Series: Knowing God [#13]
QANNA- THE GOD WHO IS JEALOUS
Exodus 20:5
Introduction:
As we continue our study of the names of God, I want us to look at the name Qanna. This name means jealous and is 1st found in Exodus 20. This is the 2nd of the 10 Commandments. Finally, a characteristic of God that I’m good at- Being jealous. I am very jealous when it comes to my wife. Unfortunately, my type of jealousy is not the same as God’s jealousy.
Exodus 20:4-6 (NIV)
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments."
The name Qanna tells us…
1. That God loves us deeply.
God is jealous for us, not jealous of us. Being jealous of someone or something is envy. When we think of jealousy, we tend to think of something that is negative. The husband who will not trust his wife, although she has been faithful is being sinfully jealous. The person who is jealous of what others have is being sinfully jealous. These types of jealousy are selfish and that is a sin.
1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
Love does not envy. God is not envious of us, He is jealous for us. He does not want anything to get in the way of His relationship with us. He loves us so much that He had already planned on coming to this Earth in the form of a man, living a perfect life, dying on a cross, and having victory over death, sin, hell, and the devil as He arose from the dead on the 3rd day.
The name Qanna tells us…
2. That God wants your worship.
God is jealous of His children giving their worship to other people or things. The Israelites were worshipping idols instead of God and if you worship anything besides God, you are guilty of the same thing. God wants all of you. When you are saved, you belong to God 100%.
Exodus 34:14 (NIV)
“Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
The name Qanna tells us…
3. That God values His children.
God is jealous for us because we matter to Him greatly. God created us for fellowship and because of sin, that fellowship was broken. He gave Himself so that we could be free from sin. You are valuable to God.
Conclusion:
I pray that if you have anything in your life that you honor and worship more than God, that you will be done with that. God is jealous for you and you owe everything to Him.
