[uplifting music]
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[uplifting music]
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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We are glad that you are
choosing to join us today.
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We are on a journey,
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a journey looking into
God's love and justice.
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And today we are
on lesson number four
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of a 13-lesson
deep-dive into this subject.
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Lesson number four
helps us to understand
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how God is both
passionate and compassionate.
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And this lesson is actually
part four of a four-part series
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that we've been doing,
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looking at different
aspects of God's love.
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We're going to be
delving into this here deeply
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in just a moment.
Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we wanna thank
You for being with us, again,
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this week as we continue to look
at Your love and Your justice.
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We ask that You will bless us
as we delve into it, once again,
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and help us to
understand You better.
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We thank You, in
Jesus' name, amen.
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We're happy to have with
us, once again, John Peckham.
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He is an associate editor
at the "Adventist Review,"
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and he's also a
research professor
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at the Theological
Seminary at Andrews University.
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John, thanks for
joining us again.
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>>John Peckham:
Thank you for having me.
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>>Eric: So we're
looking at God being passionate
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and compassionate. Now,
when we think about emotions,
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sometimes we think
of them as good or bad,
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and some people may think,
"Well, God is emotionless."
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Unpack this for us.
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How do--what role do
emotions play in this?
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>>John: Yeah, as you mentioned,
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some people think that
emotions are inherently bad
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or deficient. So,
a God with emotions,
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what's going on here?
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But the Bible paints a picture
of God who has deep emotions
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and profound
emotional reactions.
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And it's very
closely related to His love.
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And so here I want us to, at
the beginning of our discussion
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here, notice
that God is emotional,
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but God's emotions are perfect.
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God's emotions are not
just like human emotions.
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And in one way I want us
to see that--we can see from
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Psalm 78, verse 38, that
I'd like us to read together.
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>>Eric: "[And] He,
being full of compassion,
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"forgave their iniquity,
and did not destroy them.
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"Yes, many a time He
turned His anger away,
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and did not stir
up all His wrath."
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>>John: Often,
when humans become angry
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or have an emotional reaction,
we tend to overreact, right?
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We tend to fly off the handle,
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or our reaction is not
precisely what it should be.
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But in Scripture we find
that God--God's reactions
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are always appropriate, and,
in some cases like this one,
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some translations say, "He
even restrained His anger."
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In other words, His
emotions don't control Him.
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He has control, always perfect
control, over His emotions.
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His emotions are never
irrational like ours are.
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His emotion is always
the appropriate reaction.
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And if anything,
it's actually holding back
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the emotional reaction
that His people deserve.
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And so many people,
again, tend to think of emotions
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as deficient, but God created
us as holistic human beings.
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We do have a faculty of reason,
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we do have will, but
we also have emotions.
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And the reason why
these are out of whack
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is because of our
fall, fallen sinful nature.
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But for God, these are never
"out of whack," so to speak.
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They're always
harmoniously functioning.
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So when we talk
about God's emotions
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and God's emotional love,
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it's not that He has
emotions that are irrational
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or emotions that are
against His own will,
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but these things
actually function harmoniously.
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But God's emotions are the
appropriate reactions of love
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to what is
actually taking place.
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>>Eric: His emotions
are right; ours are skewed.
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But we do have this
imagery that we sometimes get
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of a parental love in the Bible.
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How does that
help us to understand,
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more appropriately,
more accurately, God's love?
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>>John: Yeah, I want to
look at a couple of passages.
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One of them
would be Isaiah 49:15.
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Another is in Psalm 103,
where it says that "God loves
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His children, even as a father
has compassion on His children."
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So you have this
imagery of a good parent,
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a good father. In Isaiah
49, we'll see this imagery
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of a mother's
love for her children.
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>>Eric: "Can a woman
forget her nursing child,
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"and not have compassion
on the son of her womb?
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Surely they may forget,
yet I will not forget you."
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>>John: So a good
mother, the love that she has
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for her children is probably
the best and most virtuous
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and profound kind of love
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that we know in
human relationships.
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And yet, God is saying
that His love for His people
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is even more
profound and deep than that.
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And even if a mother
forgets her children,
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God will never forget us.
