OUR PROTECTIVE FATHER
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third generation of those who hate me, but showing love to thousands who love me and keep my commandments. Ex. 20:4-6, N.I.V.
"I'm jealous!" How many times have we felt such sentiments? The neighbors get a new car. Our best friend goes to Hawaii. A coworker gets a promotion. Our insides tighten and a hotness goes through our system like a slow-spreading fire. Indignation sets in: "I deserved that!"
Is jealousy ever good? Or is it always an expression of self-absorption and competitiveness? What about the possessiveness between a husband and wife? Is it "right" for a wife to be jealous when her husband flirts with another woman? Perhaps we need to define what we are talking about when we use the word jealousy. Roget's Thesaurus couples the term with such expressions as green-eyed monster, distrust, resentment, and sour grapes. Certainly, none of the above words carry any positive aspects with them, especially when talking about relationships. Does that mean, however, that a spouse should feel nothing when his companion encourages the attentions of another man?
Love is not indulgent, neither is it blind. Genuine love seeks to protect and nurture--to guard the loved one from experiences that are destructive and/or diminishing. Could it be that a husband's jealousy might be an expression of his protectiveness? Rather than evidence that he is trying to "keep her to himself," his jealousy could portray his deep concern that his wife not be exposed to hurtful influences--influences that, in the end, might rob him altogether of the desired privilege of nurturing and providing for her.
Certainly that is what is meant when God calls Himself "a jealous God" in the second commandment. The punishment spoken of--"to the third and fourth generation"--is a statement of the long-ranging effects incurred by families who do not choose to live under God's nurturing watchcare. In contrast, those who accept and love God emulate Him in their relationships with family members and friends. In this way His love is shown a thousandfold.
And their lives reflect the protective love of our caring Father.
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third generation of those who hate me, but showing love to thousands who love me and keep my commandments. Ex. 20:4-6, N.I.V.
"I'm jealous!" How many times have we felt such sentiments? The neighbors get a new car. Our best friend goes to Hawaii. A coworker gets a promotion. Our insides tighten and a hotness goes through our system like a slow-spreading fire. Indignation sets in: "I deserved that!"
Is jealousy ever good? Or is it always an expression of self-absorption and competitiveness? What about the possessiveness between a husband and wife? Is it "right" for a wife to be jealous when her husband flirts with another woman? Perhaps we need to define what we are talking about when we use the word jealousy. Roget's Thesaurus couples the term with such expressions as green-eyed monster, distrust, resentment, and sour grapes. Certainly, none of the above words carry any positive aspects with them, especially when talking about relationships. Does that mean, however, that a spouse should feel nothing when his companion encourages the attentions of another man?
Love is not indulgent, neither is it blind. Genuine love seeks to protect and nurture--to guard the loved one from experiences that are destructive and/or diminishing. Could it be that a husband's jealousy might be an expression of his protectiveness? Rather than evidence that he is trying to "keep her to himself," his jealousy could portray his deep concern that his wife not be exposed to hurtful influences--influences that, in the end, might rob him altogether of the desired privilege of nurturing and providing for her.
Certainly that is what is meant when God calls Himself "a jealous God" in the second commandment. The punishment spoken of--"to the third and fourth generation"--is a statement of the long-ranging effects incurred by families who do not choose to live under God's nurturing watchcare. In contrast, those who accept and love God emulate Him in their relationships with family members and friends. In this way His love is shown a thousandfold.
And their lives reflect the protective love of our caring Father.
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