God is Jealous

God is jealous (Deut 4:24). I find this statement staggering because, typically, it’s an ugly characteristic. In fact, this is the only use of the word I know of that is not negative. So how can God be jealous?

“All the world’s a stage,” wrote Shakespeare, “and all the men and women are merely players.” Let me rephrase this a little for our purposes.

All the world’s a temple, and all the men and women worshippers.

The world is a contested space for worship. There are so many things that clamour for our affections, our desires, our loves. The enemies of God are incessantly seeking to pull your desire away from God and onto lesser things to love.

The problem is that worship is also deeply formational. We become like what we worship. When Israel bowed down to worthless idols, they became worthless themselves (2 Kings 17:15).

So what of the kneeling at the feet of money pretending that the next purchase or investment will deliver the prosperity we crave? What of the kneeling at the altar of success trusting that our next certificate or promotion will complete us? What of the sacrificing to the gods of brand and celebrity trusting that our worth is found in the applause of others?

What do the things we adore and celebrate say about who we are becoming?

God is the one who made us in His image with inherent and infinite value. In Him alone are found the completeness and contentment that our souls crave. And so He is jealous for our affection, not for His sake but for our own.

Can I encourage us to be brave and vulnerable in prayer this week and ask God to reveal to us our misdirected affections. Pray also for our series on Worship in May and ask that He would redirect our affections towards Himself. May Jesus alone be the one we are becoming more like.

Much love,
Simon

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