We don’t ordinarily think of jealousy being one of God’s perfections, although we do think of faithfulness in that light. In this message we explore both of these attributes of our Infinite God.

Teaching Notes:

The God Of The Bible Is Jealous and Faithful

The Jealousy of God

Intro:

Usually jealousy among us is sinful.

Gal.5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Usually anger is sinful, but sometimes it is a virtue. So too with jealousy.

2Cor.11:2 “I am jealous over you with God’s own jealousy. For I have betrothed you to Christ to present you to Him like a faithful bride to her one husband.”
When a man is vigilant to guard his wife when another man seeking to seduce her – praiseworthy.

Definition: 2-sided coin: 1) “Vigilance in guarding something precious”; 2) “intolerance of unfaithfulness or a rival.”

1. God’s Jealousy Means He Is Intolerant Of Rivals:

What Rival Is God Intolerant Of?

Exodus 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 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, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

What reason did God give that His people should not worship idols?
What does God do when His people worship idols?

Exodus 34:12-17 “Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim — for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God — otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. You shall make for yourself no molten gods.”

What does “altars”, “sacred pillars” and “Asherim” refer to?
What is God’s name?
Why didn’t God want His people intermarrying with the pagan nations?

Deuteronomy 4:23-24 “So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

What might happen if God’s people forgot the covenant He made with them?
What must they do so that they don’t forget the covenant?
What reason does God give that they shouldn’t forget the covenant?
How does God as a consuming fire explain Him as a jealous God?

Deuteronomy 6:13-15 “You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. 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.”

What does God threaten to do if His people commit idolatry?

Deuteronomy 29:18-21 “…so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood. It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying, `I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land with the dry.´ The LORD shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. Then the LORD will single him out for adversity from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which are written in this book of the law.”

How does God describe those who go and serve the gods of the nations?
What will God do to them?

Suppose you were the Creator, and all your creatures set up images of gold, wood, bronze, and then fell down to worship them saying, “This is the god that made us – these gave us life.” What would you do? Destroy them in our burning indignation! What patience and longsuffering God displays! He longs that we recognize that He is our Creator, Life-giver, and Sustainer. He is jealous for our love and will not permit rivals!

James 4:4-5 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?

What does James call those who are friends of the world? Why?
What does God jealously desire?

Charles Spurgeon: “He loved you with such a love that He couldn’t remain in heaven without you. He would sooner die than that you should perish. He stripped Himself with nakedness, that He might clothe you with beauty. He bowed His face to shame and spitting that He might lift you up to honor and glory. He can’t endure that you should love the world. His love is as strong as death towards you. If you don’t love Him with a single heart, He will take away that husband, smite that child, bring you from riches to poverty, from health to sickness, even to the gates of the grave because He loves you so much He can’t endure that anything should stand between your heart’s love and Him. Remember, Christian, you are married to a jealous husband!”

Application:
We serve a jealous God! He must have our supreme love. What has your heart today? Repent of idols! Repent of love for world! Give heart completely to God and keep it for Him alone!

2. God’s Jealousy Means He Is Vigilant In Guarding Something Precious:

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”

Isaiah 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”

Ezekiel 39:25 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name.”

What is God vigilant to guard?

God’s jealousy means that He is deeply committed to guarding His own glory. Jealousy for our own glory as humans is wrong. We are not to be proud, but humble. We don’t deserve the honor that belongs to God alone. But it would be wrong for God NOT to be jealous for His own glory. Would mean idolatry!

Application:
1. How does God respond to the man who takes God’s glory to himself?
Acts 12:21-23 “On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.”

2. How does God respond to those who refuse to take God’s glory to themselves? Acts 3:1-16; Acts 14:8-18.

3. Be Zealous for God’s glory! J.C. Ryle: “Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature – which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted – but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called ‘zealous’ men. A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies – whether he has health, or whether he has sickness – whether he is rich, or whether he is poor – whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offense – whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish – whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise – whether he gets honor, or whether he gets shame – for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God’s glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it – he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him.”

The Faithfulness Of God

This means God is dependable, reliable, trustworthy. He is worthy of our trust. Reliable to do what He said He would do.

1. God’s Faithfulness Ensures He Will Keep His Promises:

Heb.11:11 “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.”

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
It is no more possible for God to lie than it is for His eternal being to disintegrate.

2. God’s Faithfulness Ensures He Will Keep His Threats:

Deut. 7:9-10 “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.”

Ps. 54:5 “He will recompense the evil to my foes; destroy them in Your faithfulness.”

3. God’s Faithfulness Ensures He Will Preserve His People:

1Thess.5:23-24 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

4. God’s Faithfulness Ensures He Will Discipline His People:

Ps.119:75 “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”

God is faithful in what He withholds as much as in what He gives; in sending sorrow as in sending joy. Must believe & confess His faithfulness not only when all is great, but when things are hard. Humble ourselves to say we fully deserve His correction. Instead of complaining, thank Him. These are necessary for us.

5. God’s Faithfulness Ensures He Will Support His People In Temptation:

1Cor.10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Application:
1. If God is faithful, don’t worry! He can be relied on. He won’t let us down. He’s got all in control & can be completely trusted to do what is right. Worry is sin! Why? Cuz means don’t believe God is sovereign and faithful.

2. If God is faithful, don’t grumble! Whatever He is doing, is right. He loves you, is working all things together for your good. If that includes adversity and suffering, let’s not complain, but trust it is necessary for us right now. Resign ourselves to His will, knowing he’s faithful.

3. If God is faithful, be faithful to Him! Should we seek to do less than He does for us? He has been perfectly faithful bridegroom. Can we be an unfaithful bride? Determine to be loyal at all cost, committed, dependable, to do his will in our lives!