Mom, is jealousy good?
No, it is not.
So then why does the Bible say that God is a jealous God?
This was in reference to Exodus 20:5, You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, Am a jealous God…
I walked right into that one, didn’t I? I prepared myself up to give the usual response I give when I have no idea what to say regarding difficult Biblical questions: ask Jjajja next time you see him, ok? Jjajja (which means GrandPa) is a Pastor and holds a PhD in Theology, so I like to differ his grandchildren to him on such complex topics. This time however, the Holy Spirit held my tongue by bringing what Paul wrote to the Church in Colossae to the forefront of my mind. The last part of Colossians 4:6 says, You should know how to give the right answer to everyone.
Then there is also 2 Timothy 2:15 that says, Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. to show yourself approved of God, a worker rightly dividing the Word of Truth. To put it plainly, the Bible is telling me to be a student of the Word of God so I can correctly teach it to my children (or anyone who asks) and answer any question they have about God’s Word correctly. When you study a subject, you do not just skim the surface or quickly read through summarized bullet points. To study a subject means to take it apart piece by piece, examine each piece individually and then carefully put it back together to understand what value each piece brings to the table and how all the pieces fit and work together beautifully.
John 14:26 – But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name (in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf), He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.
As I study the Word of God, I have the best teacher and helper; the Holy Spirit who illumes God’s Word to me, explains it in a language and context that I personally understand, making it so real and applicable in my day to day. In addition to that, the Holy Spirit also graciously brings the Word of God that I have studied back to my remembrance. He brings to the forefront of my mind the exact piece of God’s Word, at the exact moment I need it, for just the purpose required at that very point in time; whether for encouragement, caution, reprimand, to increase my faith or help me answer the question on an inquisitive 6-year-old. If there is one thing our children have helped me accomplish, it is to grow in my knowledge of God and His Word because that is the only way to keep up with their outside of the box, unexpected and yet 100% valid questions.
Curious about what my response was? I had to go to the Bible app and read him the verse in like 10 different translations.
My favorite was the Amplified version because it expounds on the verse well
Exodus 20:5 – You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me…
Next, we looked up the original word in Hebrew. We have been studying root words in our Latin curriculum, so this was a familiar concept for the children. The Hebrew term used in Exodus 20:5 for the word jealous is qanna, which denotes intense emotion. It means that God is possessive of the worship and service that belongs to Him. It means He is jealous over those that belongs to Him in a sense that He is protective over them, loves them fiercely and does not want to share them with idols. God points out in this command that it is a sin to worship or bow down to anything other than God.
Another person who used the word jealous in a way we are not accustomed to it being used is Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:2 “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.”
For I feel a divine jealousy for you. This is not an earthy vice but a heavenly zeal of love.
The word jealous in 2 Corinthians 11:2 means zealous and comes from the Greek word zelos, which means to have warmth of feeling for or against.
As we did this, I realized that not only was I answering his question, but I was also training him on how to find answers to seemingly difficult Bible questions. It took time, patience and effort to walk him through this process, but it was so worth it. I believe I will only have to do it with our children a couple more times before they instinctively do it on their own. And that is a major win for me as a parent.
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Read more of Rachel’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
