“He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” Psalm 147.10-11
Jealousy gets a bad reputation. But did you know that God is a jealous God? There are sixteen verses in the Bible that declare that God is a jealous God. What does that mean, exactly? When we think of jealously as a society, we think of someone being ‘suspiciously fearful.’ We think of a partner who thinks their love will be taken away when attention is given to someone else. There are more meanings for the term jealous than being suspiciously fearful. It also can mean ‘solicitous to defend the honor of, concerned for the character of.’ This would be used when you are jealous on behalf of someone else. And jealous can mean ‘suspiciously vigilant, anxiously careful and concerned for.’ This context would indicate someone is jealous over another, looking out for them with care.
God wants His children to love Him above all else. He wants His children to lean on Him for strength, to trust Him for their protection and provision. He wants us to acknowledge his might and power, His omniscience and omnipotence. He does not want credit for goodness in our life to go to anyone but Him. Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:” We should have a healthy and respectful fear of the Lord, like a child would have for their parents. When we have this appropriate heart attitude toward Him, he takes pleasure in blessing our lives and providing for us. His jealousy is assuaged when we are looking to Him for our help and guidance.
God will be magnified, He will be exalted, He will get the credit and honor for His handiwork – which is all of creation. When we choose to place the credit elsewhere, to ignore His presence in our lives and live in our own strength, He becomes jealous. When we choose to give God credit for His mercy and goodness in our lives, He is pleased.
