“The LORD your God is a devouring fire; He is a jealous God.”
I’ve always wondered why God is called a jealous God. Jealousy isn’t a fruit of the spirit. In fact, jealousy is ugly, jealousy isn’t rooted in love, jealousy is selfish and hateful. But God’s jealousy isn’t any of these. God’s jealousy is in fact rooted in love. His jealousy is from His heart of protection over His children. His heart of only wanting the best for us. His jealousy covers us. His jealousy protects me. His jealousy goes before me. His jealousy wants me to be set apart. His jealousy wants me to be holy just as He is holy. His jealousy still gives me a choice to accept it or not. His jealousy isn’t forceful. His jealousy is because He loves me. His jealousy isn’t ‘bad’ – His jealousy is good, good just as He is good, good because only He is Good. God’s jealousy is rooted in love because He is Love.
Am I called to be jealous? NO. Because every form of jealousy humans possess isn’t rooted in who God is. When I was little, I was jealous of my sister. I’d be so jealous of her that everyone around us could tell. Anyways, this jealousy I had for my sister was so bad that when we were little and we’d get the exact same toys, if peradventure my toy got spoilt, I’d exchange mine for my sister’s so she’d think she spoilt hers and I’d get to keep the working toy and she’d have to be jealous of me (lol, I was a clown). Sometimes I’d intentionally spoil my toy and take hers. Why did I water this seed of jealousy and let it grow? Yes I was a child, but shouldn’t I have known better when I got older. Shouldn’t I have cut from its roots? I let it grow, I let it bear fruit and soon enough it wasn’t only my sister I was jealous of - I was jealous of everyone I could possibly be jealous of.
But now? Haha, glory to God! I’m not a jealous person anymore because of God. He is weeding out jealousy from its very root and I know this because it is obvious to those who knew me when I was little that I’m no longer a jealous girl. Jealousy stems from insecurity, but in God there is security. The kind of jealousy Moses describes God as in Deuteronomy isn’t the same jealousy I let consume me. It is the from the One who is Love. The jealousy that I feel safe in. The jealousy that loves me and would never hurt me or spoil the good things I have like I did my sister.
It is the jealousy of God. The jealousy of He who gives me good things because the plans He has for me are good. The jealousy of I AM. The jealousy of the One who wants me all to Himself. The jealousy of the one who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and dwelt among them and had mercy on them time and time again, even when they worshipped other gods (as Moses was warning them against in our main Scripture). This jealousy stays and never leaves. This jealousy is just. This is the jealousy that God has towards His children.
The Lord our God is a devouring fire; He is our jealous God.