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Jealousy and the Jealous God
- Thread starter Tigress
- Start date
The Old Testament was written @ a time when the Judaic religious conception was competing with the Pagan one. Although the Jews didn't invent Monotheism (Egypt's Amenhotep IV did with his universal creator Aten) in order to assert its superiority over polytheism they described their God (Yahweh) as a righteous jealous god, meaning one who would have no other gods before Him (as per the first commandment).
Baal and Asherah (the Pagan god and goddess respectively) are singled out for special hatred and specific rejection by the OT writers, but the sentiment applied to any and all gods but Yahweh, the One TRUE God (as they saw it). His jealousy should be read in this light: Yahweh does not want anyone worshipping anything but Him.
It goes deeper than that, as of course the voraciously intellectual Jews justified their idea of a jealous deity by associative logic, combining it with their concept of man's dual nature (human/divine), but over time this aspect of it was either forgotten, lost, changed or simply ignored.
Also, for people of the OT times who were predominantly Pagan many bad occurences which they lacked the science to explain were attributed to Divine Jealousy of either a local or a Hero or a King/Emperor. It seems the Jews understood this well in describing the character of their deity.
Lastly, it's worth remembering that many people like myself who are devoted to God outside the framework of Abrahamic myth don't consider Him a jealous god, so therefore the sinlessness problem doesn't exist.
Baal and Asherah (the Pagan god and goddess respectively) are singled out for special hatred and specific rejection by the OT writers, but the sentiment applied to any and all gods but Yahweh, the One TRUE God (as they saw it). His jealousy should be read in this light: Yahweh does not want anyone worshipping anything but Him.
It goes deeper than that, as of course the voraciously intellectual Jews justified their idea of a jealous deity by associative logic, combining it with their concept of man's dual nature (human/divine), but over time this aspect of it was either forgotten, lost, changed or simply ignored.
Also, for people of the OT times who were predominantly Pagan many bad occurences which they lacked the science to explain were attributed to Divine Jealousy of either a local or a Hero or a King/Emperor. It seems the Jews understood this well in describing the character of their deity.
Lastly, it's worth remembering that many people like myself who are devoted to God outside the framework of Abrahamic myth don't consider Him a jealous god, so therefore the sinlessness problem doesn't exist.
arthra
Baha'i
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God,..."
This concept is pretty common in the Bible...
As above this concept developed at a time when there were competing dieties for the hearts and minds of the people...some of them appealing and others not so appealing.
Today I think it could be taken to mean that we as believers or devotees are not to have any "loves" that compete with our devotion to God and we are not to "join partners" with Him.
But this was also I think a parallel to faithfulness to one's spouse..meaning you would not run after some love object that would compete with the devotion to any beside God.
I think this is a danger for people who make their profession or say some form of recreation into a religion. Some are so devoted to their pet theories that they can see nothing else or they become so devoted to a sport or recreation.
Being jealous of another person and covetous of their goods and material wealth could replace one's devotion to God and selflessness that we are to have in this world would be replaced by our being fixated on acquiring things..
- Art
This concept is pretty common in the Bible...
As above this concept developed at a time when there were competing dieties for the hearts and minds of the people...some of them appealing and others not so appealing.
Today I think it could be taken to mean that we as believers or devotees are not to have any "loves" that compete with our devotion to God and we are not to "join partners" with Him.
But this was also I think a parallel to faithfulness to one's spouse..meaning you would not run after some love object that would compete with the devotion to any beside God.
I think this is a danger for people who make their profession or say some form of recreation into a religion. Some are so devoted to their pet theories that they can see nothing else or they become so devoted to a sport or recreation.
Being jealous of another person and covetous of their goods and material wealth could replace one's devotion to God and selflessness that we are to have in this world would be replaced by our being fixated on acquiring things..
- Art
gnostic
The Lost One
Look at the Book of Judges. Each time, the Israelites began worshipping other gods, he would punish them by letting their neighbours to conquer them.
Jealousy is jealousy. I don't see righteous jealousy to be any different from human jealousy.
As I had said before in past topics, God seemed to have a lot of human emotions and human fragility (jealousy, anger, arrogance, etc) for one who supposed to be transcendent being.
Jealousy is jealousy. I don't see righteous jealousy to be any different from human jealousy.
As I had said before in past topics, God seemed to have a lot of human emotions and human fragility (jealousy, anger, arrogance, etc) for one who supposed to be transcendent being.
Jealousy is jealousy. I don't see righteous jealousy to be any different from human jealousy.
Then maybe, just perhaps, you're blind in that respec. No 'ffence
As I had said before in past topics, God seemed to have a lot of human emotions and human fragility (jealousy, anger, arrogance, etc) for one who supposed to be transcendent being.
If He's not transcendent, what is He? Or, perhaps, "transcendent" also suffers from a deficiency in your vocabulary. Or, maybe (and i'm not saying fer sure this's the case) you're jealous o' God.
Thanks
Then maybe, just perhaps, you're blind in that respec. No 'ffence
As I had said before in past topics, God seemed to have a lot of human emotions and human fragility (jealousy, anger, arrogance, etc) for one who supposed to be transcendent being.
If He's not transcendent, what is He? Or, perhaps, "transcendent" also suffers from a deficiency in your vocabulary. Or, maybe (and i'm not saying fer sure this's the case) you're jealous o' God.
Thanks
doppelganger
Through the Looking Glass
A creation of each believer's ego perhaps?writer said:
That would explain why "He" seems "to have a lot of human emotions and human fragility" wouldn't it?
Tigress
Working-Class W*nch.
tlcmel said:Are you saying that God is jealous? If so, why do you think so?If not, could you elaborate?
Exodus 20:5, KJV Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for 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;
Cross-references: Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24, 5:9, and 6:15; Joshua 24:19; Ezekiel 39:25; Joel 2:18; Nahum 1:2; Zechariah 1:14, and 8:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2.
sparkyluv said:
What is it that makes the jealousy of God different than the jealousy of man?
gnostic
The Lost One
Did I use the wrong word?writer said:
Hardly, writer.writer said:
I can't be jealous of a being that may or may not exist.
However, you read or re-read the OT of the Bible, you will find that he expresses many of his attributes that seem more likely found in human than in what suppose to be a Supreme Being.
Look at God's reply to Job, and tell me that doesn't sound like a boastful arrogant human being? Some of it even come out sounding childish or petty.
Why have a law in the Exodus that say they must not worship no other gods but him? Such law seem to deny the Israelites any right to choose another religion. Often turning away from God, by worshipping others can have devastating consequences, but also imply that the Israelites have no free will. Does that not like jealousy to you?
This commandment also sounds like there are other gods, other than him.
Tiberius
Well-Known Member
Funny how when you point out the bloopers in the Bible that people start making excuses, even if they don't have any evidence for it.
If people went to the same lengths to explain a blooper from the latest movie, we'd say they are being ridiculous. So why don't see it when people do it for the Bible?
Make up all the excuses you want. Doesn't change what the Bible says.
If people went to the same lengths to explain a blooper from the latest movie, we'd say they are being ridiculous. So why don't see it when people do it for the Bible?
- The Bible says that jealousy is a sin.
- The Bible says that God is a jealous God.
- The Bible does not anywhere give an indication that jealousy isn't a sin when applied to God.
- Therefore God is a sinner.
Make up all the excuses you want. Doesn't change what the Bible says.
It's anthropopathic.