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Now, the language
that's used there--
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I referenced in
a previous program,
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but I want to
mention it again here--
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the language that's used
there for compassion, "rakhum,"
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is actually related
for the word for "womb,"
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in that passage,
which is "rekhem."
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And the very
language of compassion here
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and in many other verses
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is just a description
of womb-like mother love.
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This is deeply emotional love,
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and in many
examples in Scripture,
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you have emotional
reactions being used
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with imagery of
like stomach churning and
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other kinds of relationship--
relational imagery
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that is very profound emotion.
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Some of that we're going
to talk about as we go on.
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>>Eric: So let's
take a look at Hosea.
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We've touched on Hosea before,
but I think it's appropriate
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that we come back
here, again, right now.
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I'm going to read a few
verses from Hosea, chapter 11.
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I'll probably read down
verses 1 through 4, 1 through 5,
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something along those
lines, and help us to understand
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these depictions of
God's emotional responses
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in passages like this.
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In Hosea 11, verse 1, it
says, "When Israel was a child,
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"I loved him, and out
of Egypt I called my son.
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"As they called them,
so they went from them;
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"they sacrificed to the Baals,
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"[they] burned
incense to carved images.
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"I taught Ephraim to
walk, taking them by their arms;
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"but they did not
know that I healed them.
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"I drew them with gentle cords,
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"with bands of love,
and I was to them as those
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"who take the
yoke from their neck.
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I stooped and fed them."
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>>John: Yeah, here in
Hosea, we find beautiful imagery
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of the parent-child metaphor.
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We've seen a lot
about the marriage metaphor,
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but here it's this
parent-child metaphor.
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So you think of a child
who is, basically, helpless.
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In the wilderness, God
has to do everything for them.
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And that's
precisely what He's doing.
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And even as He
draws them to Himself--
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He calls them out of Egypt, like
delivering them in the Exodus.
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He makes a people where
there's no people, and yet
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they run after the false gods.
They sacrifice to the Baals.
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They do everything to
foul up this relationship.
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And so you might think
the next verse is gonna be,
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"Oh, so I came in
judgment, and I cut them off,"
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but the next verse is,
"I taught Ephraim to walk.
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I took them by their arms."
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And you think of, like, a father
or a mother with a toddler,
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who's just barely
tottering and taking steps.
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This is the imagery,
that God is tenderly working
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with His people,
even as they're falling,
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even as they're
going the wrong way,
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even as they're
helpless without Him.
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As a good parent, He draws close
to them with bonds of love,
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and He shows them the way,
and He draws them in the way.
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Of course, they have a choice,
and sometimes they stray away,
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but God does everything He can.
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And it's this imagery
of a father, good father,
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or a good mother, who has
this deep love for his people.
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And we see this imagery
continue in the passage.
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If we keep going beyond
that, you have these verses that
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talk about the people again
refusing to repent, in verse 5.
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You have the language
of judgment that's coming.
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God Himself says in verse 7,
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"My people are bent
on backsliding from me.
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Though they call to the Most
High, none at all exalt Him."
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So this language of being
bent, like they're turned away
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from Him, and when
they do call to Him,
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it's just like
lip service, right?
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They don't really mean it.
They're not really repentant.
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And this evokes, in
God, a deeply visceral,
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emotional reaction.
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In Hosea 11, verse 8,
God speaks of His people.
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He says, "How can I
give you up, Ephraim?
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"How can I hand
you over, Israel?
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"How can I make you like Admah?
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How can I set you like Zeboiim?"
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And Admah and Zeboiim are
actually the two small towns
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that were
alongside Sodom and Gomorrah.
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So this is the language
of "How can I give you over
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to destruction?"
that's being used here.
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And then He says,
at the end of verse 8,
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"My heart churns within me;
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my sympathy is stirred."
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And I don't know if you've
ever had an emotional reaction
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that was so strong that it feels
like your stomach is turning.
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That's the imagery
that's being used here,
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of God's emotional
reaction over His people.
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In fact, one of the
Hebrew words that's used there,
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of this emotional reaction,
it's used in two other places
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in the Old Testament.
