"For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Ex. 34:14, ESV).
What does it mean to say that God is jealous? In this verse, God not only states he is jealous, but his name is Jealous. What does it mean?
Usually when we think about jealousy, the image of some overbearing abusive husband springs to mind. He keeps his wife under lock and key, because he distrusts her and everyone else. We might think about some nagging wife who is always afraid her husband will run off with some woman. Another image that springs to mind is of a person who envies a neighbor or coworker because of a their success.
These images don't help us in tackling the question, "What does it mean that God is a jealous God?". God is holy, without the ability to sin and he can't be tempted by sin. God's righteousness is the very definition of righteous. God always does what is right, according to his perfect, holy moral character, and he cannot deviate from his own nature. Thus, we cannot attribute human concepts of jealousy to God without slandering his character and blaspheming his name.
When God says that he is jealous, he does not mean that he envies other gods, as if to say he sure wishes he had their followers. God isn't in heaven saying, "I wish someone would follow me." God is complete. He needs nothing outside of himself. God is the only true God. There are no other gods beside the Lord. The gods of the nations are worthless idols. Therefore, it would be absurd to think that God envies non-gods and the worship they receive by fallen human beings.
Also, God does not mean that he envies humanity. He is not jealous of mankind. God created man in his image. Mankind exists because it pleased God to make us, not because he needs us. When mankind rebelled against God, it pleased him to redeem us from our sin. God does look at who we are and what we have and wish he had what we have. He already possesses it. Everything is his by right of creation, and by right of redemption. The whole universe, all of creation, belongs to the Lord.
So, what does God mean when he says he is a jealous God? The Holman Bible Dictionary states there are three ways in which the term "jealousy" is used in the Bible. When speaking of people, it either means a "disposition of rivalry or unfaithfulness" or "hostility toward a rival or one believe to enjoy an advantage." But when speaking of God, it denotes "intolerance of rivalry or unfaithfulness." That is to say, God will not tolerate divided loyalties among his people.
Let's go a little farther and ask, "Why doesn't God tolerate the worship of other gods?". I have given a few reasons already, but I'll restate them. First, the biblical God is the only true God. He isn't just the top God among many. No other gods exist (the "gods" are really demonic spirits who lead people away from the one true God). Second, he created the universe and everything in it (including mankind) for his own glory. God alone is Creator, all other beings are created. God has no beginning, he is, always has been, and always will be. Third, all of creation is under his sovereign rule. He holds the whole of creation together by his might word. Fourth, he redeemed mankind their sin through the crucifixion and resurrection of the eternal Son of God, Christ Jesus. Fifth, the worship of false gods leads to the farther destruction of humanity and the world. Idolatry enslaves and blinds its worshipers.
To sum up, God alone is God. There is no other god. Therefore, God cannot tolerate the worship of other "gods," because they keep people from seeing their sin and crying out for deliverance. The god of this age has blinded unbelievers (see 2 Cor. 4:4). They have exchanged the glory of the one true God, to worship that which isn't God (see Rom. 8:18-25). God is jealous, because he alone is worthy of worship.
Have you ever provoked God to jealousy by false worship? More importantly, have you turned from worthless idols to the living God and found forgiveness?
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