What are your Jealous about?
Initially, reading the heading – “What are your Jealous About” Could instigate a reaction of – Jealous! That’s sinful and not something I want to contemplate as part of my journey. However, let’s backup a little and reconsider for a moment and ask the question once again with another foundation and context.
You see we would have no difficulty in believing that to be “zealous” is a good thing. Something to be desired and to aspire to do we?
To be filled with “zeal” as an attribute means to be “ardent” in regard to a – Doctrine, Belief System, Ideal etc – and the outworking of that is defined as “zealous” – Good Ah!
Examples: –
- Christ will make us full of zeal to do good – “Titus 2:14”
- Christ cannot use us if we are complacent – “Revelation 3:15-16, 19”
- Christ expects it as a characteristic of spiritual life – “Romans 12:11”
- Christ presents it as being based on intelligent understanding – “Romans 10:2”
- Christ desires that we share in it with Him – “Psalm 69:9”
Alongside this being zealous would cause us to be single minded in our devotion to Jesus and focused on the salvation of others. In all of its outworking’s it would not be loud and self-seeking.
Thus, being a zealot of some sort is not always bad and zeal in itself can be a commendable quality.
So, going back to the original question (please stay with me) “What are we jealous about?”
Jealousy carries with it in our western cultural mindset the connotation of something “negative”. Most would consider is very undesirable to be labelled as a jealous person. However, God describes Himself in this very way – “Exodus 20:4-5”.
The verb (doing / action word) for jealous used in Exodus is קָנָא (qana) and its meaning conveys the characteristics of “being jealous” and “burning with zeal” in the right context it could also be understood as “envious”.
Its etymology is founded as a derivative in the noun (being word) קִנְאָה (qinah) which is translated as Jealous or Zeal. So, to be jealous is both a state of being and a visual characteristic.
Thus, we understand that to be jealous or zealous are in fact the like Siamese twins expressing the same things. As always though, it’s all about the context. The context provides the road map of the different direction of these powerful feelings.
If what I’m putting forward is correct and I believe it is then It would be right to conclude that being zealously and jealously committed with ardency would be a good thing to have as the foundation of our walk and journey with Jesus.
In “Numbers 25:10-13” we find Aaron the grandson of Phineas being rewarded for the very same reason – being jealous with God’s jealousy.
Today as we journey with Jesus might it be that the Lord is calling us to a greater passion in regard to those things that are close to His heart. God is a “God of Community” and He outworks His – Jealous, Zealous and Ardent – passion through you and I in the communities in which we live and work,
Let’s be jealous today and consider that it might look like –
“Hebrews 11:32-40” NKJV.
“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. – Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mocking’s and scourging’s, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth – And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”
God bless you today.
Albert
