Over the years, many people—Christian and non—have stumbled over God’s anger and wrath. His judgments have been both misunderstood and maligned. What so many have failed to comprehend is the fact that the Lord has always burned with pure passion for the undivided love and devotion of His people. As the Hero and Husband in the love story called the Bible, the Lord has always been jealous for the affections of His bride. Although the Bible is full of references regarding the Lord’s attributes, such as love, mercy and kindness, it’s really eye-opening to discover how much it also has to say about His jealousy:
• “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14)• “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:24) • “They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.” (Psalm 78:58)But exactly what does the Bible mean when it speaks of God’s jealousy? How can He be the epitome of love and be jealous at the same time? To say that the Lord is jealous most certainly does not mean He is suspicious because of some insecurity on His part. Ungodly jealousy is the byproduct of wanting to control and possess what does not belong to us. It is always demanding and cares very little about the alleged object of its love. In contrast, holy jealousy is at the very core of who God is. Within the depths of His being burns an inextinguishable fire of love called jealousy. His jealousy is a blazing passion to protect a love relationship that is eternally precious to Him and to defend it when it is broken. The severity of God’s jealous anger is in direct proportion to the depths of His love for those who belong to Him. His anger is never irrational and unpredictable. God’s love for Israel was the source of His controllable anger and wrath. It was because He infinitely cared for His bride that He burned with holy anger against her. This is passionately portrayed through the language of Jeremiah: “I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made” (Jeremiah 1:16). God’s anger and mercy are not opposites of each other; in fact, they are actually related. This is why the prophet Habakkuk prayed: “In wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2). It is inconceivable that the Lord’s love would ever end. This is why the psalmist asked: “Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (Psalm 77:9). The message of God’s anger included a call to His adulterous wife to return to Him and be saved. He promised her that if she changed her behavior, His anger would subside. The call of anger was actually a call to cancel anger. It was not an expression of irrational behavior but a deliberate response on God’s part to deal with what was evil. To understand God’s anger is to understand His care. In Scripture, God’s anger is always described as something temporary rather than something that lasts indefinitely. The psalmist David contrasted the difference between the Lord’s anger and His enduring love: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). This Scripture vividly demonstrates that anger is not an emotion in which God delights. His anger, instead, is a tragic necessity. It was compassion that transcended the most intense, holy anger; it was a love that remained steadfast in the face of human sin and weakness. And this is the splendor of God’s love and concern that was revealed through the prophets. The greatest example of God’s unfailing love, despite human sin, was His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus epitomized the jealous love of God because of His sacrificial love and devotion for His people. In Matthew 10:37, He made a statement that clearly illustrated His jealous passion for His bride: “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Jesus could just as easily have said, “I don’t mind you loving your father and mother or your son and daughter. In fact, I insist on it. But you can’t love them more than Me. You can’t love anyone or anything more than Me. I must be first place in your affections!” Jesus is emphatically telling us that He will not tolerate any rivals who try to steal our affections. The fire of His love will consume everything that tries to threaten our relationship with Him. This is why it is imperative we understand that “conviction” is really a manifestation of His burning jealousy for us, as He continually warns us of things that would seduce our hearts away from Him and destroy our lives. The Lord longs for our love and loyalty to such a degree that He will stop at nothing to keep us for Himself! May we all continue to grow in our understanding of just how spirited the Lord’s jealous love is for us. Let us renew our minds and free ourselves from attempting to serve God out of fear of punishment, and let us learn to live a life of obedience in response to His incredible love. S.J. Hill is a speaker and the author of Enjoying God and Burning Desire, available from Relevant Books.
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