Jealous love

“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jer. 31:3).

There are many kinds of love. Buddies love each other in a shallow, distant kind of way. “I love you, man.”

A teenage boyfriend and girlfriend love each other in an immature, possessive kind of way.

There is the love of things. “I love my house!” “I love that Hum-V!” “I love my job!” “I sure love chocolate cake!”

But then there is the deepest love—Agape love. This is where jealous love comes into the picture.

We see jealous love all the time. If the children are being threatened, the loving mother stops being quiet and calm and kind. She goes on the offensive to protect her little flock. And if the actions of the little flock are a threat to themselves, they can expect the same quick retribution and correction.

When I was 18 years old, I visited some real good friends, the Hevener family—the godly elder Filmer and his very loving and wonderful wife, Celia, and Dennis and Yolanda, their children. I went there with a few other friends from Columbia Union College and we were going to spend a beautiful weekend there in their home. Dennis was my age and always a pleasure to be with, and Yolanda was always very cheerful and full of fun. I always felt so much a part of their family when in their home.

That weekend turned cold and we had to stay inside after church during the rest of the Sabbath. I didn’t realize Yolanda was getting over the flu, or I wouldn’t have invited her to get out with the rest of us and walk around in the dark for a little bit. But I asked and she was all for that, and went to get her coat.

It hadn’t been more than a second, however, after she had bundled herself up, when we heard the most commanding voice of a general booming from the other room, “Where do you think you’re going?! You aren’t going outside! You just got over a sickness! You aren’t going outside in that cold!” Celia realized what we were about to do and quickly put a stop to it in a most decided manner! Because she didn’t love Yolanda? Obviously, because she did love her.

Jealous love. Isn’t this what we see in God?

“For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.
All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.” (Jer. 30:11-15).

I used to view Old Testament judgment as “tough love.” And I thought tough love accurately described God’s dealings with Israel and with us. But tough love never set well with me. It was hard to see love simply in tough action and in the apparent lack of concern toward the pain of erring human children.

For love to be true, it must be tender, not hard. We see too much of harsh toughness in the world around us and in ourselves, even in the way of loving. The loving faculty of the fallen human is so much weakened and barely functional, and leaves much to be desired. Oh, how we need to see the strong, yet tender love of God, in order to emulate it! If only we could catch a glimpse of Him! To say with Job, “Oh that I knew where I might find Him! that I might come even to His seat!” (Job 23:3).

“Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (Jas. 5:11).

“Behold My Servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.” (Is. 42:1-3).

So, I’ve had to rethink the love of the Old Testament God (who was the pre-incarnate Son of God.) Rather than tough love, I see it all as jealous love, protective love, humbling love. Real love.

“I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and shewing mercy unto thousands [of generations] of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.” (Ex. 20:5,6).

I certainly appreciate manliness. We must be able to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2Tim. 2:3. Yet, even if life needs us to be strong in fortitude and willpower—in which Jesus proved Himself to be the greatest—yet the heart must remain soft and pliable. Jesus gave the greatest example of that, too. Everyone He met, He treated with genuine love—even His enemies—even those who hated Him.

What we see in the OT is more of His tender and fiercely jealous love for His children’s sake, who couldn’t see how the devil was trying to manipulate them to destroy them.

“Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen.” “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.” (Ez. 36:6;38:19).

“Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what Thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, Thou seest it….
For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before Me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked Me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord. For this city hath been to Me as a provocation of Mine anger and of My fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before My face,…
And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
And now therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;
Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:
And they shall be My people, and I will be their God:
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear Me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.
Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.” (Jer. 32:24,30,31,35-41).

No, our God is not the fiery Wizard of Oz or the threatening Allah of the Qur’an; but our jealous God is Jesus, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace, the wonderful Counselor. And He is the spitting image of His Father, the infinite, eternal King of love.