El Qanna
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.” (Zechariah 8:2) Whatever does that mean? I thought petty jealousy was a bad thing, something we teach our children not to be. But if God is all-powerful, and He is the one who created everything, then what could He be jealous about? He already owns everything. Isn’t jealousy wanting what you don’t have?
“...for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God...” (Exodus 34:14) There are very very few places in the Bible where God tells us what His name is, so this should make us sit up and pay attention. What is this jealousy? Is God a spoiled little brat, like a big child sitting up there in heaven wanting everything to go the way He wants it to go? I don’t think so. But why would He say His name is Jealous?
In God’s ten commandments, when He gave them to Moses, He gave a reason for why they were to have only one God; “...for I the Lord thy God am a Jealous God.” (Exodus 20:5) Does that mean there is more than one God out there? And He is jealous for them so that no other god interferes with His people? No. That does not pan out, so why the jealousy?
What about “God is Love”? How can jealousy be a part of a God who is love? Isn’t jealousy selfishness and we have already defined ultimate love as selflessness.
It is just as possible to be jealous for what you do have (jealous not to lose it) as for what you do not have. We say that a husband is jealous of his wife, not wanting to share her with any other man. Is this jealous out of selfishness on his part, or love for his wife?
While that can be debatable, with the perfect Father, the Divine Husband, it can only be that out of His love for His children, His Church (His Bride) that He is jealous for us. As He knows what is best for us and since no one can serve two masters, He knows that a divided allegiance is no allegiance to be had. He cannot share priority in our lives with anything or anyone else. That is what an idol is - anything that replaces God as the highest priority in our lives. El Qanna is a description of God’s character. He is not jealous of us for His own sake as if He needed us in any way. He does not, but in His love for us His great jealousy for us gives us a great picture of what that love looks like.
His love is a jealous love that would not see us fall into depravity. It is a love that says I want you, all of you. It is jealousy that holds back the hand of justice for a time - in a hope that those that are lost might be found. It is a jealousy that says I love you, come back to me. Jealousy says ‘you are mine, and I will not part with you.’ God is faithful, and His love is unconditional. We see this in His jealousy. He is greatly angered at those that cause His children to falter. His jealousy comes across as a great protector. “It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” (Luke 17:2)
God is Jealous. El Qanna. This is not divine selfishness, this is divine love that says I will Never leave you nor forsake you. “I have called you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
Jared Williams
“...for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God...” (Exodus 34:14) There are very very few places in the Bible where God tells us what His name is, so this should make us sit up and pay attention. What is this jealousy? Is God a spoiled little brat, like a big child sitting up there in heaven wanting everything to go the way He wants it to go? I don’t think so. But why would He say His name is Jealous?
In God’s ten commandments, when He gave them to Moses, He gave a reason for why they were to have only one God; “...for I the Lord thy God am a Jealous God.” (Exodus 20:5) Does that mean there is more than one God out there? And He is jealous for them so that no other god interferes with His people? No. That does not pan out, so why the jealousy?
What about “God is Love”? How can jealousy be a part of a God who is love? Isn’t jealousy selfishness and we have already defined ultimate love as selflessness.
It is just as possible to be jealous for what you do have (jealous not to lose it) as for what you do not have. We say that a husband is jealous of his wife, not wanting to share her with any other man. Is this jealous out of selfishness on his part, or love for his wife?
While that can be debatable, with the perfect Father, the Divine Husband, it can only be that out of His love for His children, His Church (His Bride) that He is jealous for us. As He knows what is best for us and since no one can serve two masters, He knows that a divided allegiance is no allegiance to be had. He cannot share priority in our lives with anything or anyone else. That is what an idol is - anything that replaces God as the highest priority in our lives. El Qanna is a description of God’s character. He is not jealous of us for His own sake as if He needed us in any way. He does not, but in His love for us His great jealousy for us gives us a great picture of what that love looks like.
His love is a jealous love that would not see us fall into depravity. It is a love that says I want you, all of you. It is jealousy that holds back the hand of justice for a time - in a hope that those that are lost might be found. It is a jealousy that says I love you, come back to me. Jealousy says ‘you are mine, and I will not part with you.’ God is faithful, and His love is unconditional. We see this in His jealousy. He is greatly angered at those that cause His children to falter. His jealousy comes across as a great protector. “It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” (Luke 17:2)
God is Jealous. El Qanna. This is not divine selfishness, this is divine love that says I will Never leave you nor forsake you. “I have called you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
Jared Williams
