“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Exodus 20:3-6
You shall have no other gods before Me … You shall not make for yourself an idol …
What do you think God meant when He spoke these words to Moses? No other gods? No idols?
What did God mean when He said “for I, the Lord Your God, am a jealous God”?
During this time the Egyptians and the neighboring nations had many gods they worshiped. Some were made of metals, others were made of wood. Some were considered very old and some were new. Some were man made, and others could be found in nature. Even though man found these things worthy of praise and worshiped them so … there was then and still is now ONLY ONE TRUE GOD and all praise, honor, glory and worship is His and His ALONE!
Jealous is defined as: intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness
God is JEALOUS!
A lot of times when man uses this word jealous, we are using it in a way that shows we are envious of someone or something that someone else has, whether it be a possession, an ability or talent, their looks, or their friends. When God says He is jealous, He’s not saying it because He is envious of anything we possess. All that we have, we have because He was gracious enough to let us have it. So many people think they’ve worked hard for what they have, and while that may be true, their gain whatever it may be is still there by the grace of God.
If God isn’t envious of us, then what makes Him jealous?
No idols? No other gods?
An idol is defined as: a representation or symbol of an object of worship
A god is defined as: a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship
Worship is defined as: reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem
God is jealous when someone gives to another something that rightly belongs to Him. God doesn’t want any one He’s created to worship Him worshiping false gods or idols. It is our job as a created being to give God what belongs to Him and Him alone … our worship and our service!
“Just as a husband sees another man flirting with his wife, he is right to be jealous, for only he has the right to flirt with his wife. This type of jealousy is not sinful. Rather, it is entirely appropriate. Being jealous for something that God declares to belong to you is good and appropriate. Jealousy is a sin when it is a desire for something that does not belong to you. Worship, praise, honor, and adoration belong to God alone, for only He is truly worthy of it. Therefore, God is rightly jealous when worship, praise, honor, or adoration is given to idols.” – http://www.gotquestions.org/jealous-God.html
What are you giving your worship, praise, honor and adoration to? Your husband? Your wife? Your children? Your family? Your house? Other Men? Other Women? Social Status? Money? Work? Hobbies? _________?
He loved us enough to die for us? Why can’t we love Him enough to live for Him? It’s time for us to stop giving away what is rightfully His, and bow down at His feet – the only one worthy of our worship, praise, honor, and adoration. It’s His anyways. Besides I don’t want a rock taking my place … “But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out! (Luke 19:40)” … Do you?
Categories: ABC of who He is!
Tags: endless love, Exodus 20:3-6, false gods, God, Holy Spirit, idols, immeasurable love, jealousy, Jesus Christ, Luke 19:40, meaningful relationship, praise, worship, worthiness
A Place For EVERY Woman 