belong to 1 of those kingdoms.
We belong to and are advancing 1 kingdom or the other. We must be intentional in choosing the kingdom of God.
John 3:16 - 18 "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not judged, but anyone who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.
God’s jealousy for us drove Him to send His Son. Just as Joshua challenged the Israelites to be intentional, I’m asking you this: Choose you today who you will serve, as for my house we will serve the Lord.
