Comments on: The “Jealousy” of God

By: Christy

Christy — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:53:55 +0000

I love Mary’s comments. A God jealous for my own well being. Great perspective and insight! Thank you for your thoughts and for the reminder of how much he truly loves us and desires the best for us.

By: Amber Webb

Amber Webb — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:09:49 +0000

No, it does not bother me at all that my Lord is a jealous God. In fact, it is comforting. It keeps me striving to let him be Lord over my life. He is entitled to be jealous. After all, I don’t see many people standing in line to sacrifice their body for me!

By: Penny

Penny — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:50:34 +0000

Well… I am not bothered by it. I am glad that my God doesn’t want to share me with any other gods. I am his child. So if you think about it in a parental aspect, you are jealous for your children. You don’t want them thinking some other old man is cooler than you, right? (as if!!) i would have to share my “i got saved that day” testimony … with you to explain why I am totally comfortable with Him being as jealous as He wants to be. I guess i kinda feel like He has that right. Ya know? Idk..maybe that doesn’t make sense… who knows!

By: Mary Fisher

Mary Fisher — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:53:27 +0000

Wayne, great response…the interesting issue is that the patriarchs definitely are henotheists.
But what is happening in the Genesis development with the barren wives…obviously a view of the “god who called Abram” is being tied to the “god who gives life”…amazing stuff…
And then you look at the progression of Abram allowing the “promise of the seed” to be put in jeopardy in pagan harems and what the Creator who will bring the seed to fruition keeps doing. So much there…

Now what is interesting about all this is that the Old Testament scholar Von Rad in the earlier part of his scholarly life argued for Creation theology being later in the understanding of Israel, but later in his life moved to Creation theology being earlier. (Rendolf writes about this move on Von Rad’s part somewhere). For me I can’t work out how you can have the development of the monotheism within the Pentateuch without Creation theology being early. The whole issue of how nature religion festivals are taken over in the Israel Exodus story and made as celebrations of the creator god is an example. If you read Yehezel Kauffmann’s first 150 pages in his The Religion of Israel you will see how radically different the worldview that arises out of polytheism is from the worldview that arises out of the Israel perspective. John Oswalt has a new book out on this. by the way he is back at Asbury. If you ever get the chance to do a special class under him it will be more than many other classes you have taken.

Anyway what I am saying is that Creation theology has to be early in Israel’s self understanding otherwise the problems are far too large in my opinion. And they all relate to what polytheism forms in the people shaped by it. Read Kauffmann.

But by Creation theology I am not implying they understood the whole implications of monotheism, but with the de-divinization of nature

By: Wayne

Wayne — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:52:47 +0000

I agree, Keith. My personal understanding of “jealousy” has been skewed for so long. And I think it’s a product of the kind of attitude toward commitment you mention. Thx for weighing in – love the idea of “zeal” applied to God!

By: Wayne

Wayne — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:49:28 +0000

Mary – you’re amazing! So wish we were still in community together and able to talk these things out in person!
I appreciate the depth and historical context you’ve given. You’ve taken the introduction of monotheism back to creation – am I reading you right? I want to think about it and let what you’ve claimed sink in – I have, for some time, thought of Gen. 1-2 and the Abram encounters in 12ff being a more henotheistic revelation, clearing the way for a monotheistic claim of YHWH in the Exodus/adoption of Israel …

By: Mary Fisher

Mary Fisher — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:22:07 +0000

Wayne, for me the jealousy of the Creator Covenant god of Israel Yahweh needs to radically be understood in terms of how destructive polytheism is to human persons… I have been preaching from Genesis 1 – a profound chapter – in which the polytheistic nature gods of the Ancience Near East are dethroned. I recommend a superb book by a Jewish scholar Leon Kass “The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis”. In dedivinizing the nature gods and polytheism, the self revelation of Yahweh as Creator is so important. And in the dedivinizing we see a narrative in which all is good (except for day 2 and the creation of humans – which should provoke many questions- no comment of being good is found there…doesn’t mean it is not good but it should raise questions for us as to what the text is doing). (Another aside: have you ever though about how each of the patriach wives are barren and how it relates to this god’s self revelation as Creator?) Anyway with everything being de-divinized and good, humanity is given a place that is livable (as opposed to tohu ve bohu {formless and void} dark and watery {Ancient Near East concept of chaosin verse 2.
So foundations for monotheism to grow are firmly established in Genesis 1 when people are led to understand how God created an hospitable place for humanity. Read other creation stories – I have a book of them from all over the world – they all have evil present from before the beginning. Genesis doesn’t have that. So the jealousy of God is related to our understanding we can throw out the idolatry of nature gods and live safely in an environment dependent upon the loving embrace of the Creator who made an hospitable place for humans to live in and have dominion and stewardship in. Sadly Genesis 3 leads to decline with thorns and thistles a consequence. But we still know the one god wants creation to blossom (Israel is supposed to manifest this) under the covenantal people’s care.

So monotheism and God’s jealousy is a jealousy for our well-being… I love it! God is jealous of where I place my commitments, my allegiances,for it has implications for my, for our well-being. If I understand that living in the embrace of covenantal relationship with the Creator is for my well-being the concept of the Creator’s jealousy changes profoundly.

The Creator doesn’t want me messing with other allegiances for my good and the good of the larger community and all creation… For as Creator, the Creator knows what is wisest of me. WOW I can handle that idea of what the Creator’s jealousy is all about.

So jealousy needs to be understood in the theological context of the Ancient Near East polytheism and how destructive that polytheism was for humanity…just look at the caste system in India and the dehumanization that occurs from a radical polytheism and you will understand.

By: Keith Prater

Keith Prater — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:23:26 +0000

I think our attitude about jealousy is messed up these days because we are not supposed to be so exclusive in our marriage relationships. If a husband looks at another woman, the wife is not supposed to be jealous because he is not her possession. But according to the scripture, the husband is the exclusive possessor of the wife and the wife of the husband. Of course, sin and depravity tends to mess up what would be a good thing. It’s good that God is that possessive of us, because it means that His zeal will lead to our good.