Is God's Jealousy a Sin?
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- Published Apr 11, 2022
There can be a lot of confusion when we hear that God is a jealous God. Typically when we hear the word jealousy, it is associated with sin. This can cause us to question why the Lord describes Himself as a jealous God. Is God’s jealousy a sin?
Qanna
When discussing the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 the Lord just provided the first and second commandments which were regarding having no other gods and not making idols. We then read that the Lord says to Moses in Exodus 20:5a “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.”
Strong’s Englishmen’s Concordance says, “qanna” is the Hebrew word for “am a jealous.” It occurs six times in five verses within the Old Testament. These include:
- Exodus 31:14 says, “(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)”
- Deuteronomy 4:24 says, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
- Deuteronomy 5:9 says, “You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.”
- Deuteronomy 6:15 says, “for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.”
Idolatry Issue
What we can notice about the mention of this exact word is that every time God uses qanna when expressing His jealousy for His people when they turn to idolatry. I think of it like a husband being rightfully jealous for his wife. There is no sin in wanting her heart and affection for only himself because she is committed to him as his bride. It would be like a bride on her wedding day after the pronouncement of husband and wife to go and kiss another man in the audience instead of her husband. This would be wrong and her husband would be rightfully jealous for her kiss and for her commitment.
In fact, 1 Corinthians 11:2 says, “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”
So is the Lord’s jealousy a sin? No, it is impossible that the Lord’s jealousy is sin. God is perfect and never sins. When using the term jealous in our English language, it is imperative that we study into the original meaning. The entire reason why Adam and Eve had to leave the presence of God in the first place was that they had sinned and sinners cannot be in the presence of a perfect and sinless God. (Genesis 3)
- ”Matthew 5:48 says, ‘Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.’”
- Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”
- Psalm 18:30 says, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
Jesus Never Sinned
Jesus is God, He is part of the Trinity. Because Jesus is God and we read that Jesus never sins, God never sins. Jesus lived a perfect life and never thought or committed a single sin. He was the physical representation of the Lord’s jealous love.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
1 John 3:6 says, “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.”
Zeal
God’s jealousy is often described as zeal in English translations. (i.e., Deuteronomy 29:20, Psalm 79:5, Psalm 119:139, and Isaiah 6:7) Webster’s Dictionary defines zeal as “eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something : fervor.” When we ponder the jealousy of God, think of it like this zealous pursuit of our hearts. He has won us through His death and resurrection as His own bride but we, like the Israelites, in the Old Testament have gone against Him and followed other gods.
Maybe you are reading this and thinking that you have never worshipped an idol or an image? However, an idol is anything that takes number 1 in our hearts and minds. This could even be something good like a person in your life or a hobby. Maybe you idolize your social media profile or a certain car? Maybe you always think about comfort or put your friends above God? However idolatry manifests itself in your life, it is vital to nip it in the bud.
Just as God is jealous for us, He is also zealous for us. He is not wavering in His pursuit, He never fails us, and He desires to be where He deserves to be in our hearts and lives.
What Is the Difference Between Jealousy and Envy?
Have you ever heard of someone being “green with envy?” You can confidently know that the Lord has never and will never be “green with envy.” In fact, God is never described as having envy, only jealousy. What is the difference?
Penny Noyes from Christianity shares, “The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia explains how they are different: Envy ‘is an evil strongly condemned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is to be distinguished from jealousy. We are jealous of our own; we are envious of another man’s possessions. Jealousy fears to lose what it has; envy is pained at seeing another have.’”
I love that description. We are jealous of our own. There is a clear covenant and commitment. We are jealous of what we have been given, but we are envious of what others have and we do not. The Lord is sovereign over all. He is not envious because everything literally belongs to Him.
- Deuteronomy 10:14 says, “Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.”
- Psalm 89:11 says, “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:26 says, for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.”
We can rest in the fact that the Lord cares so much for us. He does not desire for us to go after other gods who will hurt us and let us down. He offers His perfect love in extravagant ways to show that He is pursuing us. He was so zealous that His pursuit of humanity led Him to die on the cross and raise Himself back to life to win us back. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we enter into a covenant relationship with Him. We are eternally His and forever sealed by His Holy Spirit. May we take great joy and delight knowing that God is jealous for us.
Photo credit: ©GettyImage/Daniela Jovanovska-Hristovska
