A Jealous God

Well, good morning and welcome to worship.

This morning at Church of the Advent, my name is Jeff.

I'm one of the pastors here.

And I want to welcome you, especially if this is your first time with us this morning.

We'd love to meet you and just know your name and hear part of your story.

We're so glad that you joined us for worship this morning.

Let's pray together as we come to God's Word together.

Lord, we believe that all Scripture is breathed out by you.

And it's for our good.

It's profitable for teaching and for reproof and correction and training in righteousness.

All Scripture is inspired by you, especially hard stories, hard, difficult passages like the one we're going to talk about today.

And so, we pray what we just sang earlier, Lord, that you would come, your Holy Spirit would come,

and teach our souls to love your truth.

Sanctify us in your truth.

Your Word is truth.

Come, Holy Spirit, and speak to us, we pray.

In Christ's name, amen.

Amen.

Well, many years ago on her talk show, Oprah Winfrey described an experience that she had of one Sunday morning when she was sitting in her church,

when she was in her late 20s, and she heard something about God that really troubled her.

And this is how she describes this moment at church.

She said, I was going to this church where you had to get there at 8 o'clock in the morning or else you couldn't get a seat.

And a very charismatic minister was preaching, and everybody was into the sermon,

and he was preaching about how great God was and how omniscient and omnipresent He is.

But then he said,

The Lord thy God is a jealous God.

And I was caught up in the rapture of the moment until he said,

Jealous.

Something struck me.

I'm thinking that God is all these things, and He's also jealous?

Jealous?

God is jealous of me?

Something about that didn't feel right in my spirit because I believe that God is love, and God is in all things.

And that's when the search for something more than doctrine started to stir within me.

And then she goes on to kind of describe her crisis of faith and how she left the Christian faith.

How about you?

As you think about this idea of God being a jealous God, how does that hit you?

Does it make sense to you intuitively?

Or does it trouble you somewhat like it did for Oprah?

What does it mean for God to be a jealous God?

That's what we're going to talk about this morning.

And as we do, I want to remind us that we are in a series in Psalm 106, a series that we're calling Music in the Wilderness.

And I want to remind us that Psalm 106 was written during a time of Israel's exile in Babylon.

It's a song that as they were in exile and they were singing this, it recalled many of the formative experiences

that they had experienced centuries before in the wilderness after God saved them from Egypt and through the Red Sea.

It's a song that reminded them what it looks like to trust, worship, and obey God in seasons of life

that feel difficult and dry and disorienting.

Psalm 106 reminds us that we're all spiritually homeless.

We're all ultimately wanderers and pilgrims who are on our way passing through to our true home.

And so because of this, in the wilderness of life, we start to experience the symptoms of being spiritually homeless.

And so in our series, we've looked at a few of those symptoms.

We've looked at discontent.

We've looked at envy.

We've looked at idolatry.

And last week, we looked at unbelief.

And this morning, we come to the symptom of infidelity.

Infidelity.

Psalm 106, 28 through 31 recalls a story from Numbers chapter 25 that was read earlier.

Numbers 25 · chapter mention

And it's a scene where the people of Israel commit both physical and spiritual adultery.

It's a situation that arouses the anger and even the jealousy of the Lord.

But it's also a situation that arouses His love and His mercy and His grace.

And so that's what we're going to look at this morning.

What does it mean for God to be a jealous God?

First of all, it means that He is a king who upholds His glory.

It means that He is a king who upholds this glory.

Numbers chapter 25, verses 1 through 3 tell us that when Israel lived in this area called Shittim,

Numbers 25:1–3

that many of these people committed adultery with the daughters of Moab,

a Canaanite people that was living in the place where they were encamped.

They committed not only physical adultery, but they committed spiritual adultery by worshiping and bowing down

and making sacrifices to the Canaanite gods.

Not specifically, Baal of Paor, who is the Canaanite god of fertility.

And then in verse 6, we see a particular example of this.

We see a man named Zimri who brings a Midianite woman into his home in the sight of Moses and all the people.

And it is open.

It is public.

He has absolutely no shame about it.

He does this in front of everybody.

And in Zimri, we see a snapshot.

We see a representative picture of the spiritual state of the whole people during this time.

