“Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”-Shakespeare, Othello[1]
Jealousy is something that everyone struggles with, and it can also be known as envy or covetousness. We can be jealous of those who seem smarter, stronger, faster, or better-looking than us. We can be envious of someone’s popularity, power, or relationships. We can covet the stuff and money that other people have. Sometimes it seems that this green-eyed monster is lurking behind every corner, always trying to rob us of our contentment and destroy the relationships we do have.
But is jealousy always bad?
The Bible clearly says that jealousy is a deadly and vile sin (Galatians 5:19-21, James 3:20), but the Bible also says,
“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” Deuteronomy 4:24, ESV
Our God is jealous! If God is jealous, is jealousy really a sin? If jealousy is a sin, is this verse saying that God sins? Is this a contradiction of scripture? How can a loving, gracious God also be a jealous, consuming fire?
Yes, jealousy is a sin. And no, God does not sin. He cannot sin, and this is not a contradiction of scripture. The Bible describes two types of jealousy – sinful jealousy and righteous jealousy. Sinful jealousy is what is listed in the first paragraph. It’s strongly desiring something that you do not have or that does not belong to you, and it’s also wishing that that other person didn’t have it at all.
Righteous jealousy, on the other hand, is strongly protecting something that does belong to you. The righteously jealous person has a right to be jealous. For example, a married person has the right to be jealous for their spouse’s affections if their spouse is flirting with someone else. A spouse’s affections belong to who they’re married to because they have married and become “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). In the same way, God is jealous for His people (Exodus 34:14). Throughout the Old Testament, Israel was considered a “faithless bride” because the Israelites often worshipped other gods and idols instead of the true God (Ezekiel 16). After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Church is now considered the “bride of Christ”, and we, as Christians, are to be pure, faithful, and submissive to Christ (2 Corinthians 2:11, Ephesians 5:24-27).
God loves His people, yet throughout history we see that His people often love other things instead of Him. When God’s people center their lives on things other than God, He becomes jealous for their affections because they belong to Him. And this isn’t just an Israel issue. We center our lives on other things, too. Remember that green-eyed monster? We can get so wrapped up in our jealousy, envy, and covetousness that we give all our affections to things that are ultimately worthless instead of to God. He is righteously jealous for our affections. This is why He commands,
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5
God is jealous for us because He loves us! So, we must also love Him in everything. We can’t let the things of this world steal our attention and take His place in our lives. Paul taught a similar message to Timothy-
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” 1 Timothy 6:6-7
While certain things may seem important to you in this world, they have no real value to you after you leave this earth. We must not pine after these invaluable things. Instead we must love our God with everything we have, pursue godliness, and live in contentment, for these things have true value. If you find yourself being sinfully jealous of someone, don’t let that green-eyed monster win! God is merciful, and He will help you fix your eyes on Him. Pray for contentment today, and praise God-
“I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1
[1] “Othello Quotes by: William Shakespeare – Jealousy,” Sparknotes, accessed October 7, 2020, https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/othello/quotes/theme/jealousy/.
