I was asked to contribute five short devotionals to the Bibeln Idag (Sweden’s Scripture Union) from the book of Exodus. This is the fourth.

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Text: Exodus 34:1–17

Moses again meets the Lord on Mount Sinai (v.1-4) to renew the covenant between God and His people (v.10). There on the mountain Moses witnesses the self-revelation of God (v.6-7). We learn that God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, faithful, forgiving and just. These attributes of God are well known and well loved, and rightly so. 

Yet there is an attribute that God also says is one of his names: jealousy. I suspect most of us would consider jealousy a sin because we confuse it with the tenth commandment not to covet or envy. Envy is a strong desire to have something that belongs to someone else. Jealousy is a strong desire to protect what belongs to us. God is jealous for His people and will not share their lives and worship with other gods because His love for them is so great.  

Not only will compromising with other gods be ‘a snare for you’ but it would be a betrayal of the covenant relationship with God. Idolatry is spiritual adultery, it breaks the heart of the one who has faithfully loved us because we have given what belongs to them to another. 

As much as we preach the abounding love and grace of God we should remember that with such love comes the burning fire to protect. The Lord is a jealous God.

Prayer

Thank you God that you are grace and love. Thank you too that your love for us is fierce and strong, that you are a jealous God.