Instead of offering themselves to the Lord in heart, mind, and soul,

they have offered themselves to other gods.

They have offered themselves to other lovers.

And in doing so, they have openly and publicly and fragrantly violated the Lord's covenant.

They've committed adultery against the Lord.

Their physical infidelity, on one hand, certainly broke God's law as he had revealed in the Ten Commandments.

But it was their spiritual infidelity.

It was their worshiping and bowing down and making sacrifices to other gods that was even more serious.

And tragically, this would not be the only time Israel would do this.

We know as we read the rest of the Old Testament that this would be a pattern that would be repeated all throughout the Old Testament,

throughout the period of the judges and the kings.

And because it became a pattern, it would eventually lead them into exile in Babylon where they find themselves in Psalm 106.

And so how does God respond?

How does God respond to the people's infidelity?

Well, he responds like a king who upholds his glory.

In verse 3, verse 3 tells us that his anger was kindled against the people.

And he tells Moses to take the leaders of each tribe and to put them to death as a representative example,

as a representative punishment on behalf of the whole people.

If you're paying careful attention to the story you read earlier, you remember, you realize,

that Moses doesn't actually do this.

He actually waters down this command from God.

And instead, he chooses a different route by telling these leaders to instead put to death the specific individuals

who had worshipped and bowed down to Baal.

And we're not sure that the details of the text aren't exactly clear on the chronology.

We're not sure if the Lord sends a plague because of Moses' failure to carry out this command

or because of the people's sin more broadly or perhaps both.

But somewhere in this story, we learn that the Lord sends a plague on the people.

And so, although we don't know quite when the plague happened, here's what we do know.

We do know that the primary tension of the story,

the primary tension of the story is that we have the people's open,

flagrant, and violation of the Lord's covenant.

And we have an unfulfilled command to carry out God's judgment.

And in the middle of this tension, the Lord sends a plague among his people.

And so, there's this narrative tension of what is going to happen and how is this going to be resolved.

And into the tension of this story between the people's sin and the unfulfilled judgment of God,

in the middle of this tension comes a Levite priest named Phineas.

A Levite priest named Phineas.

What is a priest?

What is a priest?

A priest is someone who represents people to God and who represents God to people.

A priest represents people to God and represents God to people.

And in verses 7 through 8, Phineas does something that surprises all of us, all readers of the story.

It's shocking.

It's shocking to readers of the story.

It probably would have been shocking and surprising to the people who witnessed it and experienced it and saw it happen.

In verses 7 and 8, when he sees Zimri bring the Midianite woman into his home,

he goes in after them,

and he takes a spear,

and he runs it through both of them

as they're in bed together,

killing both of them.

And God responds by stopping the plague.

The plague ends.

In verse 10,

Verse 10,

The Lord said to Moses,

Phineas, the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest,

has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel

in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them,

so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.

The act of Phineas the priest,

although perhaps shocking and surprising to us,

is seen as a good and faithful act of the Lord.

It is seen as an act of atonement.

Of atonement.

Atonement is a rich, multifaceted Old Testament word

that means it's a sacrificial payment for sin

that provides forgiveness for sinners

and creates peace with God by turning aside his wrath.

So atonement, on one hand,

provides forgiveness for sinners

through a sacrificial payment for sin,

and it also creates peace with God

by turning aside his judgment and wrath.

And atonement is something that only a priest could do.

Not just any one of the Israelites could have done this

because priests, again, represent people to God

and they represent God to people.

And in verses 12 through 13,

the Lord says,

because of the jealousy of Phineas,

because of the jealousy of Phineas,

I am making a covenant of peace.

I am making a perpetual priesthood.

This is a promise to God's people

that there would always be a priesthood,

that there would always be a means

for which God to have a relationship with him,

that he wouldn't totally turn his back on them,

that he wouldn't completely abandon them,

but there would be a perpetual priesthood,

a means of living in right relationship with him.

And this is a heavy story.

This is a shocking story.

This is a surprising story.

But in the shock and in the surprise of this story,

I actually think that there,

I believe there are clues

for what it means that God is a jealous God.

And before we look at those clues,

I just wanna first acknowledge that

for some things in this story

that might trouble or confuse us,

for example, like God's command

to put these leaders to death,

or Phineas' actions

to put these two people to death.

These are things that,

as we read this story in the 21st century

with modern American Western eyes,

these are things that legitimately

might trouble or confuse us.

And we might think,

how is this fair?

How is this right?

How is this good?

And that is a legitimate question.

And it's one that we have addressed

previously in this series

as we've thought through

the reality of God's judgment

in the Old Testament in particular

and the reality of God's judgment in general.

And so rather than spend more time on it here,

I would encourage you to kind of go back

and listen to the sermon on discontent

that we did a few weeks ago

where we spent more time

unpacking this question

about God's judgment,

especially in the Old Testament.

There are legitimate questions

when we have a difficult story like this,

and I don't want to minimize that.

But I also don't want us to miss something.

I also don't want us to miss the fact

that as many of us read this story

with modern 21st century eyes,

we're probably more likely

to be troubled by God's judgment

and by Phineas' actions

than we are by the people's

physical and spiritual infidelity.

I know that was true for me

when I sat down to read this passage

for the first time.

We're likely more troubled by God and Phineas

than we are by the people.

But it should be the other way around.

It should be the other way around.

The people's open and flagrant violation

of the Lord's covenant

should be the thing that shocks us

and surprises us and troubles us the most.

And that is because Israel's God is a king.

Because Yahweh is the holy king

over all the nations,

over all the earth.

He is the king

who has rescued his people

and brought them up out of slavery

and is taking them towards the promised land

who has entered a covenant with them

that they might live

in an intimate relationship with him

and know him

and dwell with him

and walk with him.

And not only that,

but that he might use them

to be a blessing

to all the nations of the earth,

that he might use them

to extend his kingdom,

to extend his glory

all over the face of the earth

and to push back the kingdom of darkness

and sin and death and evil and Satan.

It's what Isaac Watts talked about

in his hymn, Joy to the World,

that he comes to make his blessings flow

far as the curse is found.

This is the mission that Yahweh has invited them into.

This is the relationship he's invited them into.

His kingship is about blessing and redeeming

and restoring all of creation.

To obey him is to enter into

God's original intended purposes for humanity.

To follow his law

is to live into what it means to be fully human,

to live into human flourishing.

And this is why there are such serious consequences

for Israel's infidelity.

Because it defames the glory.

It defames the name.

It defames the reputation

of the holy king of Israel.

And it rejects his redemptive purposes

in the world.

And so in the middle of this open infidelity,

this open violation,

and between God's judgment

stands a mediator,

stands a priest

who is jealous

for the glory of God,

who is jealous

for the purposes of God

in the world,

who makes atonement

for the sins

of the people

and ushers into,

ushers in a covenant

of peace.

And in this way,

hopefully,

you're able to see

Phineas

foreshadows

the person

and work

of Jesus Christ,

another priest

who would be jealous

for the purposes

of God

to come and make atonement

for the sins

of the whole world.

So what does it mean

that God

is a jealous God?

It means that he's a king

who defends

his own glory

and honor

by upholding

his covenant

with his people,

not in a capricious

or arbitrary way,

but to bless

and redeem

and restore

his good creation.

And so,

why is this good news

for us?

Like,

how does this land,

how does this hit home

for us?

Because

if we think about it,

like,

on a human level,

we tend to dislike

and avoid

people who are

glory hungry.

Like,

we tend to dislike

people

who are

obsessed

with constantly

defending their name.

People who are

obsessed with

constantly defending

their reputation

and making sure

they look good

to other people.

You know,

we would say that,

you know,

people like that are,

they're full of themselves.

They're prideful.

They're completely

narcissistic, right?

On a human level,

we don't like people

who are obsessed

with defending

their own glory.

But this is not true

for God.

God being committed

to His own glory

is actually good news

for us.

And that's because

what brings God glory

is what brings us

peace with Him.

What brings God glory

is to save

and make atonement

for sinners.

What brings God's glory

is to forgive those

who are guilty

of infidelity

towards Him.

What brings God's glory

is to save and bless

and redeem

and restore

His creation.

redemption.

