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What does it mean that God is a jealous God? (Exod 20:5; 34:14; Deut 4:24).


Many Christians have been bothered by those and other passages that describe the God of the Bible as a jealous God, believing that this characteristic is not a virtue but a vice! The problem, however, centers in confusing jealousy with envy. A definition of these two words will prove helpful:

A. Jealousy is to be deeply committed in seeking the honor or welfare of someone.

1. God seeks the honor of his own person (Ezek 39:25).


2. God seeks the welfare of his own people (Joel 2:18; Zech 1:14; 8:2).


The apostle Paul rightly understood this attribute of God when he wrote to the Corinthian church (2 Cor 11:2).

Thus, God is jealous in the sense that he is zealous for himself and his people.

B. Envy is to unlawfully covet someone or something that lawfully belongs to someone else. The Scripture severely condemns the sin of envy (Prov 14:30; Rom 1:29; Gal 5:21; 1 Pet 2:1).

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