Understanding God's Jealousy: A Call to Devotion

The passion of jealousy possesses an intense force; it fires the whole nature. Its coals are juniper, which have a most vehement flame. It resides in the lowest depths of the heart and takes so firm a hold that it remains most deeply rooted until the exciting cause is removed. It wells up from the inmost recesses of the nature and, like a torrent, irresistibly sweeps all before it. [00:01:49]

Reverently let us remember that the Lord is exceedingly jealous of his deity. Our text is coupled with the command, "Thou shalt worship no other god." When the law was thundered from Sinai, the second commandment received force from the divine jealousy: "Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above or that is in the earth beneath." [00:04:29]

False gods patiently endure the existence of other false gods. Dagon can stand with Bell, and Bell with Ashtaroth. How should stone and wood and silver be moved to indignation? But because God is the only living and true God, Dagon must fall before his ark, Bell must be broken, and Ashtaroth must be consumed with fire. [00:06:34]

Brethren, the whole history of the human race is a record of the wars of the Lord against idolatry. The right hand of the Lord hath dashed in pieces the enemy and cast the ancient idols to the ground. Behold the heaps of Nineveh, search for the desolations of Babylon, look upon the broken temples of Greece, see the ruins of pagan Rome. [00:09:53]

The Lord is jealous also of his sovereignty. He that made heaven and earth has a right to rule his creatures as he wills. The potter hath power over the clay to fashion it according to his own good pleasure, and the creatures being made are bound to be obedient to their Lord. He has a right to issue commands. [00:20:07]

Every time we sin, we do as much as say, "I do not acknowledge God to be my sovereign; I will do as I please." Each time we speak an ill word, we really say, "My tongue is my own; he is not Lord over my lips." Sin is a deliberate treason against the majesty of God. [00:21:13]

The Lord is very wroth against self-righteousness. I do not know of anything against which his fury burneth more than against this, because this touches him in a very tender point. It insults the glory and honor of his son Jesus Christ. Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Ye cannot serve the Lord, for he is unholy God." [00:23:44]

God's glory is the result of his nature and acts. He is glorious in his character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy and good and lovely in God that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from his character, the deeds which are the outgoings of his inner nature, these are glorious too. [00:30:11]

Now God is so jealous on this point that while he will forgive his own servants a thousand things, this is an offense for which he is sure to chasten us. Let a believer once say, "I am," and God will soon make him say, "I'm not." Let a Christian begin to boast, "I can do all things," without adding "through Christ." [00:31:47]

The Lord Jesus Christ, of whom I now speak, is very jealous of your love, O believer. Did he not choose you? He cannot bear that you should choose another. Did he not buy you with his own blood? He cannot endure that you should think you are your own or that you should belong to this world. [00:40:06]

He will be as a cruel one towards you if you do not love him with a perfect heart. He will take away that husband; he will smite that child; he will bring you from riches to poverty, from health to sickness, even to the gates of the grave, because he loves you so much. [00:41:54]

Dear friends, let this jealousy which should keep us near to Christ be also a comfort to us, for if we be married to Christ and he be jealous of us, depend upon it, this jealous husband will let none touch his spouse. Joel tells us that the Lord is jealous for his land. [00:44:38]