Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm:
for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave:
the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Song of Solomon 8:6
The bible tells us our God is a jealous God.
He is jealous over us.
For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24
He wants our all. He expects our all.
Cain was jealous of Abel.
Abel’s offering was accepted by the Lord, Cain’s was not.
God let Cain know what he needed to do, but he killed Abel instead.
Out of jealousy.
Jealousy killed the good.
Jealousy seems to want control.
Haman was very jealous over Mordecai.
Haman wanted Mordecai to worship him.
He was jealous over Mordecai the way God is Jealous over us.
The problem was: Haman was not God.
Nobody else is God but God,
so we can’t really be jealous over people the same way.
If we acted in human jealousy, that would mean,
we consider ourselves more highly than we ought.
God has emotions and we are created in His likeness, so we also have emotions,
and unless we are joining with God in His godly jealousy, we are out in left field.
God has several metaphors of marriage throughout the bible.
He likens Himself as the husband and the church is the bride of Christ.
We semi-understand His points.
We understand He loves the church as the husband loves his wife
and considers her a part of himself. He cares for it and protects it
and God feels strongly when she is unfaithful.
In an earthly marriage, God understands marriage
and gives married people the right to be jealous
when their spouses are unfaithful.
That really is the only reason He gave them
to be able to be free to marry another
if they divorce, when the spouse has committed adultery.
All the other reasons, He said that if you marry another, you commit adultery.
The only exception is that your spouse has committed adultery,
then you are free to marry without committing adultery.
But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife,
saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery:
and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Matthew 5:32
This is all actually very simple.
It is the same idea as Christ loving the church.
This is not about sex, but it is about
giving ourselves wholly and completely to Him in every way
and not mingling with the world and the things of darkness.
Always choosing Christ. Always. In every opportunity, in every circumstance.
Growing and maturing and keeping ourselves chaste unto Him.
Is it godly to be jealous over brethren who are not serving God fully?
Yes, absolutely.
That is joining with God in His abilities,
but we must be considerate of what He wants us to say and do with them,
just like we are always supposed to be listening to
and cautious to follow the Holy Spirit.
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:2
Keep yourselves pure.
Serve only the Lord Jesus Christ.
God has a jealous love for you.