Is God a Green-Eyed Monster?

This week, we’re looking at two names which are closely associated. Esh Oklah, El Kanna. Consuming Fire, Jealous God. Today, we’ll look at our jealous God. Can jealousy ever be something good?

The first use of קַנָּא , transliterated qanna or kanna, is in the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20. This word, translated jealous, is only used in reference to Yahweh. (Qana is the word for human jealousy.) In Exodus 34, Yahweh makes it clear he will not tolerate worship of any other god.

For you shall not worship any other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. – Exodus 34:14, NASB

Yahweh is Jealous with a capital J. is that a good thing?

Not according to atheist Richard Dawkins.

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” RICHARD DAWKINS, THE GOD DELUSION P.31.

Wow. In the words of Pa Grape, “You just don’t get it.” Am I equating Richard Dawkins’ insight to that of Larry the Cucumber? Why, yes, I am.

Yahweh is jealous for us the way a loving husband is jealous for his wife. His possessiveness comes from a desire to keep her pure. He wants her to be faithful because, not only is that what’s best for the marriage, it’s what’s best for her. In Ephesians 5, Paul tells us how husbands are to love their wives–as Christ loved the church. Laying his life down for her and sanctifying her. That’s no green-eyed monster.

He is jealous for us the way a good father is jealous for his children. When my children were little, I wouldn’t have let my children go home with anyone off the street. I wouldn’t have let them go sleep in the park. I wanted them in their own beds at night, safe and sound.

The jealousy of God is a holy jealousy, calling us to be separate, set apart, sanctified.

To serve other gods is to squander the love Yahweh has lavished on us. He’s jealous for me. And I love him all the more for it. Father, thank you for being El Kanna.