“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…”
– Exodus 20:4-5 (NIV)
Many of us see jealousy as a negative quality and it can be if used to manipulate and control another individual. But it can also be a healthy and appropriate response. Let me explain:
God’s relationship to man is often compared to the marital relationship. When we get to the New Testament, the Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ. It is in this context that we can best understand God’s expectations and jealousy.
In a healthy marital relationship, a man would become jealous if his wife’s coworker was always sending her flowers and a woman would become jealous if her husband’s coworker was always leaving cute notes on his desk. Why? Because there would be the assumption that someone or something from the outside was competing for the special place the marital relationship should have.
God doesn’t need your worship, but He has created you for worship—for relationship. The relationship you have with God is unique. There is only one like Him; therefore, your relationship to Him should be different. It should be worshipful. When it is not, God, like a jealous husband or wife wonders why you would divert your attention away from the beauty and uniqueness of the relationship. God like the husband or wife has an expectation to be treated differently than all other relationships.
We have a hard time with this in our culture because we no longer value the marital relationship. We live together with no commitment of marriage; we have sex with multiple partners for mere pleasure with no sense of oneness; and we divorce out of convenience. We treat God the same way. We want the reward of heaven without the responsibility of relationship; we want to be comfortable but not deeply changed; we want benefits but no commitment; and we want a relationship with God on our terms not His.
We live so loosely connected to God that we are easily manipulated by the enemy. We stay stuck in our sin because we are not devoted to God. He is jealous because you were made to be in a unique relationship with Him. Give Him the place He deserves in your life.