Our Jealous God

Chapter One

For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Exodus 34:14

A few days after his marriage, a gregarious young husband decided to demonstrate his love for his bride by taking her out to an elegant restaurant. When they arrived, the maître d' escorted them to a special table and seated them.

Soon the waitress arrived-a bright, attractive young woman. The husband smiled up at her with obvious delight. He noticed her name on her uniform, and used it to engage her in a few moments of spirited conversation. Then he gave her their order for dinner.

As the waitress walked away, the happy husband turned his eyes back to his wife . and was startled by the change in her countenance. She looked hurt and grieved.

"Honey," he said, "what's wrong?"

"I saw how your eyes lit up when you looked at that waitress. That hurt me!"

He was confused. "Hurt you? Why should that hurt you? I was only trying to be friendly. Hey, that's my nature. I'm outgoing. I enjoy people."

This distinction did little to comfort his distressed wife. Hadn't he just vowed that "forsaking all others" he would cling to her and be devoted to her? Since their wedding, she had already noticed her husband's eyes brighten up for other women on several occasions-but hadn't said anything until that evening in the restaurant.

Happily, this story has a good ending. The new husband quickly learned his lesson, trained his eyes, and thereafter treated other women in a polite and businesslike way. His eyes still light up-but only when his bride walks into the room. They've gone on to develop a happy and successful marriage.

When I first heard this story, when I heard this young wife explain how hurt and offended she had been with her husband's all-too-evident delight in another woman, I thought to myself, This lady has a problem with jealousy.

In my view, it was her problem.

She was obviously overly sensitive, and probably feared being displaced by some other woman. Jealousy, I had always reasoned, was an issue with the one who had it-and he or she needed to work it through.

Just last September, however, I was in a counseling situation that caused me to recall this event . and what transpired on that day changed my life.

That young woman's statement suddenly intruded again into my thoughts; I saw how your eyes lit up when you looked at that waitress! In that moment, I saw what I had not seen before: the powerful spiritual significance of those words.

That couple was in a covenant relationship, and in such a union there can be no tolerance of any competing affection. In the wedding ceremony, they both vowed before God that they would cherish each other and love each other with all their hearts.

In this case, the jealousy was warranted. She was right to be jealous. She wanted his eyes. She wanted his heart-his whole heart. And because of their vows, she had every right to expect these things.

Suddenly the words of Scripture leaped into my mind-and stunned me with a whole new meaning.

"For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." Exodus 20:5

It was one of those pivotal moments when the Spirit of God seems to pull back the curtain, revealing a major truth that was there all along, yet hidden from view. I pondered the meaning of those strong words in Exodus. In what sense was God jealous? Was He only jealous for the nation of Israel-or was He jealous for me, too? What competing affections were there in my own life-words or thoughts or actions-that caused the Almighty Sovereign of the universe to feel the pain of jealousy?

Just as in the case of the jealous bride in that restaurant, God watches the eyes of my heart. He sees whenever my eyes brighten up at some competing affection. His Holy Spirit is grieved by my breach of loyalty. And if I persist in my divided allegiances, I will experience serious conflict in my life, just as that husband and wife experienced on what was supposed to be a joyful evening together.

Someone might comment, "What does the great, omnipotent God care about one of His children being distracted by some passing affection? Surely He has more important things to do than keep track of our small indiscretions or wandering inclinations!"

If we think such thoughts, it is only because we underestimate His love-and His holiness. Scripture shows us that He certainly does notice the little things-the "small" idolatries we so quickly rationalize away. In the book of Jeremiah, the Lord talks to the prophet about a practice among some of the women of Judah. They had been baking little cakes in their ovens-cakes formed in the shape of an idol known as "the queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 44:19).

They were just little flat cakes. We might even stretch the point just a bit and call them cookies. And with all that was going on in the world . with wars and rumors of wars . with all the deliberations of kings and princes and generals . God was concerned about women baking cookies?

Yes, He was. Because He knew their hearts. He saw the secret idolatries behind their "innocent" activity. And this is what He said about it:

"Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger." Jeremiah 7:17-18

Those little cakes aroused the jealousy of God, stirring His anger. He noticed . and He was grieved. God clearly states His demand for our total loyalty of love in the first and greatest command: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).

After loving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, there won't be any affection left over for other delights that compete with God.

During that time back in September when the Lord opened my eyes to these things, other Scriptures began to come to mind. I began to ponder the very nature of God. He has many names and titles. One of them, however, isn't much discussed these days. You don't hear of it being made into songs, written in calligraphy on wall plaques, or engraved on Christian jewelry.

And yet, maybe it should be.

It is Qanna'.

"Jealous."

In the Ten Commandments He declares, "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God" (Exodus 20:5). Several chapters later He states, "The Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14). Joshua declared, "He is a holy God. He is a jealous God" (Joshua 24:19).

I'd been aware of such verses, of course, for many years. I'd just assumed they described God's Old Testament relationship with Israel-in a time long ago and a place far away. In the New Testament, I imagined, He became a loving and merciful God who somehow overlooks our competing affections.

The more I considered, however, the more uncomfortable I became with those conclusions. I realized that such thoughts flew in the face of what God Himself declared in Malachi 3:6: "For I am the Lord, I do not change."

