Exodus 33-35

Daily Reading

Exodus 33-35

Daily Thought

Question: Why does God describe himself as a jealous God?  "For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14).  Isn't jealousy wrong and unworthy of God?

God is #1.  All-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, ever-present, fully good, full of love.  Hard to beat?  No; Impossible.  In each plague, Moses proclaimed to Pharaoh, "that you may know that there is none like me [the LORD] in all the earth."

I am the LORD, and there is no other, 

besides me there is no God.

~Isaiah 45:5

God knows this, not because he is cocky, but because it is the truth and God is always true.  He does not share his glory willingly, because it rightfully belongs to him, and because he is jealous, not of us, but for us.  God promised, "I will be your God; you will be my people."  It's a relationship akin to marriage.  In fact, when Jesus comes, he describes the church as his bride and he is the bridegroom.  No one would fault a husband's jealousy for the affection of his wife.  It is not to be shared or spread around.

But it is more than that.  When God says, "I love you," he is also saying, "I want the best, the very best, for you."   He is saying, "I love you enough to die for you, so that you can have the very best."  What is the very best?  It is God.  God is the very best. Always. Forever and ever.  God's jealousy for us is the best thing that ever happened to us.

Daily Prayer

My heavenly Father, from eternity past to forevermore, You are God, who was, and is, and is to come. Timeless, You created time, then entered time. I long to be present with You in eternity, where Your holiness reigns forever.

Forgive me, God, when I pursue something less than you.  Everything else is less than You. May You always be my first love, may I first and always seek Your Kingdom, your righteousness, and leave everything else in Your care.

Amen