Jealous is His Name

Exodus 20:5

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God,

We have covered the making of the sons of God; and in doing so, we established God’s wisdom and power in action. However, the question still lurks in the minds of believers, (and this is in light of much teaching on the subject). “Why does God allow His prize possession to suffer?” Well, I tried explaining this in our 2015 World Conference and I think we came out with a healthy understanding of the matter. Nevertheless, God knows best. Therefore, He has spoken to me again about the matter of suffering. Let me take you to the places He took me.

THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

When the children of Israel came up out of Egypt, they had been in captivity for four hundred years. But more than that, they had been united by the knowledge of their bloodline only. They were the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The fact that Jacob, their leader served Jehovah caused them to associate themselves with the same. Therefore they kept the promises God had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob before them continuously, even in their bondage. This promise that the God of Jacob and Joseph would send them a deliverer was their only hope. For four hundred years, there were no visitations. There were no miracles to encourage or edify. Israel did not know this God whom they had come to hope in. Nevertheless, in coming out, the Lord reaffirmed His power and authority over the kingdoms of men and the elements of this world. They saw the strong hand of the Lord move on their behalf. Their enemies were vanished and they were free. This was proof that He was a God above all gods. He is the only true and living God. But now what? They are free, but they know not the character of the God they believe in. The power of God was manifest for them with the intent to prompt them to love Him and to serve Him. He vowed to prosper them and to protect them against all enemies, if they would but serve Him. Therefore, it was necessary to reveal to this great nation the character of their God. This was done by the giving of the Law and all the ordinances that accompanied it.

Exodus 20:2-4

2. I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

Notice that the giving of the Law begins with a declaration of God’s power toward His people. “I am the one who brought you out of bondage. There are no other gods likened unto me. Therefore, you are to have no other gods before me. The phrase “before me” is the Hebrew word ‘paneh’ (pronounced paw- neem) which means ‘face’. The Lord was saying to the children of Israel that they are not to prefer or worship another God in His face. Now in the next verse He tells them why.

Exodus 20:5

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

The Lord makes it plain and simple; He is a jealous God. But not only is He a jealous God, but He is able to act upon His jealousy. He covets that which He has claimed to be His own. This is very real with God and He went to great lengths to show His heart and mind to the Children of Israel. In the civil ordinances He expresses His sentiments towards the wife who betrays her husband.

Numbers 5:11-31

11. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

12. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

13. And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;

14. And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

15. Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16. And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:

17. And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:

18. And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:

19. And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:

20. But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:

21. Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;

22. And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

23. And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:

24. And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.

25. Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:

26. And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.

27. And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

28. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

29. This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

30. Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.

31. Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

The ordinance above describes God’s sentiments towards those who turn away from Him to go whoring after other gods. The adulterous woman embraced the influence and preferred the company of another. Is this not what Adam and Eve did in the Garden? Did not they give themselves to another. Therefore, instead of living forever, the curse of God fell upon them. The bitterness of iniquity and bondage entered the body God had given them.

JEALOUS IS HIS NAME

The wantonness and lust of the flesh had brought enmity between them and God. God gave them over to that which they preferred. The enemy within consumed man and carried him into all manner of sin and lasciviousness. The pleasure of sin became a god to the human race. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life are the gods that have been served in the face of God. They have been and still are preferred before Him. Now this is the mind of God; For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14).

I will redeem you from the power of sin in your flesh, and the spirit of my enemy, the devil who has held you in captivity all the days of your life. However, there is one stipulation and this is my righteous judgment; though my son died for you, you must enter into the fellowship of His suffering by denying yourself. I will know that you love not this world more than you love me. I will know that you are willing to forsake mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife and even your own life, to do my will. I will try you in the fiery trials to prove to principalities and powers that you love me above all else. I gave you Job as an example of my heart and mind towards my people. (10. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy (James 5:10-11).

It is the fleshy body man used to offend God. We committed all manner of sin in the face of the Lord. It is His righteous judgment that we sin no more. For those who suffer in the flesh, have ceased from sin, (1 Peter 4:1).

Finally, my dear saints, I believe this next verse has come more alive to us now that we know the heart of God.

2 Thessalonians 1:4-5

4. So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

5. Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

This is the heart and mind of the Father. Suffering in the flesh is the judgment of God. It is what He considers to be a just recompense for the sins we committed in His face. This is His mind, who can change it. But know this; He has given us a Comforter that is able to comfort us in every trial. Be encouraged and if you are going through then go on through. There is joy set before you on the other side of the test. I Love You, Mary Banks Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