Well, good morning and welcome to worship.
This morning at Church of the Advent, my name is Jeff.
I'm one of the pastors here.
And I want to welcome you, especially if this is your first time with us this morning.
We'd love to meet you and just know your name and hear part of your story.
We're so glad that you joined us for worship this morning.
Let's pray together as we come to God's Word together.
Lord, we believe that all Scripture is breathed out by you.
And it's for our good.
It's profitable for teaching and for reproof and correction and training in righteousness.
All Scripture is inspired by you, especially hard stories, hard, difficult passages like the one we're going to talk about today.
And so, we pray what we just sang earlier, Lord, that you would come, your Holy Spirit would come,
and teach our souls to love your truth.
Sanctify us in your truth.
Your Word is truth.
Come, Holy Spirit, and speak to us, we pray.
In Christ's name, amen.
Amen.
Well, many years ago on her talk show, Oprah Winfrey described an experience that she had of one Sunday morning when she was sitting in her church,
when she was in her late 20s, and she heard something about God that really troubled her.
And this is how she describes this moment at church.
She said, I was going to this church where you had to get there at 8 o'clock in the morning or else you couldn't get a seat.
And a very charismatic minister was preaching, and everybody was into the sermon,
and he was preaching about how great God was and how omniscient and omnipresent He is.
But then he said,
The Lord thy God is a jealous God.
And I was caught up in the rapture of the moment until he said,
Jealous.
Something struck me.
I'm thinking that God is all these things, and He's also jealous?
Jealous?
God is jealous of me?
Something about that didn't feel right in my spirit because I believe that God is love, and God is in all things.
And that's when the search for something more than doctrine started to stir within me.
And then she goes on to kind of describe her crisis of faith and how she left the Christian faith.
How about you?
As you think about this idea of God being a jealous God, how does that hit you?
Does it make sense to you intuitively?
Or does it trouble you somewhat like it did for Oprah?
What does it mean for God to be a jealous God?
That's what we're going to talk about this morning.
And as we do, I want to remind us that we are in a series in Psalm 106, a series that we're calling Music in the Wilderness.
And I want to remind us that Psalm 106 was written during a time of Israel's exile in Babylon.
It's a song that as they were in exile and they were singing this, it recalled many of the formative experiences
that they had experienced centuries before in the wilderness after God saved them from Egypt and through the Red Sea.
It's a song that reminded them what it looks like to trust, worship, and obey God in seasons of life
that feel difficult and dry and disorienting.
Psalm 106 reminds us that we're all spiritually homeless.
We're all ultimately wanderers and pilgrims who are on our way passing through to our true home.
And so because of this, in the wilderness of life, we start to experience the symptoms of being spiritually homeless.
And so in our series, we've looked at a few of those symptoms.
We've looked at discontent.
We've looked at envy.
We've looked at idolatry.
And last week, we looked at unbelief.
And this morning, we come to the symptom of infidelity.
Infidelity.
Psalm 106, 28 through 31 recalls a story from Numbers chapter 25 that was read earlier.
And it's a scene where the people of Israel commit both physical and spiritual adultery.
It's a situation that arouses the anger and even the jealousy of the Lord.
But it's also a situation that arouses His love and His mercy and His grace.
And so that's what we're going to look at this morning.
What does it mean for God to be a jealous God?
First of all, it means that He is a king who upholds His glory.
It means that He is a king who upholds this glory.
Numbers chapter 25, verses 1 through 3 tell us that when Israel lived in this area called Shittim,
that many of these people committed adultery with the daughters of Moab,
a Canaanite people that was living in the place where they were encamped.
They committed not only physical adultery, but they committed spiritual adultery by worshiping and bowing down
and making sacrifices to the Canaanite gods.
Not specifically, Baal of Paor, who is the Canaanite god of fertility.
And then in verse 6, we see a particular example of this.
We see a man named Zimri who brings a Midianite woman into his home in the sight of Moses and all the people.
And it is open.
It is public.
He has absolutely no shame about it.
He does this in front of everybody.
And in Zimri, we see a snapshot.
We see a representative picture of the spiritual state of the whole people during this time.
