Jealous God!

For Sunday, March 2, 2025:

Exodus 34:12 NLT: God, speaking to Moses: “Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.”

God decided to settle the Hebrew people in Israel. God’s decision. A Rabbi once told me, “It’s our land. God gave it to us!”

Of course the people previously living in the land weren’t happy with God’s decision, and we’ve witnessed conflict in the Middle East for over 3k years. Those people worshiped other gods and made idols. God said, “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” Remember the covenant: “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” God sees this relationship as a marriage. If some other god is worshiped, our God considers that adultery!

God knows his people, their weaknesses and their trends. If they were to intermarry with the locals, idols could be brought into their homes. If they shared a meal sacrificed to a false god, they would be supporting that god. God’s people were told to, “Break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles.“ Our Creator-God has no patience for other-god stuff.

Nowadays we must tread carefully. If we are called to “make disciples of all nations,” we must have some interaction with nonbelievers. But we need to have our feet firmly planted in a Christian community that then sends us to evangelize, and to which we can safely return. We are not to join with the pagans, but they are welcome to worship our God, the jealous God!

Acknowledging our God as the only God isn’t negotiable; it’s a fact; it’s truth. Through His Son Jesus, he’s willing to forgive our past and include us in his eternal Kingdom. Hope to see you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship