THE JEALOUSY OF CHRIST
Exodus 34:14

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"Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)" (Exodus 34:12-14).

Jealousy is "the intense emotion aroused by the infringement of one's right (or presumed right) to exclusive possession or loyalty." (The English "jealous" and "zealous" derive from the same Greek root, zeelos. The texts of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament do not distinguish between these two intense emotions. The context determines the translation in the English text.) We speak of the jealousy of God by employing an anthropopathism (from Greek anthropos ="man" + pathos ="emotion"), the attribution to God of a human emotion. This human emotion is sometimes virtuous (as in 2 Corinthians 11:2), but at other times sinful (as in 2 Corinthians 12:20 & Galatians 5:19-21). Jealousy, when attributed to God, is always virtuous, never sinful, because it is inseparably linked to His holiness (Joshua 24:19), and because Jealous is His very name (Exodus 34:14). God is jealous over His glory (the present text) - which includes His name (Ezekiel 39:25), and over His covenant people (Zechariah 1:14; 8:2). He is so jealous for His glory that He will not share it in the least (Isaiah 42:8). All who unrepentantly provoke Him to jealousy arouse His wrath and will be destroyed (Deuteronomy 4:24; Psalm 78:58-64; 79:5f). We will here consider in particular the jealousy of God the Son with regard to His glory.

I. Christ's jealousy is provoked by all who deny His glory as Jehovah. This is done by all who deny His deity. They do so despite the fact that He is with His Father co-equal (John 5:23) and co-eternal (John 1:1), and despite the fact that He is a sharer of His Father's glory (John 17:5), and despite the fact that the Father requires all to acknowledge Christ as Jehovah (Philippians 2:9-11).

II. Christ's jealousy is provoked by all who deny His glory as Mediator. This is done by all who deny Christ is the "one Mediator between God and men" (1 Timothy 2:5), and who would instead attempt to approach the Father through the mediation of another (e.g. Mary).

III. Christ's jealousy is provoked by all who deny His glory as Prophet. This is done by all who deny Christ is the Prophet par excellence and the last of the prophets sent from God (Deuteronomy 18:15ff; Luke 1:76-79; Acts 3:22-26; Hebrews 1:1f), and by all who add to or take away from what He has declared (Revelation 22:18f).

IV. Christ's jealousy is provoked by all who deny His glory as Priest. This is done by all who deny Christ as High Priest made "one sacrifice for sins forever" (Hebrews 10:12), and who instead go to mortal priests to confess their sins and to obtain absolution for them (as do Romanists).

V. Christ's jealousy is provoked by all who deny His glory as King. This is done by all who deny He is "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" (Revelation 19:16) by refusing to submit to His Lordship. And this is done by all who deny Christ alone is "the head of the body, the church" (Colossians 1:18) by exalting some mortal to that position (e.g. the Pope of Rome).

VI. Christ's jealousy is provoked by all who deny His glory as Savior. This is done by all who deny He is the only Savior (Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:10-12). And this is done by those who would make themselves co-saviors with Him by positing that through an act of their "free will" they cooperate with Christ in salvation (as do Arminians). And this is done by all who believe that through their faith they make His atonement effectual (as do all who deny His limited atonement and particular redemption).

VII. Christ's jealousy is provoked by all who deny His glory as Righteousness. This is done by all who would attempt to stand before God in a righteousness other than Christ (Jeremiah 23:6) and His imputed righteousness (Romans 3:21-4:4), and who instead boast of their self-righteous (as do neo-Pharisees).