Instead of offering themselves to the Lord in heart, mind, and soul,
they have offered themselves to other gods.
They have offered themselves to other lovers.
And in doing so, they have openly and publicly and fragrantly violated the Lord's covenant.
They've committed adultery against the Lord.
Their physical infidelity, on one hand, certainly broke God's law as he had revealed in the Ten Commandments.
But it was their spiritual infidelity.
It was their worshiping and bowing down and making sacrifices to other gods that was even more serious.
And tragically, this would not be the only time Israel would do this.
We know as we read the rest of the Old Testament that this would be a pattern that would be repeated all throughout the Old Testament,
throughout the period of the judges and the kings.
And because it became a pattern, it would eventually lead them into exile in Babylon where they find themselves in Psalm 106.
And so how does God respond?
How does God respond to the people's infidelity?
Well, he responds like a king who upholds his glory.
In verse 3, verse 3 tells us that his anger was kindled against the people.
And he tells Moses to take the leaders of each tribe and to put them to death as a representative example,
as a representative punishment on behalf of the whole people.
If you're paying careful attention to the story you read earlier, you remember, you realize,
that Moses doesn't actually do this.
He actually waters down this command from God.
And instead, he chooses a different route by telling these leaders to instead put to death the specific individuals
who had worshipped and bowed down to Baal.
And we're not sure that the details of the text aren't exactly clear on the chronology.
We're not sure if the Lord sends a plague because of Moses' failure to carry out this command
or because of the people's sin more broadly or perhaps both.
But somewhere in this story, we learn that the Lord sends a plague on the people.
And so, although we don't know quite when the plague happened, here's what we do know.
We do know that the primary tension of the story,
the primary tension of the story is that we have the people's open,
flagrant, and violation of the Lord's covenant.
And we have an unfulfilled command to carry out God's judgment.
And in the middle of this tension, the Lord sends a plague among his people.
And so, there's this narrative tension of what is going to happen and how is this going to be resolved.
And into the tension of this story between the people's sin and the unfulfilled judgment of God,
in the middle of this tension comes a Levite priest named Phineas.
A Levite priest named Phineas.
What is a priest?
A priest is someone who represents people to God and who represents God to people.
A priest represents people to God and represents God to people.
And in verses 7 through 8, Phineas does something that surprises all of us, all readers of the story.
It's shocking.
It's shocking to readers of the story.
It probably would have been shocking and surprising to the people who witnessed it and experienced it and saw it happen.
In verses 7 and 8, when he sees Zimri bring the Midianite woman into his home,
he goes in after them,
and he takes a spear,
and he runs it through both of them
as they're in bed together,
killing both of them.
And God responds by stopping the plague.
The plague ends.
In verse 10,
Verse 10,
The Lord said to Moses,
Phineas, the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest,
has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel
in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them,
so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
The act of Phineas the priest,
although perhaps shocking and surprising to us,
is seen as a good and faithful act of the Lord.
It is seen as an act of atonement.
Of atonement.
Atonement is a rich, multifaceted Old Testament word
that means it's a sacrificial payment for sin
that provides forgiveness for sinners
and creates peace with God by turning aside his wrath.
So atonement, on one hand,
provides forgiveness for sinners
through a sacrificial payment for sin,
and it also creates peace with God
by turning aside his judgment and wrath.
And atonement is something that only a priest could do.
Not just any one of the Israelites could have done this
because priests, again, represent people to God
and they represent God to people.
And in verses 12 through 13,
the Lord says,
because of the jealousy of Phineas,
I am making a covenant of peace.
I am making a perpetual priesthood.
This is a promise to God's people
that there would always be a priesthood,
that there would always be a means
for which God to have a relationship with him,
that he wouldn't totally turn his back on them,
that he wouldn't completely abandon them,
but there would be a perpetual priesthood,
a means of living in right relationship with him.
And this is a heavy story.
This is a shocking story.
This is a surprising story.
But in the shock and in the surprise of this story,
I actually think that there,
I believe there are clues
for what it means that God is a jealous God.
And before we look at those clues,
I just wanna first acknowledge that
for some things in this story
that might trouble or confuse us,
for example, like God's command
to put these leaders to death,
or Phineas' actions
to put these two people to death.
