I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Jealousy is not typically considered one of the better traits of mankind.  It is often listed in the Scriptures as a characteristic to be avoided by Christians (2Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:20; Jas. 3:14, 16).

B.      However, there is a type of jealousy that should exist in every person who loves God.  Jealousy for the Lord is a very good, godly motivation, and it should cause us to act in ways that are righteous and pleasing to God.

II.      OUR GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD

A.      What does it mean that God is jealous?

                                                             1.      The Hebrew words qanna' and qannow' from the Old Testament are accurately translated as "jealous.”  They are used only to describe God and no one else.

                                                             2.      Usually, we think of jealousy as the result of vanity, irrational sensitivity, insecurity, and selfishness in men and women.  None of this is true of God.

                                                             3.      God is jealous when the honor, glory, and worship that rightly belong to Him are wrongly given to another.  His jealousy is provoked when man, who was created in His image, rejects Him in favor of something or someone else.

                                                             4.      God’s jealousy is righteous and holy.  No one should dare provoke His jealousy, for it is a fearful prospect.

B.      The Scriptures testify of God’s jealousy.

                                                             1.      In the Ten Commandments, when God forbade idols, He said, "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me” (Ex. 20:5; Deut. 5:9).

                                                             2.      Notice that even God’s name is called Jealous in Exodus 34:14 – "For you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God…”

                                                             3.      Hebrews 12:29 makes reference to the jealousy of God from Deuteronomy 4:24, which says, "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

                                                             4.      In Deuteronomy 6:14-15, Moses again warned Israel about idolatry and the intensity of God’s jealousy, saying, "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.”

                                                             5.      In the Song of Moses, when God recalled those who committed idolatry, He said, "They have made Me jealous with what is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their idols.  So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation” (Deut. 32:21).

                                                             6.      When Joshua gave his final admonition to Israel, He warned them, "You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God.  He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins” (Josh. 24:19).

                                                             7.      The prophet Nahum began his book of prophecy by stating, "A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; the LORD is avenging and wrathful.  The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies” (Nah. 1:2).

III.   LET US BE JEALOUS FOR GOD

A.      One of the most outstanding examples of godly jealousy is that of Phinehas in Numbers 25.

                                                             1.      Phinehas was son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron (Ex. 6:25).

                                                             2.      Consider the background for the events of Numbers 25.

a.       The people of Israel were making their way toward Canaan, and they had won victories over some Canaanites in the Negev, the Amorites, and the people of Bashan (Num. 21).  At last, they came to camp in the plains of Moab (Num. 22:1).

b.       Balak, the king of Moab, was so fearful of Israel that he hired Balaam to curse God’s people.  Balaam was a Midianite diviner and prophet (Num. 22:2-41).

c.        Rather than cursing Israel, God caused Balaam to bless Israel three times and to give a prophecy of Israel’s dominion (Num. 23-24).

d.       Although Balaam failed to curse Israel, he did counsel Moab to seduce Israel into idolatry and fornication at a mountain called Peor (Num. 31:16).  Israel fell for this lure and sinned against God (Num. 25:1-3).

e.        As a result, God commanded Moses to slay all the leaders of the people and the men who had joined themselves to Baal of Peor (Num. 25:4-5).

                                                             3.      On this occasion, when a man of Israel sinned against God, Phinehas took matters into his own hands.

a.       While Moses and the whole congregation of Israel were weeping for their sin and their punishment at the doorway of the tent of meeting, an Israelite man shamelessly brought in a Midianite woman to his brothers in the camp (Num. 25:6).

b.       When Phinehas saw it, he took a spear, followed the Israelite man into his tent, and killed both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman (Num. 25:7-8).

                                                             4.      Because Phinehas was jealous for the Lord, both he and Israel were benefited.

a.       The plague of slaughter against Israel was checked because of Phinehas’ action.  Those who died were 24,000 (Num. 25:8-9).  Many more would likely have died if not for Phinehas’ actions.

b.       As for Phinehas, his motivation and blessing were declared by God in Numbers 25:11-13:

"Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.  Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”

c.        Similarly, Psalm 106:30-31 says, "Then Phinehas stood up and interposed, and so the plague was stayed.  And it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to all generations forever.”

B.      Consider a few other examples of godly jealousy from the Bible.

                                                             1.      Moses demonstrated godly jealousy and righteous indignation when he was angry with Israel for worshiping the golden calf (Ex. 32:1-20).

                                                             2.      Jesus showed godly jealousy for His Father on the two occasions when he chased the moneychangers out of the temple (Matt. 21:12-13; John 2:13-17).

                                                             3.      When the Corinthian church was in danger of apostasy, Paul expressed his concern by saying "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin” (2Cor. 11:2).

C.      Are we practicing godly jealousy today?

                                                             1.      When we witness the wickedness in the world around us, are we jealous for our God?  Are we like Lot, who "by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds” (2Pet. 2:8)?

                                                             2.      Are we like the Corinthian Christians, who had no sense of godly jealousy when one of their own members was involved in gross immorality?  Paul wrote to them, "You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst” (1Cor. 5:2).

                                                             3.      As we see our nation’s citizens and governments becoming increasingly godless and humanist, are we provoked to godly jealousy?  The Scripture says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov. 14:34), and "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Ps. 33:12).

                                                             4.      God has not commanded us to take up spears in the likeness of Phinehas, but rather He has given us the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17).  We must not stand by silently as God’s honor, glory, and worship are robbed from Him, but rather we should be provoked to speak out in godly jealousy against these errors.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      When God’s jealousy is provoked, His wrath is also kindled.  Remember, "Our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29), and "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).

B.      Therefore, let us not provoke God’s jealousy (1Cor. 10:22), but instead let us share in it and act upon it.  By doing so, we may satisfy God and turn away His wrath.