“One Year Bible” Old Testament History Passage (for Fri., Mar. 25)
Deuteronomy 4:1-49
“For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” Dt. 4:24 (NKJV)
It is awesome to contemplate the attributes of our God! In several Bible passages, we can find lists describing His characteristics (Ex. 34:6-7, I Tim. 1:17 to name just a couple). The entire Bible the story of WHO GOD IS and WHAT HE IS LIKE.
Moses makes a remarkable assertion about God in this passage. It is an often misunderstood part of God’s charater. GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD. Jealousy sounds like a demeaning characteristic, as if the person feeling the emotion wishes he or she were someone else, or owned that which belonged to someone else. This is not the charateristic by which God is described.
God’s jealousy flows out of His love. It does not flow out of any insecurity in Himself. In the greatness of His desire and passion for our good, He is furious at that which would take us away — that which would pull us down or knock us out. His jealousy springs from His great desire that we be in the place of greatest blessing and that HE BE IN THE PLACE OF PRIMACY IN OUR LIVES. He knows what is truly best for us — Himself! He hates that which draws us away.
Jesus lived His life as a display of this desire. It was once said of Him, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up” (John 2:17).
The only approprate response we should have to His jealousy for us is that we be jealous FOR HIM — that we be full of passion for His glory! We desire that His Name be famous!
His heart is UNDIVIDED toward us. May our hearts be equally UNDIVIDED toward Him!