God is the one

being

in the whole universe

for whom

defending

His own glory

is an act of love,

is an act

of grace,

is an act

of mercy

because it allows

us to be brought

into relationship

with Him.

It allows us

to be invited

into His story

of redemption.

God being a jealous

God means

that He is a king

who upholds

His own glory.

And secondly,

we see that

it means that

He is a husband

who loves His bride.

That He is a husband

who loves

His bride.

Our covenant

relationship with God

means that He is

our king.

And it also means

that He is our spouse.

God's.

This is a theme

that runs throughout

the Bible

that God's relationship

with His people

is a marital relationship.

If you think about it,

the Bible actually

starts with a marriage

and it ends

with a marriage.

At the beginning

of the story

in Genesis

where we see

God's good purposes

for His creation,

we see the first marriage

between husband

and wife.

And at the end

of the story

in Revelation

where we see

a picture

of our future hope,

we also see

a marriage

that all of the

other human marriages

point to.

We see

the wedding supper

of the Lamb.

We see the marriage

of Christ

and His church

as heaven

is married

to earth.

And so we,

as we see this

both in the bookends

of the biblical story,

we also see this

in the whole story

of redemption.

All over the Old Testament,

God reveals Himself

as a husband

who is passionate

about His bride.

Isaiah 62,

as a young man

marries a young woman

and as the bridegroom

rejoices over the bride,

so shall your God

rejoice over you.

Hosea chapter 2,

Hosea 2 · chapter mention

I will betroth you

to me forever.

I will betroth you

to me in righteousness

and justice

and steadfast love

and mercy.

Isaiah 54,

for your maker

is your husband.

In the New Testament,

Jesus describes

the kingdom of God

as a wedding feast.

He actually refers

to Himself

as a bridegroom.

In Ephesians chapter 5,

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

perhaps the most clearest place,

Paul says

that the marriage

between a husband

and wife

is this profound mystery

that is a picture

of Christ

and the church.

The story

of the Bible

is that God

is a bridegroom

who longs

to marry humanity

as His bride.

And this overarching story

frames our story

here in Numbers 25

and it helps us

to see

and clue into

the heart

of the jealousy

of God.

Because we know

that in any marriage,

there is a,

there is a jealousy

between a husband

and a wife

that is good

and holy

and right

and pure.

So, last week

I actually had the chance

to go see

the play

Hamilton

live

at the Kennedy Center.

That was pretty amazing.

Like many of you,

I have for years

listened to the soundtrack

on repeat.

I watched it

on Disney Plus

in the middle of the pandemic

when it came out.

And so,

it was amazing

to see it live

in person.

And if you

have listened

to the soundtrack

or if you've seen it,

you know that

one of the most powerful,

one of the most poignant songs

in the whole play

is the song

Burn,

which is the song

that's sung

by Eliza Hamilton

in the scene

where she finds out

about her husband

Alexander's

infidelity

with another woman.

His affair,

Alexander Hamilton's affair

with Maria Reynolds

had become publicly known

through something

called the Reynolds pamphlet,

which he had partially published

to clear his name

and reputation.

And so,

in this song,

Eliza sings these words

about the pain

of being betrayed

by her husband.

She says,

I saved every letter

you wrote me.

From the moment

I read them,

I knew you were mine.

You said you were mine.

I thought

you were mine.

You published the letters

she wrote you.

You told the whole world

how you brought this girl

into our bed.

In clearing your name,

you have ruined

our lives.

I'm erasing myself

from the narrative.

Let future historians

wonder how Eliza reacted

when you broke her heart.

You have torn it all apart.

And I'm watching it burn.

You forfeit

all rights to my heart.

You forfeit the place

in our bed.

You'll sleep in your office

instead

with only the memories

of when you were mine.

I hope that you

burn.

These are the words

of a burning heart.

A heart that burns

with hurt.

A heart that burns

with anger.

A heart that burns

with jealousy.

In the wake

of infidelity.

Most of us can agree

there's a good

and right jealousy

between husband

and wife

between one another.

It is right

for them to feel

protective over

their spouse's

affections

and their love.

It is right

for them to feel

betrayed and hurt,

jealous

their spouse

has been unfaithful.

One,

I think we can

sympathize with

Oprah's trouble

with the jealousy

of God

if it's about

envy,

being jealous

of somebody.

But Oprah's trouble

with the jealousy

of God

is that she failed

to see the difference

between jealousy

of

and jealousy

for.

Between jealousy

of and jealousy

for.

God is not jealous

of people.

He's not jealous

of you and I.

He is our maker.

He is our creator.

He's not lacking

in any way.

He's not envious

of anything

that you or I

have.

But he is

jealous for us.

He is jealous

for us

because he is

our husband

and we are

his bride

as the church.

And this is

good news

for us.

It's good news

for us

especially

for those

of us

who struggle

at times

with feeling

like we're

not enough

either to God

or to other people.

It's good news

for us

for us

for those

of us

who

maybe

struggle

at times

with feeling

unlovable.

Feeling

undesirable.

Maybe

this morning

or recently

or in your past

you've been

tempted to think

thoughts like this.

How could

anybody

love

me?

How could

God

possibly

love me

because of

who I am

and what I've

done?

Nobody

would ever

want to marry

me.

Nobody

would ever

want to

date

me.

Nobody

would ever

want to

befriend

me.

And if

that's you

this morning

or if that's

been you

in the past

let me

invite you

to consider

the words

in Song

of Songs

8,

6 through 7.

These are the

words not only

of King Solomon

for his bride

but they are

the words

of God's

love for

his covenant

people.

Song

Song of Solomon 8:6

of Songs

chapter 8

verses 6

or 7

for love

is as

strong as

death.

It's

jealousy

unyielding

as the

grave

and it

burns

like blazing

fire

like a

mighty

flame.

Many

waters

cannot

quench

love

and rivers

cannot

wash it

away.

The God

of the

Bible

has a

heart

that

burns

for you.

He

has a

heart

that

is

on

fire

for

you.

He

is

passionate

about

your

affections.

He

longs

for

intimacy

with

you.

He

longs

for

you

to

know

him,

to

walk

with

him,

to

live

in

close

fellowship

with

him,

to

obey

him.

And

this

is

why

he

also

can't

be

indifferent

about

our

sin

because

he

is

personally

affected

by it.

Just

as

a

husband

and

wife

is

personally

affected

by

the

sin

of

their

spouse,

especially

their

unfaithfulness.

Our

sin

grieves

his

heart.

Ephesians

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

chapter

4 says

that our

sin

grieves

the

Holy

Spirit

who

dwells

in

us.

The

love

of

God

for

his

people

is

both

strong

and

it

is

sensitive.

It

is

powerful

and

it

is

passionate.

Friends,

do you

know

this

God?

Have

you

seen

how

he

has

revealed

himself

this

way

in

his

word?

Have

you

seen

his

burning

heart

of

love

for

you?

Is

God

just

some

distant

emotionally

unattached

authority

figure

for

you?

Or

is

he

your

lover?

Is

he

your

bridegroom?

Is

he

your

spouse?

God

is

jealous

for

you

because

he

loves

you.

And

the

question

for

all

of

us,

the

question

for

you

is

are

you

jealous

for

him?

Are

you

jealous

for

him?

Are

your

affections

stirred

with

love

for

him?

Are

you

jealous?

Are

you

passionate?

Are

you

zealous

for

the

glory

of

God

and

for

his

redemptive

purposes

in

the

world?

Is

your

heart

stirred

to

know

him,

to

worship

him,

to

live

in

close

fellowship

with

him,

and

to

extend

his

kingdom

in

the

world?

Or

are

the

affections

of

your

heart

drawn

towards

other

lovers?

Our

sin

not

only

breaks

God's

law,

it

breaks

his

heart.

And

it's

true

that

in

the

Christian

life,

from

time

to

time,

maybe

every

week,

every

day,

our

affections

for

God

can

often

wane

or

harden

or

grow

stale,

and

so

we

need

our

affections

for

him

to

be

stirred

again

and

again

and

again

we

need

our

jealousy

for

him,

our

love

for

him,

our

passion

for

his

glory

to

be

stirred

again

and

again

and

again

through

the

word,

through

prayer,

through

the

sacraments,

through

the

ordinary

means

of

grace

that

display

for

us

again

and

again

the

good

news

of

the

gospel,

the

glory

of

God

in

have

our

cold

hard

hearts

softened

the

way

that

we

have

our

affections

stirred

and

renewed

for

God

again

and

again

is

to

see

that

Jesus

Christ

is

the

burning

heart

of

God's

love

for

his

people.

