“So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” (Deuteronomy 32:21)
Paul will quote this verse in Romans 10:19 as a prophecy of God welcoming the Gentiles into the kingdom through Jesus. In Deuteronomy, Moses is explaining that when Israel makes God jealous by worshipping idols, God will respond in kind by making them jealous, too.
Yet, even in His anger at their idolatry, God responds with love because God’s response is to open the floodgates of heaven to offer salvation to everyone, not just the Jews. Sure it made the Jews jealous and unhappy, but it also blessed the whole world at the same time.
This is just one more example of how God is wiser than us. Even in His anger, He acts in love and mercy. Even when jealous, He responds with blessing. God is always good.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
This Week’s Reading: Deuteronomy 32-34; Joshua 1-6; Psalm 23; Proverbs 23 This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision