Posted by
Ikester on Thursday, May 01, 2008 11:49:22 AM
I have heard both Opra and Richard say the same thing in expressing the one thing that turned them away from the God of the Bible. They both expressed an issue with God being a jealous God. Opra said that she was struck by this and felt that she did not want to have a God is jealous of her. Dawkins mentions, in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, that this was a major factor in his inability to believe in the God of the Old Testament. Well, let me set the record straight on this obvious confusion. They are both very ignorant of biblical truth. What they saw was totally misunderstood. Remember, God is love! His every action comes from perfect holiness which is totally motivated by His perfect love.
"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Deuteronomy 4:24
At first glance we might make a judgment against God by saying that He is selfish. What we must see first is that He is a consuming fire. Mankind had better stop and ponder this part of who God is very carefully. As when He came down on Mount Sinai in a flaming fire and was a tower of fire to protect the Israelites from the Egyptian army, His very person is just that, a consuming fire. Man can try to justify his rejection of God all he wants, but in reality, God is God and will have His way. He knows perfectly what is best for all mankind. Man, in his arrogance and rebellion against doing what is good and right, turns against God in order to try and justify his sin.
The issue of His being jealous: let’s simply look at what it means to be jealous. When do you and I feel jealous? I feel jealous when someone tries to take away the person I love most, my wife. Throughout the Bible, God has referred to Himself as the husband of his bride, His people the Jews and Christians. For God to be jealous means that He is like us and is jealous FOR us when sinful things and people draw us away from a close relationship with Him. This is the case throughout the Old and New Testaments. He calls Israel an unfaithful wife often as they wander away from Him and follow pagan gods. Here are a few verses that illustrate what I mean.
"They have made Me jealous with what is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation." Deuteronomy 32:21
"So the angel who was speaking to me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I am exceedingly jealous FOR Jerusalem and Zion.' “Zechariah 1:14
Now, note this application from the Apostle Paul and his jealousy to protect God's people.
"For I am jealous FOR you with a godly (same type as that of God) jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." 2 Corinthians11:2-3
Well, all this to say that when we see God being jealous, it comes from His very nature to protect that which He loves from harm or destruction. His very first commandment to the world was that He was and is the ONLY God and therefore for His creation to follow after pagan gods would arouse His jealousy and seek to protect them from harm.
"Know therefore today, and take it to your heart that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other." Deuteronomy 4:39
Therefore all false gods in the world are there to try and draw God's highest creation away from Him, His love and protection. He, like us, does not want anyone messing with His people. I love it that He could care about me in this way. I love being under His protection.
Now that this is made clear, there should be no objection to Opra and Richard turning to the God who is jealous FOR them and loving Him forever. But will they?
Ikester