Jealousy does not have a good connotation when we hear the word, does it? We call it “The Green-Eyed Monster.” It is a character trait that often represents weakness, insecurity and overbearance. Jealousy has destroyed relationships and corrupted what was good and pure because of its corrosiveness. It often robs people of the joy and bliss that should exemplify a healthy relationship.
And the Bible has some words about this emotion. Consider these passages for starters:
“Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple.” (Job 5:2 ESV).
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity… jealousy, fits of anger… and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 ESV).
“for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” (1 Corinthians 3:3 ESV).
Jealousy sounds like something we need to guard against, doesn’t it? Yet, when we read about God, the Bible is clear that jealousy is a trait that characterizes Him. In fact, God Himself is very clear about this. Consider…
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image… for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,” (Exodus 20:4-5 ESV).
“But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.” (Joshua 24:19 ESV).
“Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.” (Joel 2:18 ESV).
These are just a few of the many passages we can look at. And as the world becomes more openly atheistic and antagonistic toward the God of heaven, we see the charge made that either God does not exist because of this contradiction of passages or if God does exist, He is not worthy of our worship because He is a petty, self-centered God who surrenders to base emotions like jealousy.
But in truth, the Bible teaches God as a relational God to His people. His jealousy is not because of an egotistical need for us to love Him and Him alone. It is based on Him giving Himself totally to us. Yes, the sovereign Creator of the universe longs for an exclusive relationship with His creation.
Think about that. Our God who needs nothing from us longs to enter into an intimate relationship with us. In fact, the Old Testament likens God’s relationship with His people as a marriage. In the New Testament, the church is the bride of Christ.
And our earthy marriages, when healthy, have two people totally committed to one another. They become one flesh. And when something- or someone- threatens that unity, jealousy is rightly the outcome.
Jealousy within the bounds of a marital relationship when that relationship is threatened is a show of love when mutual commitment is present. But when jealousy is brought about by envy, self-centeredness or a disregard of the other in the relationship, it is always condemned in Scripture.
When the Bible says that God is a jealous God, it is because He loves us and has committed Himself wholly to us and our well-being. He not only will shower us with love, but He is also committed to providing all of our needs. He is the faithful lover Who will treasure us above all.
His jealousy is aroused, not because He, in an egotistical outrage, is angry because He is merely jilted, but because He knows that the only place safe for His people is in a committed relationship with Him. When we leave Him for another, He is jealous because we go after that which cannot give us happiness or fulfillment. He is jealous because of His great love and commitment for us.
God’s jealousy shows His tremendous love for us. If we did not mean so much to Him, it wouldn’t be any skin off His back if we went after other gods. But He loves us tremendously. For some cosmic reason that we will never understand, the great I AM loves us and is jealous over us. And it breaks His heart when we choose another above Him.
It is because of His jealousy over us that we know just how much He loves us. And when we read that He is a jealous God, let us drop to our knees and thank Him; praise Him; and worship Him for that great love He freely offers to us.
You realize just how old you are when you tell your kids about your childhood and they have to Google what you say to know what you are talking about.
After spending a sleepless evening going through one mock trial after another...
After spending the morning being beaten to the point where his back was ribbons of flesh and blood...
And after struggling to bear His cross even with the help of Simon...
Do you suppose that as much agony as He was in, as they nailed Him to the cross and hoisted His broken body up...?
Jesus may have thought, “In 6 hours, I will get to see Your face, Father.”
Remember, no matter what lies before us, it is only a vapor of time before we, too, will get to see the Father’s face.
As I finished my daily Bible reading, I thought about a couple of lessons I learned from Achan. Coming off an impressive victory over the mighty city of Jericho, the Israelites turned their attention to the small city of Ai.
God had told them to devote all the spoils of Jericho to the Lord. But Achan coveted some of the wealth he found and took it for himself. Of course, his sins were found out and he paid the price with his life.
Unfortunately, so did 36 innocent men.
Here are a couple of the lessons I take away from Achan:
1. The things that Achan coveted were not worth it. In fact, he never had the chance to enjoy them. We need to remember that the sins we covet appear enticing for the moment, but in reality, they will not bring us lasting joy.
We sacrifice all of value for a mess of pottage. I promise, when judgment is given to us, we will look back in regret over the great treasure we traded away for trinkets of no value.
2. We need to look at enjoying the blessing of God His way, in His time. Often, we take what is good and make it evil because we put it before the Lord. Had Achan waited a few days, he would have gotten his spoils from Ai. But he wanted it his way, and in his time.
We often take the good blessings of God and corrupt them by taking them our way, in our time. Do we trade the Lord’s day of worship for rest and recreation, corrupting these blessings because we want them in our way and in our time? Do we covet wealth to the point where we sin by seeking after it in our way, and in our time rather than in God’s way and time?
If we can only learn the lesson of keeping the Lord’s commands and seeking after His blessings His way and in His time, we can enjoy the blessings of God and avoid the corrupting influence of Achan’s greed and covetousness.
“And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did:
when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” (Joshua 7:20-21 ESV).
We bow before King Jesus.
He is Lord of lord's and King of kings.
When rebellion lifts its hand against Him, we stand firmly at His side.
When enemies attack, we enter the warfare protected by His defense.
We wield the most powerful weapon created- the Sword of His Word.
He goes before us, victorious and unmoved.
Today, we bow at His feet in our closet. Soon, we will bow before His throne in heaven.
Today, we see Him by faith which pleases Him. Tomorrow, we see Him with sight and faith will be no more.
Until that glorious, eternal day,
We continue to bow before King Jesus.
Starting tomorrow, I am publishing my notes I made on Mark 14, 15 and 16 during the Chapter a Day group started by Kris Emerson. I'll publish one chapter each day. I won't quote the text, but I encourage you to read the chapter as I post the notes.
These three chapters, like the ones in the other Gospels that speak of the crucifixion, take you through the highs and lows that our faith is centered on.
I still laugh and cry as I read about the most intense emotional rollercoaster ride in history. But the end is in power. The Lamb of God is victorious.
I invite you to travel with me through this look into the final hours of Jesus before death was swallowed up in victory.
See you tomorrow.
Mark 14
It begins.
The decision to kill Jesus is set and the course of history and prophecy is now in motion. Jesus, God's Son, sees everything that is about to unfold from a heavenly perspective. And those who think they win have indeed lost. And those who think they have lost, have indeed won.
Consider, the woman who anoints Jesus. She does so in love and service to Him, and yet Jesus sees it as a preparation for what He knows is about to come. Everyone else was blissfully unaware of the significance of what this woman was doing; and as Jesus ordained, we are still speaking of her act of service 2000 years later.
And during this brief insight Mark gives us into the last supper, we see Jesus prophesying about what will happen which will scatter the 12. One would betray the Son into the hands of sinful men but all would betray. We focus on Peter because the scriptures give us details of his betrayal, but the other ten also left Jesus in the time of need just like Peter. None were faithful during this hour of need.
Yet they all were ready when the time came. Peter drew a sword and drew blood when their Master was arrested. It is evident that if Jesus gave the order, all were ready to strike out for Jesus. But the Savior orders them to put the sword up. And this submission to arrest confused and terrified the disciples. If they couldn't fight for Jesus, then they were at the mercy of sinners with bloodlust in their eyes. So, they fled.
And it is during the meeting with the High Priest that the die is cast. Jesus looked at this His high priest, the one whom He ordained for that position, and with firm resolve told the man, “I AM”. Of all men, this one, who was chosen to intercede for the people, should have dropped to his knees, seeing that he was face to face with the One to whom he made intercession. Yet his heart was hardened, and instead of embracing the Son of God as Messiah, he played his part into delivering the holy Christ as the lamb who would be slain to take away the sins of the world.
Jesus, the Man, did not want to endure what was before Him; but Jesus, the Son of God, saw a sea of lost souls in whom He was their only hope. He would endure this alone, only with the Father to walk with Him through the coming few hours. He would endure because He loved us. And the Father would permit it, having loved the world so much that He was giving His only begotten Son for this hour.
Mark 15
The crucifixion of the Lord. Perhaps one of the most gut-wrenching things for us to read. And in the account that Mark leaves for us, we see the humility and unbelievable strength of Jesus under control. Consider…
Jesus, the Creator of all, is about to have nails made of iron ore that He placed deep into the earth driven into His body; He was about to be nailed to a cross of wood from the tree that He created and whose seed he made and planted for this purpose; He was delivered to be crucified by a people He chose as His special people and He was sentenced by the Romans who He ordained and placed in power by His sovereignty.
And yet, our Savior stood silent when reviled. These men thought they had the power and that they were exercising authority. But they did not know that they were sentencing the one Who made all things, the one Who could do all things, and the one Who could end all of this if it had been His will.
And so, they give our God the worst they could offer. They nail Him to a tree and revile Him while He is suffering. The Romans mock Him, the Jewish leaders laugh at Him, yet by His power, Jesus stays on the cross until His work is done and His spirit leaves the body and He awaits to conquer death for each one of us.
Wealthy Joseph gives Him the respect and honor in His death that the people denied Jesus while He was on the cross. And as prophesied, Satan has bruised His heel.
But in three days, the death blow to Satan is coming...
Mark 16
This is where everything that Jesus taught pointed. Even though Satan bruised his heel, a minor injury through the crucifixion, when He arose from the grave, Jesus delivered a death blow to Satan's head that would prove fatal (Genesis 3:15). That which was prophesied at the beginning of time was fulfilled in Mark 16.
And Jesus had told the disciples on many occasions that He would die and would rise again. They should have been awaiting this with assurance and anticipation, but instead, they followed the natural progression of grief when we lose a loved one and were in shock and denial. Even when people who saw the risen savior appear to them, when told that He lived, the apostles would not believe.
This led Jesus to rebuke them for their unbelief. Not just in the testimony of the ones who were witnessing about the risen savior, but because of their unbelief of Him and His word. Yet we see in other accounts that denial and unbelief is quickly turned to joy and faith.
Perhaps, there is a lesson here for us as well. We know that Jesus loves us and has promised never to leave or forsake us. He has promised to walk with us through every trial and hardship. He has promised that we will be able to endure anything He allows us to face. Yet, how many times do we feel abandoned and in despair? How many times does our belief waver toward unbelief?
Satan has lost. He knows it. There is no path for victory available to him. So, if he is going down, he is intent to take as many with him as possible. In our moments of despair and grief, when it looks like we are all alone, let us remember that the Lord conquered that which only God could conquer. And because of that, we are more than conquerors because we bring ourselves into faith in Him, allowing ourselves to be wrapped up in His grace.
Mark shows us that Jesus is victorious. Let us not allow Satan to snatch away our blessed assurance from the victory our Lord has won for us. And let us remain true to His desire that we share this blessed assurance and Gospel with everyone we meet, so they can have the victory in Christ that He made possible on the cross through His resurrection.
No matter what you are facing today, God is with you.
Satan wants you to feel alone, abandoned, and forgotten.
You are not.
The momentary troubles you are facing are just that: momentary. It will come to an end.
Eternity will not.
Live by faith for the eternal blessings, not by sight for the momentary distractions.