On the one hand, the Bible says that jealousy is a sin, but if God is holy? How then can He be jealous?

Before we draft any conclusions, we first need to note that His jealousy is perfect as everything else about God. 

• God’s kind of jealousy is appropriate in the context of Him as our Creator and Father.
• God’s jealousy is good in relation to His care and devotion as our protector. 
• God’s jealousy is warranted when He is defending His word and guarding His high honor as the sovereign Lord. 

When God is jealous for us, He makes a strong, exclusive demand on us that we must treat only Him and no one else in all the universe as God.

Getting back to the verses on God’s jealousy, they all made in the context of idolatry, the ungratefulness, and the unfaithfulness of people, which in turn provoked a just and holy response from God who is jealous for the love and devotion of His people. 

We should also move away from worldly definitions of jealousy and see things through God’s love for His creation. Yes, some jealousy is bad – It is destructive when a person gets upset over their spouse when they talk to someone of the opposite sex.

But another type of jealousy is good – For example, it is right for a man to demand that his wife treat him, and only him, as her husband. 

Therefore, when the Bible speaks of God being jealous is mainly for His own glory. God always seeks to protect His honor and glory, and He will not share His praise with any man-made idols.

At the same time, God was so jealous for our devotion that He came into this world and died for our sins so that we can truly worship Him in spirit and truth.

God’s jealousy over us represents an honor worthy of our sincerest gratitude.