Envy and jealousy are not the same thing. Do you know the difference? I like to think in terms of first, second, and third person. Envy is a situation in which the first person wants what the second person has—and the third person plays no part. Envy requires only two persons, where jealousy requires three.
Jealousy is a situation in which the first person fears he will lose his relationship with the second person because of the interference of a third person. In such a case, the first person is jealous of the third person—a rival interest. A simple example involves two men and one woman: a husband who is jealous of his wife’s male coworker, fearing the man has become a rival interest.
When the Bible says “thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17), it refers to the sin of envy. Envy of your neighbor’s possessions leads to sinful actions as serious as theft, robbery, murder, and war. But jealousy, also a powerful and dangerous emotion, is not always sinful. In fact, God describes himself as jealous.
“For I, the Lord your God, am a JEALOUS God” Exodus 20:5.
How can God be jealous? God is jealous because he desires a two-party relationship with His children. God loves and blesses me and I love and worship God. But if I begin to love and worship a third party—any other god, idol, or rival interest—God jealously desires the restoration of his one-on-one relationship with me. In addition, God hates the idol or rival interest because he knows it will cause me so much harm.
God hates the rival gods because these rival gods destroy his children.
The prophet Zephaniah foretold destruction. The nation of Judah and many of its neighbors would suffer God’s wrath because of their persistent worship of idols. God, the jealous God, would not be patient forever.
“Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them … but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy” Zephaniah 1:18.
God strikes out against the idols: “I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims [idolatrous priests]” Zephaniah 1:4.
After that opening, the language of judgment begins. God will destroy his rivals. Look at the verbs, the words of action describing the judgment to come:
“I will utterly consume all things … man and beast will be swept away … I will cut off … I will stretch out my hand … I will cut off … I will punish … there shall be the noise of a cry, and a howling … Howl! I will punish the men that say in their hearts, ‘the Lord will do nothing,’ … It is a day of wrath, of trouble and distress, waste … desolation … darkness … gloominess … clouds … thick darkness … I will bring distress” Zephaniah 1:2-17.
“Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast … Surely Moab shall be as Sodom … [a land of] nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation … the Lord shall be terrible unto them, for he will famish all the gods of the earth [idols] and men shall worship him” Zephaniah 2:5,9-11.
God, thank you for your JEALOUS love. Thank you for loving us fiercely, with a determination to protect us from the idols and distractions that threaten our relationship with you. Thank you for loving us deeply and defending us loyally. Help us to love you with a fierce, loyal, persistent passion that never tolerates any other interest.
AΩ
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