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Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Hello. Thanks for stopping by. If you care to read about what's crossing my mind or sticking in my heart I welcome you to my latest post. So, I hope you enjoy my ramblings. More importantly, I hope I can encourage you to join me in my quest to be a faithful follower of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Jealous God

God is jealous
Nahum 1:2

What a way to begin a book in the Bible. After the introductory information found in Nahum 1:1, the first words you will read are God is jealous. To be fair, the book is aimed toward the evil city of Nineveh. This capital city in the Assyrian empire is portrayed by a litany of sinful descriptors. But, dont miss the significance of verse 2. Verse 2 is not a description of Nineveh. Its about God. The jealous nature of God might make us feel a bit uncomfortable but it is not hard to understand. A quick trip back to Exodus 20 clears up any confusion. You may recall that Exodus 20 contains the Ten Commandments. Heres a portion of Exodus 20:2-5: You shall have not other Gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to the nor serve them. Immediately after these commandments, God clarifies himself: For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. Its not very long before the Hebrews provoke Gods jealousy. Centuries later, the people of Nineveh provide another backdrop for Gods jealousy. But, these two examples are not isolated.

Nahum may not be at the top of your reading list, but please do not question the relevance of the material for a 21st century reader. The description of God found in Nahum 1 reinforces the revelation of God in the Ten Commandments. When (not if) we are tempted to place anything before God or elevate anything as a counterfeit god we need to revisit this book. Nahum provides an awe-inspiring portrait of Gods character. The opening words are preparation for a revelation of Gods incomparable glory and power.

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