His Name Is Jealous

• Can jealousy ever be a good thing? Explain.

• What are some things that make people jealous?

Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14

In Exodus 34:14, God tells Moses that he is a jealous God. That seems kind of odd, doesn’t it? What does God have to be jealous about?

Unfortunately, the Israelites, God’s people, gave him plenty of reason to be jealous. When the Israelites mingled with foreigners, they often adopted their worship habits. And since most foreigners worshiped idols, the Israelites often became idol worshipers too, despite God’s warnings.

Imagine God’s reaction. He was the one who had rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He had parted the Red Sea so that they could walk across safely. He had protected them from dangerous enemies. He had provided them with all the food and water they needed in the desert. And every chance they got, the Israelites would bow down, give thanks and worship those things … little carved statues.

God loved the Israelites, and they ignored him. Of course he was jealous—not in a human, sinful way—as he watched his people give the love he deserved to gods that didn’t even exist.

We need to make sure we don’t follow the Israelites’ example. We might not be tempted to bow down to little statues, but we need to make sure that we never make anything—not sports or friends or anything else—more important than God.

PRAYER
Dear God, forgive us for the times when we put other things in our lives ahead of you. We do not want to make you jealous. We love you above everything else. Amen.