Jealous God

     Why would the God of the universe ever have the need for jealousy? What is jealousy anyway? Where does it come from? I know for me it is an uneasy feeling that stems from a loss of control. The feeling that something or someone I love is slipping through my fingertips and I can do nothing to stop it from happening.
     My new 2011 Merriam-Webster Dictionary, (that my parents bought me for my birthday, yes, I requested it:) has one definition that matches my idea of what God means when He says He is a jealous God. The definition on page 671 notes: vigilant in guarding a possession, which seems to me like a wonderful character trait for God, but a terrible idea for me. Everything I possess came as a gift from God. If I cling to something with vigilance, won't release it back to God when He asks me to, then I'm missing out on a greater gift that He's waiting to put into my open hands.
     Jealousy is only an attractive trait of God, since His jealousy is for us to stay in relationship with Him. He knows nothing could be better for us than leaning on and trusting in Him. He is jealous not for His sake, but for ours.
     It's not in my best interest to be "vigilant in guarding a possession" since it takes my eyes off of Him and puts it on what I want or (I)dolatry.

My dog is particularly possessive of her red ball. She loves to play catch, but she has a difficult time releasing the ball to anyone so they can throw it for her. Sometimes holding onto things, keeps us from the fun to come!

^{Deuteronomy 6:13} Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. ¹⁴ Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; ¹⁵ for the Lord your God , who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.