These are things that,
as we read this story in the 21st century
with modern American Western eyes,
these are things that legitimately
might trouble or confuse us.
And we might think,
how is this fair?
How is this right?
How is this good?
And that is a legitimate question.
And it's one that we have addressed
previously in this series
as we've thought through
the reality of God's judgment
in the Old Testament in particular
and the reality of God's judgment in general.
And so rather than spend more time on it here,
I would encourage you to kind of go back
and listen to the sermon on discontent
that we did a few weeks ago
where we spent more time
unpacking this question
about God's judgment,
especially in the Old Testament.
There are legitimate questions
when we have a difficult story like this,
and I don't want to minimize that.
But I also don't want us to miss something.
I also don't want us to miss the fact
that as many of us read this story
with modern 21st century eyes,
we're probably more likely
to be troubled by God's judgment
and by Phineas' actions
than we are by the people's
physical and spiritual infidelity.
I know that was true for me
when I sat down to read this passage
for the first time.
We're likely more troubled by God and Phineas
than we are by the people.
But it should be the other way around.
It should be the other way around.
The people's open and flagrant violation
of the Lord's covenant
should be the thing that shocks us
and surprises us and troubles us the most.
And that is because Israel's God is a king.
Because Yahweh is the holy king
over all the nations,
over all the earth.
He is the king
who has rescued his people
and brought them up out of slavery
and is taking them towards the promised land
who has entered a covenant with them
that they might live
in an intimate relationship with him
and know him
and dwell with him
and walk with him.
And not only that,
but that he might use them
to be a blessing
to all the nations of the earth,
that he might use them
to extend his kingdom,
to extend his glory
all over the face of the earth
and to push back the kingdom of darkness
and sin and death and evil and Satan.
It's what Isaac Watts talked about
in his hymn, Joy to the World,
that he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found.
This is the mission that Yahweh has invited them into.
This is the relationship he's invited them into.
His kingship is about blessing and redeeming
and restoring all of creation.
To obey him is to enter into
God's original intended purposes for humanity.
To follow his law
is to live into what it means to be fully human,
to live into human flourishing.
And this is why there are such serious consequences
for Israel's infidelity.
Because it defames the glory.
It defames the name.
It defames the reputation
of the holy king of Israel.
And it rejects his redemptive purposes
in the world.
And so in the middle of this open infidelity,
this open violation,
and between God's judgment
stands a mediator,
stands a priest
who is jealous
for the glory of God,
who is jealous
for the purposes of God
in the world,
who makes atonement
for the sins
of the people
and ushers into,
ushers in a covenant
of peace.
And in this way,
hopefully,
you're able to see
Phineas
foreshadows
the person
and work
of Jesus Christ,
another priest
who would be jealous
for the purposes
of God
to come and make atonement
for the sins
of the whole world.
So what does it mean
that God
is a jealous God?
It means that he's a king
who defends
his own glory
and honor
by upholding
his covenant
with his people,
not in a capricious
or arbitrary way,
but to bless
and redeem
and restore
his good creation.
And so,
why is this good news
for us?
Like,
how does this land,
how does this hit home
for us?
Because
if we think about it,
like,
on a human level,
we tend to dislike
and avoid
people who are
glory hungry.
Like,
we tend to dislike
people
who are
obsessed
with constantly
defending their name.
People who are
obsessed with
constantly defending
their reputation
and making sure
they look good
to other people.
You know,
we would say that,
you know,
people like that are,
they're full of themselves.
They're prideful.
They're completely
narcissistic, right?
On a human level,
we don't like people
who are obsessed
with defending
their own glory.
But this is not true
for God.
God being committed
to His own glory
is actually good news
for us.
And that's because
what brings God glory
is what brings us
peace with Him.
What brings God glory
is to save
and make atonement
for sinners.
What brings God's glory
is to forgive those
who are guilty
of infidelity
towards Him.
What brings God's glory
is to save and bless
and redeem
and restore
His creation.
redemption.
God is the one
being
in the whole universe
for whom
defending
His own glory
is an act of love,
is an act
of grace,
is an act
of mercy
because it allows
us to be brought
into relationship
with Him.
