Dont understand the concept of a jealous God

[sidetrack]

I have never really understood how God can be jelous.Like in the Bible theres times when he says dont worship other gods because I am a jelous God.Jeaous of what?.I mean he knows that when people did that they were worshipping powerless idols and I know that,that can be like a metaphorical way of saying that if your devoted to other things you’ll be more distant from me but what’s with the word jealous being used?.The closest thing to an explaination for a jealous God that I have found is in a part in “Les Miserables” when Cosette reads one of Marius’s love letters.Can anyone please expalin this concept to me?.

 

[Julian0404]

I have never really understood how God can be jelous.Like in the Bible theres times when he says dont worship other gods because I am a jelous God.Jeaous of what?.I mean he knows that when people did that they were worshipping powerless idols and I know that,that can be like a metaphorical way of saying that if your devoted to other things you’ll be more distant from me but what’s with the word jealous being used?.The closest thing to an explaination for a jealous God that I have found is in a part in “Les Miserables” when Cosette reads one of Marius’s love letters.Can anyone please expalin this concept to me?.

Bilbe means “library” and it contains many different forms of writing from Poetic to History as well as many forms of expression, which as regards a “jealous GOD”, could be considered allegory.

 

[Apollos]

I have never really understood how God can be jelous.Like in the Bible theres times when he says dont worship other gods because I am a jelous God.Jeaous of what?.I mean he knows that when people did that they were worshipping powerless idols and I know that,that can be like a metaphorical way of saying that if your devoted to other things you’ll be more distant from me but what’s with the word jealous being used?.The closest thing to an explaination for a jealous God that I have found is in a part in “Les Miserables” when Cosette reads one of Marius’s love letters.Can anyone please expalin this concept to me?.

Envy is sorrow that someone else has a good thing. Jealousy is sorrow that you don’t have it yourself.

To be rightly ordered towards your own good is (obviously) good for you. God loves you and desires your good; therefore God wants you to be rightly ordered toward your own good.

God is the ultimate good of the universe, the one thing towards which the whole universe is ordered, and the one thing that the whole universe desires and seeks and finds its fulfillment in, especially rational creatures like men and angels. And he knows he is. Therefore he wants you to be rightly ordered towards him.

Part of being rightly ordered towards him involves worshiping him. Therefore God wants you to worship him, not because he is full of himself, but because he knows it is good for you to do so.

When you give worship to a false god or to a mere creature, you are subverting your own good and ordering yourself towards something that may be kinda good, but not your real, ultimate good. Therefore God, since he loves you, is sorrowful that you are subverting your own good.

Since God is your ultimate good, and you are ordering yourself towards something else and giving a false god or a creature the good of worship, God is sorrowful that you are giving the good of worship to something that is not him.

But sorrow that someone else has a good thing that you wish you had, is jealousy.

Therefore God is jealous, and rightly so.

 

[fhansen]

I have never really understood how God can be jelous.Like in the Bible theres times when he says dont worship other gods because I am a jelous God.Jeaous of what?.I mean he knows that when people did that they were worshipping powerless idols and I know that,that can be like a metaphorical way of saying that if your devoted to other things you’ll be more distant from me but what’s with the word jealous being used?.The closest thing to an explaination for a jealous God that I have found is in a part in “Les Miserables” when Cosette reads one of Marius’s love letters.Can anyone please expalin this concept to me?.

It’s figure of speech. But it means that God isn’t detached or neutral like some sort of statue of a saint or Buddha with a dispassionate look on their face. God cares. God hates evil and covets our love for Him because He knows with no doubt that this is life for us, His creation; this is order and righteousness and the highest goal that man can aspire to.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Matt 23:37

 

[fhansen]

I have never really understood how God can be jelous.Like in the Bible theres times when he says dont worship other gods because I am a jelous God.Jeaous of what?.I mean he knows that when people did that they were worshipping powerless idols and I know that,that can be like a metaphorical way of saying that if your devoted to other things you’ll be more distant from me but what’s with the word jealous being used?.The closest thing to an explaination for a jealous God that I have found is in a part in “Les Miserables” when Cosette reads one of Marius’s love letters.Can anyone please expalin this concept to me?.

It’s figure of speech. But it means that God isn’t detached or neutral like some sort of statue of a saint or Buddha with a dispassionate look on their face. God cares. God* loves *-and He hates evil and covets our love for *Him *because He knows with no doubt that this is life for us, His creation; this is order and righteousness and the highest goal that man can aspire to- the very best for us.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Matt 23:37

 

[Scaun]

This is not really a response to your question but I remembered reading something a while ago.

godandscience.org/apologetics/jealous_god.html

I’d say that God created us for a reason: for His glory. Therefore if we worship (thus give glory) to someone else God is well … jealous. We are giving the glory due to Him to idols. We were made to be His but we are another one’s. For example God chose Israel to be a ‘light’ for the world giving glory to God. When they committed idolatry God felt jealousy for they gave the glory given to Him to demons.

 

[Saravy]

Why wouldn’t he be jealous? He gave us life, the earth, food, I mean everything!!! Then we go and worship false Gods. It’s like a slap to the face! It’s like if you have a child and they prefer their step mother or step father than you… Wouldn’t you feel a little jealous?

 

[Daegus]

Bilbe means “library” and it contains many different forms of writing from Poetic to History as well as many forms of expression, which as regards a “jealous GOD”, could be considered allegory.

Why does that need to be considered allegorical? God’s jealousy is perfectly justified. Why should He have to share His glory with anyone, lest a false god?