In other words, He was just as loving and merciful in the Old Testament as He is in the New Testament. And He is just as insistent on our total affection and loyalty in the New Testament as He was of His own nation in the Old Testament.

A sense of awe swept over me as I realized that God was aware of every delight, friendship, or affection that was in competition with His character and will for my life. And He was not only aware, but He also cared very deeply about each and every one. To entertain these affections-to return to them and cultivate them in quiet moments of the day or night-was to stir up His jealousy and actually grieve His Holy Spirit, bringing sorrow and conflict into my own life and relationships.

I found myself pleading with God for a fresh measure of His grace and discernment.

If I was making my Lord jealous, I wanted to put an end to it.

Points to Ponder

Are there areas in your life that compete for the affection and loyalty that belong to God alone? Did you ever think of Him as being jealous of those affections of yours? Take these matters to Him in prayer and ask Him to reveal the secrets of your heart.

Chapter Two

My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. Proverbs 23:26

One day as a teenager I came across a statement that riveted my attention. It was so intriguing to me that I turned it over and over in my mind for days, pondering its application to my own life.

Now, in retrospect, it seems prophetic. Be careful what you want when you are fifteen, you will have it when you are thirty. Be careful what you want when you are thirty, you will have it when you are sixty.

When I was fifteen I wanted more than anything to be effective in working with fellow teenagers. When I was thirty, I longed to share what I had learned about young people with a wider audience. It was the great longing of my heart, and God in His grace has fulfilled it.

When we set our heart on something, we begin to fill our eyes and our attention with those things that directly relate to that strong, inner focus. No wonder Scripture warns: "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life" (Proverbs 4:23, NASB). Other priorities, other issues, other events in life which may have great significance to many people escape our notice. Why? Because they don't line up with our goals. They don't match up with the passion of our hearts.

Imagine an athlete, a young man who has been training for years to qualify for the Olympics as a speed skater. Every day of his life he's up before dawn, preparing his body and mind for the competition that fills his waking thoughts. As the week of the Olympic trials finally draws near, how much time does he devote to thinking about other pursuits and interests? He doesn't have time for them! They're distractions! He is bringing all his energies to bear on one goal: achieving his dream of qualifying for the Olympics.

So it is with loving God as Scripture commands. It is not a casual, halfhearted endeavor. Jesus Himself said we are to love the Lord our God

• with all of our heart, • with all of our soul, • with all of our mind, and • with all of our strength.

Why is this so important? Because our heart is the seat of our affections, and what we love with our heart shapes the goals and direction of our entire life. That process, whether we realize it or not, is at work in our lives this very day.

When we become distracted from that pursuit . when we begin to take our eyes off of that goal . when we become immersed in and enchanted by other affections, other "lovers," God is jealous. And rightly so. He is the One who redeemed us, purchasing us at a great and terrible price.

One of my earliest recollections as a young believer is working on projects in the recreation room in my home-and repeating a song over and over.

Into my heart, into my heart; come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

Now I knew as a young believer that the Lord was already in my heart-and that He was certainly there to stay. What I was experiencing, however, was a deeper longing for His presence. I wanted to sense His nearness and hear His voice. I wanted to know Him for myself, not just as a child of a Christian family or a member of an active church. It was like a personal response to our Lord's invitation to the Church of Laodicea, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).

A number of years ago, I was conducting a counseling seminar for about eight hundred young people at our Indianapolis training center. During that week of training, I received a surprise invitation to meet with the governor of Indiana. It was a special opportunity, but it required that I leave one of the sessions half an hour early.

When several students learned about this, they pleaded with me to let a sixteen-year-old girl named Christiana give her testimony. With that strong recommendation, I introduced her to the young people and left for my meeting.

As soon as I returned to the auditorium, I sensed something had happened. A marvelous spirit of revival permeated the seminar. There were tears of repentance and joy. I asked what had happened and all they could say was, "We want to love Jesus the way Christiana loves Him."

Christiana expressed her love for the Lord the way most girls express their love for a boyfriend.

She talked about the things He likes.

She boasted about the things He has done.

She shared special things He told her from the Word.

She pointed out mementos of special events with Him and explained the many ways He gave her attention.

Christiana loved the Lord with all her heart . and everyone in the auditorium that day could see it and sense it.

Seek Me with All Your Heart

"You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Many have sought the Lord but not found Him because they failed to seek Him with their whole heart.

The challenge of seeking God with our whole heart is made complicated by the truth of Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"

This verse describes the problem: deceit that sends its roots to the very core of our being.

God warns that we have the capacity to hide wrong desires in our heart-to tuck them away in cracks and crevices and behind false panels and hidden doors, secretly hoping that we may one day pull them out and fulfill them. And Satan, perhaps knowing where they are hidden, often provides the perfect opportunities to do just that. People may be shocked when we fall for some illicit desire that seems so out of character, and we too may grieve over the consequences of our own actions. Yet it is the very thing we secretly wanted to do all along. The desire was imbedded in our hearts, privately and covertly coddled and nourished for years, waiting for its opportunity.

The only answer to this dilemma is radical surgery.

Continues.