It allows us
to be invited
into His story
of redemption.
God being a jealous
God means
that He is a king
who upholds
His own glory.
And secondly,
we see that
it means that
He is a husband
who loves His bride.
That He is a husband
who loves
His bride.
Our covenant
relationship with God
means that He is
our king.
And it also means
that He is our spouse.
God's.
This is a theme
that runs throughout
the Bible
that God's relationship
with His people
is a marital relationship.
If you think about it,
the Bible actually
starts with a marriage
and it ends
with a marriage.
At the beginning
of the story
in Genesis
where we see
God's good purposes
for His creation,
we see the first marriage
between husband
and wife.
And at the end
of the story
in Revelation
where we see
a picture
of our future hope,
we also see
a marriage
that all of the
other human marriages
point to.
We see
the wedding supper
of the Lamb.
We see the marriage
of Christ
and His church
as heaven
is married
to earth.
And so we,
as we see this
both in the bookends
of the biblical story,
we also see this
in the whole story
of redemption.
All over the Old Testament,
God reveals Himself
as a husband
who is passionate
about His bride.
Isaiah 62,
as a young man
marries a young woman
and as the bridegroom
rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God
rejoice over you.
Hosea chapter 2,
I will betroth you
to me forever.
I will betroth you
to me in righteousness
and justice
and steadfast love
and mercy.
Isaiah 54,
for your maker
is your husband.
In the New Testament,
Jesus describes
the kingdom of God
as a wedding feast.
He actually refers
to Himself
as a bridegroom.
In Ephesians chapter 5,
perhaps the most clearest place,
Paul says
that the marriage
between a husband
and wife
is this profound mystery
that is a picture
of Christ
and the church.
The story
of the Bible
is that God
is a bridegroom
who longs
to marry humanity
as His bride.
And this overarching story
frames our story
here in Numbers 25
and it helps us
to see
and clue into
the heart
of the jealousy
of God.
Because we know
that in any marriage,
there is a,
there is a jealousy
between a husband
and a wife
that is good
and holy
and right
and pure.
So, last week
I actually had the chance
to go see
the play
Hamilton
live
at the Kennedy Center.
That was pretty amazing.
Like many of you,
I have for years
listened to the soundtrack
on repeat.
I watched it
on Disney Plus
in the middle of the pandemic
when it came out.
And so,
it was amazing
to see it live
in person.
And if you
have listened
to the soundtrack
or if you've seen it,
you know that
one of the most powerful,
one of the most poignant songs
in the whole play
is the song
Burn,
which is the song
that's sung
by Eliza Hamilton
in the scene
where she finds out
about her husband
Alexander's
infidelity
with another woman.
His affair,
Alexander Hamilton's affair
with Maria Reynolds
had become publicly known
through something
called the Reynolds pamphlet,
which he had partially published
to clear his name
and reputation.
And so,
in this song,
Eliza sings these words
about the pain
of being betrayed
by her husband.
She says,
I saved every letter
you wrote me.
From the moment
I read them,
I knew you were mine.
You said you were mine.
I thought
you were mine.
You published the letters
she wrote you.
You told the whole world
how you brought this girl
into our bed.
In clearing your name,
you have ruined
our lives.
I'm erasing myself
from the narrative.
Let future historians
wonder how Eliza reacted
when you broke her heart.
You have torn it all apart.
And I'm watching it burn.
You forfeit
all rights to my heart.
You forfeit the place
in our bed.
You'll sleep in your office
instead
with only the memories
of when you were mine.
I hope that you
burn.
These are the words
of a burning heart.
A heart that burns
with hurt.
A heart that burns
with anger.
A heart that burns
with jealousy.
In the wake
of infidelity.
Most of us can agree
there's a good
and right jealousy
between husband
and wife
between one another.
It is right
for them to feel
protective over
their spouse's
affections
and their love.
It is right
for them to feel
betrayed and hurt,
jealous
their spouse
has been unfaithful.
One,
I think we can
sympathize with
Oprah's trouble
with the jealousy
of God
if it's about
envy,
being jealous
of somebody.
