THE JEALOUS GOD
PURPOSE:
To understand the nature of divine jealously.
DISCUSSION:
1. How do we know that God is jealous? When in Israel’s history did God make this especially clear?
2. How should our awareness of the Bible’s use of anthropomorphisms affect our understanding of God’s jealousy?
3. On page 170, what two kinds of jealously does Packer distinguish? Why is the second kind a positive virtue?
4. How is God’s jealousy an aspect of his covenant love?
5. What does God demand from those he has loved and redeemed?
6. What is the goal of God’s covenant love?
7. What is God’s threefold objective for this world? Why does Packer say that “it is for the securing of this end, ultimately, that he is jealous”?
8. What did God’s jealousy for Israel lead him to do?
9. What are two practical consequences of God’s jealousy for those who profess to be the Lord’s people?
10. What is zeal? Why should jealousy for God produce it? What does the Bible say about zeal?
11. Read aloud the second full paragraph on page 174. How do you personally respond to these questions?
12. What did God say to the church at Laodicea? Would he say that to our (your) church?
Optional: Read the verses listed near the bottom of page 168. What do they tell us about God’s jealousy?
SUMMARY:
What do we mean when we say God is jealous? What implications does this have for our personal behavior? our corporate behavior?
Optional review: What stand out to you as the main things you have learned about God’s attributes in studies 7 – 17?
