Godly Jealousy

Read the Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:1-2

“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you
as a pure virgin to him (2 Corinthians 11:2).”

Perhaps the most vicious and destructive quality in the world today is jealousy. It has been properly called the green-eyed monster. Jealousy is all angry, strong,
powerful emotion that refuses to tolerate a rival. It can be a very powerful
motivator to aggressive action. It is one of the most frequent causes for
broken homes, broken hearts, and broken bodies in the world today. Yet
amazingly, God declares in the book of Exodus, I, the LORD your God, am a jealous
God (Exodus 20:5). All through
the Scriptures there is this emphasis upon the jealousy of God. If jealousy is
so bad, why is God jealous? Here Paul says that he feels agodly jealousy for these people. Surely that
indicates that jealousy can be both good and bad. So when you feel jealous of
someone, you have to ask yourself, Is
my jealousy a rightful one, or is it false? The difference is right here: False
jealousy is always selfish. It is concerned with your own feelings. It is
possessive, and it wants to control another person. It is therefore
often dominating and even cruel and tyrannical. It usurps the rights of others
and insists on its own way. It is imposed upon someone else whether that person
likes it or not. Because it is so vicious in its cruelty and its tyranny,
jealousy perhaps is the most destructive force in the world today.

A true jealousy, a godly jealousy, on the other hand, as Paul felt for the Corinthians, is one
that arises from a deep passion for the welfare of another. It becomes careless
of self, and it is always manifested in a tenderness and a thoughtfulness about
someone else. It may never cease, because it is a powerful motive, just
like the jealousy in both God's and Paul's hearts. Paul likens his jealousy to
that of a father who has betrothed his daughter to a young bridegroom.
Throughout history, fathers have had the privilege of giving their daughters
away in marriage, and this is symbolized today when, in a wedding ceremony, the
father walks down the aisle with the bride. Every father (I speak from
experience) longs to be able to present his daughter, having raised her in a
careful, nurturing home, as a chaste and lovely virgin to the young man she
loves. This is a rather startling analogy to use about these Corinthians, for
we saw in 1 Corinthians 6 their impure backgrounds. There Paul tells us that
some of them had been adulterers, immoral people, homosexuals, thieves,
drunkards, robbers, and cut-throats. And
that is what some of you were, he
said (1 Corinthians 6:11a). And yet now he says, [I have desired] to present you as
a pure virgin to Christ.

Lord, teach me to see the difference between godly jealousy and that which is selfish. Let me love others
with the same fierce passion with which You have loved me.

Life Application: Arial;color:black"">God is passionately jealous for the Good of His own people. Are we being freed from damaging our relationships with self-focused jealousy?

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