MAY 22

Exodus 34:14
Memorise Revelation 4:11
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power…”

When a person is jealous it can mean that he is resentful of what someone else has. This comes about because he feels that something good has gone to someone less deserving than himself, and he should rightfully be the one who enjoys that particular benefit. Jealousy can also apply, rightly or wrongly, to a situation when more attention is given to someone else other than himself.

Exodus 34:14 describes God as a jealous God. Although the same word is used, the way that it describes God here is vastly different from what we are familiar with. God, the Creator of all, owns everything and has no reason to resent anyone for the blessings that He freely gives (and can take away). However, because God is righteous, He will not tolerate the sin of idolatry whereby worship is given to anything other than Himself. He alone is worthy to receive our worship because He is Creator, Sustainer, Saviour and Judge of the universe, and beside Him there is none other (Isaiah 45:18, 22).

It would be strange that a husband has no reaction to his wife flirting with another man. We would expect that he would have feelings of anger and betrayal in response to this, and he would be right to feel this way. Likewise, God’s jealousy is the kind of righteous jealousy that one should expect as a reaction to man’s unfaithfulness towards Him. God alone is worthy of worship simply because of who He is, and also because the Bible commands us to worship only Him.

There are such things as idols in the heart. These idols may not be things that are outwardly sinful. They can sometimes even appear to be virtuous such as being diligent at work or studies. However, even something like this can unknowingly displace God from His rightful place in our hearts, yet the outward manifestations of idolatry may not be obvious. We are to guard ourselves against this.

Thought: Even as I strive to do my best in everything, I must always ensure that I am striving for God’s glory and not my own.
Prayer: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my Redeemer.