When

you

look

at

him

you

see

God's

burning

heart

of

love

for

us

because

in

Jesus

we

see

both

a

king

who

upholds

his

glory

and

we

see

a

husband

who

loves

his

bride.

In

Jesus

we

see

a

king

who

is

also

a

priest.

In

Jesus

we

have

an

even

better

priest

than

Phineas

who

was

so

committed

to

the

glory

of

his

father

who

was

so

committed

to

his

redemptive

purposes

in

his

world

that

he

inaugurated

a

new

covenant

a

covenant

of

peace

by

making

atonement

with

his

own

body

and

blood

a

covenant

where

he

is

our

perpetual

eternal

high

priest

and

a

covenant

that

draws

us

in

and

sends

us

out

into

God's

redemptive

purposes

in

the

world.

Phineas'

spear

pierced

the

guilty

and

made

atonement

for one

people

at one

time.

But

Jesus

was pierced

for us.

Isaiah

53,

Jesus

was the

one who

was pierced

with nails

on the

cross

in our

place.

The

guiltless

one

for

the

guilty.

He

was

pierced

for

our

transgressions.

He

was

crushed

for

our

iniquities.

The

punishment

that

brought

us

peace

was

upon

him

and

by

his

wounds

we

are

healed.

In

Jesus

when

we

see

a

king

who

upholds

the

glory

of

God

and

we

also

see

a

husband

who

loves

his

bride.

In

Jesus

we see

a

lover,

a

bridegroom

who

is

both

strong

and

sensitive.

We

see

a

husband

who

says

to

us

my

love

burns

for

you

like

blazing

fire

like

a

mighty

flame.

My

love

for

you

is

as

strong

as

death

and

I

went

to

the

cross

to

show

it

to

you

and

prove

it

to

you.

It's

jealousy

is

unyielding

as

the

grave.

Only

Jesus

to

show

his

love

for

us

overcame

the

many

waters

cannot

quench

his

love

for

us.

Many

rivers

cannot

will

never

wash

it

away.

Not

even

our

worst

sins.

Not

even

our

worst

moments.

Not

even

our

moments

of

infidelity

against

him

or

against

others.

His

words

to us

here at

this

table

that we

hear

every

week

are

not

only

the

words

of

a

king

but

not

only

the

words

of

a

savior

but

the

words

of

a

bridegroom

speaking

to

his

bride

this

is

my

body

which

is

broken

for

you.

This

is

my

blood

which

is

shed

for

you.

These

are

the

words

of

a

husband

speaking

to

his

bride.

And

no

matter

how

cold

our

affections

are

to

him

no

matter

how

many

times

we

have

been

unfaithful

to

him.

He

will

always

be

faithful

to

us

because

he

is

the

jealous

God.

He

is

the

jealous

husband

who

he's

the

king

who

upholds

his

glory.

And

he's

the

husband

who

loves

his

bride.

And

so

we

are

invited

into

his

covenant

of

peace

where

our

sins

are

forgiven.

And

in so

doing

we're

caught

up

in

his

story

of

redemption

to

all

creation.

And

we

are

drawn

into

the

burning

fire

of

his

heart

of

love

for

us.

And

friends

this

is

why

the

jealousy

of

God

is

not

only

good

news

for

us

but

it

is

good

news

for

the

whole

world.

Let's

pray.

Our

Father in

heaven

thank you

that you

are a

king

who is

so

passionate

about

your

own

glory

that

you

would

give

your

life

for

us

on

the

cross.

That

you're

a

husband

who

has

given

yourself

in

love

for

us.

Lord

wherever

our

affections

are

this

morning

I

pray

that

we

might

see

your

glory

that

we

might

see

the

blazing

fire

of

your

love

for

us

Lord

come

Holy

Spirit

and

set

our

hearts

on

fire

with

jealousy

for

you.

In

the name

of the

Father

and the

Son

and the

Holy

Spirit

Amen.