"A Jealous God"

I received some objections from my last blog post "The Human Condition" which will make for some good conversation on some succeeding blog posts. Let's grab objection number one and see what we have. Sarge says, "The God character is a jealous God because he forbids/commands his people to have no other God before them." You can read the full list of his objection by going to the link above and looking in the comment section.

Has Sarge made a warrantied charge against the character of God? After all, the scripture does say,

Exodus 34:14 ESV

(14)  (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

According to Webster's 1828 edition, Jealous is defined as JEALOUS, a. jel'us.

1. Suspicious; apprehensive of rivalship; uneasy through fear that another has withdrawn or may withdraw from one the affections of a person he loves, or enjoy some good which he desires to obtain; followed by of, and applied both to the object of love and to the rival. We say, a young man is jealous of the woman he loves, or jealous of his rival. A man is jealous of his wife,and the wife of her husband.

2. Suspicious that we do not enjoy the affection or respect of others, or that another is more loved and respected than ourselves.

3. Emulous; full of competition.

4. Solicitous to defend the honor of; concerned for the character of.

Are we to understand the character of God in this manner? Even more, than the definition, Sarge is correct in his statement that God did forbid or command his people to have no other god before him? Does that not constitute the character described in Mr. Webster's definition? Actually, the fourth design for the use of the word comes pretty close to the meaning intended as applied to God. Understandably most people cringe when they hear the word used to describe God. But open your Bible, and you will discover that the word is often applied to God. In fact, not only is God said to be jealous (Exodus 20:3–5), but his very name is Jealous (Exodus 34:14). He not only acts in jealous ways, but he is jealous by nature.

The description of God as jealous is considered theologically an anthropopathic expression. These expressions use human characteristics to describe God's nature, actions, or attitudes in a manner that we, as humans, can understand and relate to. It is important to remember that our human language and concepts are often inadequate to fully capture the true essence of God's being.

God is a God of simplicity (his essence is identical to his attributes for he is without parts), eternality (he has no beginning or end, but is timeless), immutability (he does not change), and impassibility (he is not subject to emotional fluctuation and suffering). All this means that he does not become jealous, as if he were not jealous for his glory before. Rather, he simply is jealous, and he is so eternally and immutably. In fact, it is the most righteous thing he can be! 

The Theologian Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) put it this way: "God is someone than whom none greater can be conceived. He is the perfect Being." Anselm does not mean, as we are prone to think, that God is just a bigger, better version of ourselves, merely greater in measure or quantity. Rather, God is a different type of being altogether. He is not merely greater in size; he is greater in essence. For his divine essence is immeasurable, unbounded, and incomprehensible. In a word, he is the perfect Being because he is the infinite Being, what the church fathers called “pure Being” or “pure act.” In other words, He is someone who has the absolute right to command our exclusive devotion and consecration to Himself. “God is not a particular being among others, not even the highest one: He is his being. One cannot speak of God as if He were ‘this’ but not ‘that’ . . . God is not one amidst others, particularized within the common space of being, but He is ‘being itself’ (ipsum esse)." - Rudi re Velde. If God is the perfect Being, someone than whom none greater can be conceived, then he would be unable to point us to something or someone else for our worship. Indeed, he would be unloving and doing His people harm to do so. For if he is the supreme Being, then the greatest joy and happiness in life can be found in him and him alone. Therefore His jealousy is a reflection of his perfection. Sarg objected stating, "In your second paragraph you proclaim non-believers will soon meet their fate when they displease the Almighty and jealous God. You admit the Christian God is a jealous God." This is absolutely true, the difference is how we view the nature of God's being in relation to His jealousy. Martin Luther said of Erasmus, "Your god is too human," which is the view Sarg and most non-believers have. They make their judgment and arguments from a human perspective. Human jealousy is often sinful and selfish, it is a desire that is not deserved. Paul speaks of a different kind of jealousy in 2 Corinthians 11:2 ESV 2. For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. Jealousy that desires one's faithfulness to all that is right and good is divine jealousy, and since "God is someone than whom none greater can be conceived." there could not be a more perfect and righteous jealousy. Next time we will look at objection number 2.

David