Jealousy Human, Jealousy Divine

Human jealousy, in Scripture, has both godly and ungodly forms. When jealousy concerns God’s honor and glory, it is godly and good. It was this exclusiveness of concern that underlay the strong emphasis upon monotheistic worship among the Jews. Because Yahweh is the only true God, He alone is deserving of man’s worship and devotion. Indeed, it is what motivated the prohibition against intermarriage with the pagan nations around Israel, for fear they would depart from the exclusive worship of the one true God.

This concern for God’s veneration is exemplified when Elijah spoke of his jealousy for the Lord of Hosts in connection with the contest with Baal, on Mount Carmel.

“He said, ‘I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away’” 1 Kings 19:14.

You recall he had arranged a demonstration to prove that Yahweh alone was God. A similar motivation, but under different circumstances, was shown by Paul and Barnabas when the men of Lystra tried to worship them as gods (Acts 14:8-18). These are righteous expressions of jealousy concerned with preserving the honor of God.

Another application of the word jealousy is negative, ungodly, and is strongly condemned by God. It involves resentment of the good fortune or circumstance of another. It is an inordinate self-centeredness and possessiveness that turns the soul against itself and against its neighbor thereby becoming what the great poet familiarly calls - “the green-eyed monster which doth mock, the meat it feeds on.” Othello, 1604, Shakespeare.

Biblical examples of ungodly jealousy abound, although they are not always labeled as such. The brothers of Joseph resented the special favor shown by Jacob, symbolized by a special coat. King Saul, hearing the people chant, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands,” burned with jealousy. Though a great man in some respects, he belittled and dwarfed himself by jealousy. In the New Testament, the older brother complained of the injustice of the prodigal son being given a celebration, when he had never been extended a similar privilege.

Jealousy, involving an evil inward attitude toward another person, is sin in itself, because Jesus said that thoughts and attitudes constitute sin, even without overt acts. Jealousy is often the motive for sinful actions. Joseph’s brothers planned to kill him, and ultimately sold him into slavery. Saul tried to kill David by hurling a spear at him. The older son refused to participate in the celebration over the return of his younger brother.

It is not surprising that jealousy is so prevalent in man and has come to have such negative connotations associated with it. Natural man is self-centered, and resists anything that tends to subtract from his own pleasure or aggrandizement. Because of his finiteness he is also insecure, and is therefore threatened by anything competitive with him.

The Window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his jealousy eroded into resentment and soon turned him bitter. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence, deathly silence.

The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away - no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

Author unknown.

According to Oprah, her departure from mainstream Christianity occurred when she heard a preacher preach of God as being a jealous God, an idea she thought was absolutely ridiculous. The notion that God was jealous of “her” (even though that is not what the preacher said and emanated from her own pride), gave impetus to her creating “another gospel” from what “seemeth right” in her own mind.

Though probably well-meaning, I think Oprah made the same mistake many of us make and that is taking our twenty-first century understanding of the meaning of words and forcing the Bible to conform to it. This is regretful and a COLOSSAL MISTAKE that contributes to much misinterpretation and pollution of God’s truth.

One of the main problems we encounter with the word “jealousy”in relation to God is semantics. In the original languages in which the Bible was written, Hebrew and Greek, the word “jealousy” translated into English, do not always have the negative connotations that we tend to apply to it. Furthermore, the word used to describe the jealousy of God is NOT the same word used to describe human jealousy. Thus, we cannot think in terms of God, who transcends ALL human emotions, as being possessed by the green-eyed monster as humans can be. This diminishes Him to the level of man. We must fight the temptation to attribute to God things that belong only to man.

The Hebrew adjective, qannâ is translated into English as the word “jealousy" and is behind the expression: “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.” What is interesting to note is that qannâ is only used in reference to God. It is not used in describing human jealousy. The Greek word often translated “jealous” is“zelos,” from which we get the English word “zealous,” referring more to zeal and ardor than jealousy as we understand it. The reason that God is “jealous” or more clearly “passionately zealous” is because He wants people to choose to love Him. For the most part, jealous and zealous carry essentially the same meaning in the Bible. God is zealous; eager about protecting His beloved children. He loves us with a burning love and alerts us to things that would seduce us away from Him and destroy our lives.

God is also jealous for His honor, His holy name. He desires zealously that His due status and rights as God be honored and preserved; that the worship that belongs to Him be given to Him. He wants to be known, and recognized for who He is, so that He will receive His deserved glory.

The analogy frequently used is the relationship between husband and wife. The Old Testament describes God’s relationship with Israel like a marriage covenant (and in Numbers 25, we get the sense in which in the marriage relationship, a spouse can be legitimately jealous for what rightfully belongs to him/her - each other). God’s zeal for protecting that covenant, His marriage partner–is serious and strong. He was not envious of the Israelites’ accomplishments or possessions, but was communicating His intense love for them in anthropomorphic language they could understand. His people Israel, His bride, had gone off and committed adultery with other gods, which were false gods. This jealousy was a righteous jealousy because being the Groom, God had the right to expect faithfulness. His jealousy is an expression of His holiness which cannot tolerate unfaithfulness. Just as a husband and wife cannot be indulgent of adultery on the part of the other, so NO infidelity is acceptable to God.

God’s jealousy then, is not identical with jealousy in man. His jealousy does not originate in insecurity or selfishness or fear, but divine love. He yearns for our love and devotion to such a degree that He will zealously stop at nothing to keep us for Himself. He is Love and loves us with a love that will not let us go.

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon