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God's Love & Jealousy
Wednesday, March 13, 2019If God is love, and God is a jealous God, but love can never be jealous, then what is God???
Sincerely,
Doing The Math
Dear Doing The Math,
When the Bible talks about God being a jealous God (Ex 34:14), it is saying that God is jealous in the sense that He does not accept us worshipping false gods. This is very similar to the type of jealousy a wife might show for her husband. A loving wife is jealous for her husband – she won't accept him having affections for any other woman.
However, when the Bible says that "love is not jealous" (1 Cor 13:4), it is dealing with envy and coveting. A loving person doesn't get upset when good things happen to others; they rejoice with them (Rom 12:15). In this sense, God is not jealous. God never gets upset when good things happen to His children. In fact, He is the source of all blessings (Jas 1:17). SB