But Oprah's trouble
with the jealousy
of God
is that she failed
to see the difference
between jealousy
of
and jealousy
for.
Between jealousy
of and jealousy
for.
God is not jealous
of people.
He's not jealous
of you and I.
He is our maker.
He is our creator.
He's not lacking
in any way.
He's not envious
of anything
that you or I
have.
But he is
jealous for us.
He is jealous
for us
because he is
our husband
and we are
his bride
as the church.
And this is
good news
for us.
It's good news
for us
especially
for those
of us
who struggle
at times
with feeling
like we're
not enough
either to God
or to other people.
It's good news
for us
for those
of us
who
maybe
struggle
at times
with feeling
unlovable.
Feeling
undesirable.
Maybe
this morning
or recently
or in your past
you've been
tempted to think
thoughts like this.
How could
anybody
love
me?
How could
God
possibly
love me
because of
who I am
and what I've
done?
Nobody
would ever
want to marry
me.
Nobody
would ever
want to
date
me.
Nobody
would ever
want to
befriend
me.
And if
that's you
this morning
or if that's
been you
in the past
let me
invite you
to consider
the words
in Song
of Songs
8,
6 through 7.
These are the
words not only
of King Solomon
for his bride
but they are
the words
of God's
love for
his covenant
people.
Song
of Songs
chapter 8
verses 6
or 7
for love
is as
strong as
death.
It's
jealousy
unyielding
as the
grave
and it
burns
like blazing
fire
like a
mighty
flame.
Many
waters
cannot
quench
love
and rivers
cannot
wash it
away.
The God
of the
Bible
has a
heart
that
burns
for you.
He
has a
heart
that
is
on
fire
for
you.
He
is
passionate
about
your
affections.
He
longs
for
intimacy
with
you.
He
longs
for
you
to
know
him,
to
walk
with
him,
to
live
in
close
fellowship
with
him,
to
obey
him.
And
this
is
why
he
also
can't
be
indifferent
about
our
sin
because
he
is
personally
affected
by it.
Just
as
a
husband
and
wife
is
personally
affected
by
the
sin
of
their
spouse,
especially
their
unfaithfulness.
Our
sin
grieves
his
heart.
Ephesians
chapter
4 says
that our
sin
grieves
the
Holy
Spirit
who
dwells
in
us.
The
love
of
God
for
his
people
is
both
strong
and
it
is
sensitive.
It
is
powerful
and
it
is
passionate.
Friends,
do you
know
this
God?
Have
you
seen
how
he
has
revealed
himself
this
way
in
his
word?
Have
you
seen
his
burning
heart
of
love
for
you?
Is
God
just
some
distant
emotionally
unattached
authority
figure
for
you?
Or
is
he
your
lover?
Is
he
your
bridegroom?
Is
he
your
spouse?
God
is
jealous
for
you
because
he
loves
you.
And
the
question
for
all
of
us,
the
question
for
you
is
are
you
jealous
for
him?
Are
you
jealous
for
him?
Are
your
affections
stirred
with
love
for
him?
Are
you
jealous?
Are
you
passionate?
Are
you
zealous
for
the
glory
of
God
and
for
his
redemptive
purposes
in
the
world?
Is
your
heart
stirred
to
know
him,
to
worship
him,
to
live
in
close
fellowship
with
him,
and
to
extend
his
kingdom
in
the
world?
Or
are
the
affections
of
your
heart
drawn
towards
other
lovers?
Our
sin
not
only
breaks
God's
law,
it
breaks
his
heart.
And
it's
true
that
in
the
Christian
life,
from
time
to
time,
maybe
every
week,
every
day,
our
affections
for
God
can
often
wane
or
harden
or
grow
stale,
and
so
we
need
our
affections
for
him
to
be
stirred
again
and
again
and
again
we
need
our
jealousy
for
him,
our
love
for
him,
our
passion
for
his
glory
to
be
stirred
again
and
again
and
again
through
the
word,
through
prayer,
through
the
sacraments,
through
the
ordinary
means
of
grace
that
display
for
us
again
and
again
the
good
news
of
the
gospel,
the
glory
of
God
in
have
our
cold
hard
hearts
softened
the
way
that
we
have
our
affections
stirred
and
renewed
for
God
again
and
again
is
to
see
that
Jesus
Christ
is
the
burning
heart
of
God's
love
for
his
people.
When
you
look
at
him
you
see
God's
burning
heart
of
love
for
us
because
in
Jesus
we
see
both
a
king
who
upholds
his
glory
and
we
see
a
husband
who
loves
his
bride.
In
Jesus
we
see
a
king
who
is
also
a
priest.
In
Jesus
we
have
an
even
better
priest
than
Phineas
who
was
so
committed
to
the
glory
of
his
father
who
was
so
committed
to
his
redemptive
purposes
in
his
world
that
he
inaugurated
a
new
covenant
a
covenant
of
peace
by
making
atonement
with
his
own
body
and
blood
a
covenant
where
he
is
our
perpetual
eternal
high
priest
and
a
covenant
that
draws
us
in
and
sends
us
out
into
God's
redemptive
purposes
in
the
world.
Phineas'
spear
pierced
the
guilty
and
made
atonement
for one
people
at one
time.
But
Jesus
was pierced
for us.
Isaiah
53,
Jesus
was the
one who
was pierced
with nails
on the
cross
in our
place.
The
guiltless
one
for
the
guilty.
He
was
pierced
for
our
transgressions.
He
was
crushed
for
our
iniquities.
The
punishment
that
brought
us
peace
was
upon
him
and
by
his
wounds
we
are
healed.
In
Jesus
when
we
see
a
king
who
upholds
the
glory
of
God
and
we
also
see
a
husband
who
loves
his
bride.
In
Jesus
we see
a
lover,
a
bridegroom
who
is
both
strong
and
sensitive.
We
see
a
husband
who
says
to
us
my
love
burns
for
you
like
blazing
fire
like
a
mighty
flame.
My
love
for
you
is
as
strong
as
death
and
I
went
to
the
cross
to
show
it
to
you
and
prove
it
to
you.
It's
jealousy
is
unyielding
as
the
grave.
Only
Jesus
to
show
his
love
for
us
overcame
the
many
waters
cannot
quench
his
love
for
us.
Many
rivers
cannot
will
never
wash
it
away.
Not
even
our
worst
sins.
Not
even
our
worst
moments.
Not
even
our
moments
of
infidelity
against
him
or
against
others.
His
words
to us
here at
this
table
that we
hear
every
week
are
not
only
the
words
of
a
king
but
not
only
the
words
of
a
savior
but
the
words
of
a
bridegroom
speaking
to
his
bride
this
is
my
body
which
is
broken
for
you.
This
is
my
blood
which
is
shed
for
you.
These
are
the
words
of
a
husband
speaking
to
his
bride.
And
no
matter
how
cold
our
affections
are
to
him
no
matter
how
many
times
we
have
been
unfaithful
to
him.
He
will
always
be
faithful
to
us
because
he
is
the
jealous
God.
He
is
the
jealous
husband
who
he's
the
king
who
upholds
his
glory.
And
he's
the
husband
who
loves
his
bride.
And
so
we
are
invited
into
his
covenant
of
peace
where
our
sins
are
forgiven.
And
in so
doing
we're
caught
up
in
his
story
of
redemption
to
all
creation.
And
we
are
drawn
into
the
burning
fire
of
his
heart
of
love
for
us.
And
friends
this
is
why
the
jealousy
of
God
is
not
only
good
news
for
us
but
it
is
good
news
for
the
whole
world.
Let's
pray.
Our
Father in
heaven
thank you
that you
are a
king
who is
so
passionate
about
your
own
glory
that
you
would
give
your
life
for
us
on
the
cross.
That
you're
a
husband
who
has
given
yourself
in
love
for
us.
Lord
wherever
our
affections
are
this
morning
I
pray
that
we
might
see
your
glory
that
we
might
see
the
blazing
fire
of
your
love
for
us
Lord
come
Holy
Spirit
and
set
our
hearts
on
fire
with
jealousy
for
you.
In
the name
of the
Father
and the
Son
and the
Holy
Spirit
Amen.