Many times in Scripture it tells us God is both jealous and angry. I was struck by the fact that in Zech 1: 14-15 God is jealous for his people, and angry with the nations. In one sense we know that, as it is stated in Scripture many times. God is jealous for his people, as they continually grieve him through their sinning. And God is angry at the nations, as they always attack, mock his people. But look at why God is angry. He is angry because the nations feel secure. So, initially God was a little angry, as not only were they sinners, idolaters, immoral, etc etc etc, but here God is angry as they have a false peace. They feel secure. Even today, society gives itself a false peace. How? Well, there is no heaven, there is no after life, there is no God; and they feel secure in this. They are at peace with themselves, and with others who think like they do. That is what false peace does. People rampantly sin, there is no instant death as in the Old Testament; so people have a false security- there is no God. Ignoring God, his reality, is what makes God very angry. False peace, false light, false security- 2 Cor 11: 14. The devil masquerades as the angel of light. He masquerades as the prince of peace. But there is actually no peace with God. The soul should not feel secure in its sin. People, pagans, who feel secure, in their wrongdoing, their lives will be overturned in a moment Is 47: 7-9. A curse to God’s people who were complacent Amos 6:1, and the first to suffer verse 7. Yet, Is 54: 8 God has compassion on those he disciplines; angry, but then kind forever. There is a very big difference in the permanent anger of God, and the temporary anger of God, which lasts but a moment- yet he makes his point into the mind and hearts of his people. False peace, false light, false security is a guise of the devil, to trick God’s people into having peace with sin. That pagans fall for it, is understandable. That God’s people fall for it, is very sad. Ex 20: 57 and Ex 34: 14 mention clearly that God is jealous, and in fact that is his name. It means he so loves us, guards us, protects us- yet when we run from that protection, and go to a false protection, that angers God. It is as if he says “why are you abandoning me, when I brought you up, raised you, carried you; and then you just leave me” . That is what makes God angry. We should, and some do, reflect this in our relationships with Christians and others. We get angry when they abandon us, for something that is nothing. The LORD said to his people you chase gods, which are not gods at all. And in life sometimes we see people close to us, chase things that are worthless and of no benefit to their life, soul, and walk with Christ. Many times we feel that humanly. So we must also understand that that is how God feels too. Angry? Jealous? Only because you love.
MCC Admin
11 Chesvan 5782