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In Genesis 43, this is
the imagery that's used
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of Joseph when he's in
Egypt, and his brothers come,
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and his youngest
brother, Benjamin, is brought,
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and he's still
overtaken by his emotions;
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he has to leave the room.
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And the second is in 1
Kings 3, where two women
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come to King Solomon, claiming
that an infant is their child.
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And Solomon in his wisdom says,
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"Cut the child in two"--to find
out who was the real mother.
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And the reaction of the
real mother is this reaction,
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this deeply emotional reaction.
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This is the reaction
God describes as having
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over His own people
when they've strayed for Him.
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And finally, in
Hosea 11 verse 9, He says,
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"No, I'm going to
reclaim them, anyways," right?
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"How can I give them up?
I'm not going to give them up."
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He says, "I will not execute
the fierceness of my anger;
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"I will not
again destroy Ephraim.
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"For I am God, and not
man, the Holy One in your midst;
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and I will not
come with terror."
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So he says, "No, I'm
not going to come in anger."
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He says, "I am God, and
not man." Signifying what?
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If He was a mere human,
they would be done, right?
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Because again, we tend to fly
off the handle with emotions.
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But because He's God, because
He controls His emotions,
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because His love and compassion
is exponentially greater than
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His anger, He makes a way to
restore this people to Himself
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in love relationship because
of the depth of His compassion.
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So His emotions, unlike ours,
are perfect, and they're good,
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and they undergird
the wonderful things
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that God does to save people.
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>>Eric: Now, we've been
looking at a number of passages
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in the Old Testament.
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I want to go over
to the New Testament
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for a moment, over
into the book of Matthew.
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There are some... [sighs]
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there are some out
there who get this idea that
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in the Old Testament, God
is kind of a unloving God.
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That's probably
painting it pleasantly.
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But in the New Testament,
now you have this loving God.
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But we--again, we've been
looking at some passages that
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indicate that's not
the case, but let's go over
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to Matthew, chapter
9 and verse number 36
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and see what it says here.
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It says, "But when He saw
the multitudes"--this is Jesus--
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"He was moved with compassion
[on] them, because they
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were weary and scattered,
like sheep having no shepherd."
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So how does this portrayal--
this biblical portrayal of
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Jesus' compassion,
in the New Testament,
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how should that
help us to understand
00:11:27.52\00:11:29.32
God's compassion
in the Old Testament?
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>>John: Yeah, a few things
that I would want to note here
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and emphasize. First of all,
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you have this
language of Jesus seeing crowds
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and multitudes, and He's
moved with compassion for them.
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And it's not just in this verse;
this is a consistent reaction
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Jesus has throughout the Old--
throughout the New Testament.
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He sees people, and He sees them
like sheep without a shepherd,
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and He's moved with
compassion for them.
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And it's
actually the same imagery,
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used of the New Testament
of Jesus' emotional reaction,
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is the same kind
of imagery that's used
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in the Old Testament.
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In fact, you have the
same Greek words that translate
00:12:05.65\00:12:08.09
the common Old Testament
words of this visceral,
00:12:08.12\00:12:10.56
deeply emotional reaction.
00:12:10.59\00:12:12.89
So Jesus isn't
just compassionate,
00:12:12.93\00:12:15.33
He's moved to compassion,
and He acts on that compassion
00:12:15.36\00:12:18.27
to actually do
good for these people
00:12:18.30\00:12:20.64
and draw them into
relationship with Himself.
00:12:20.67\00:12:22.87
We also see Jesus'
deep compassion and emotions
00:12:22.90\00:12:25.77
for His people,
later in Matthew.
00:12:25.81\00:12:27.58
I want to go to
Matthew, chapter 23,
00:12:27.61\00:12:30.75
Matthew,
chapter 23 and verse 37.
00:12:30.78\00:12:34.42
You have Jesus, in
this part of Matthew, who--
00:12:34.45\00:12:38.49
He's approaching the cross,
He is looking out over the city,
00:12:38.52\00:12:43.96
and He's lamenting
the fact that so many
00:12:43.99\00:12:46.49
of the covenant
people have not accepted Him.
00:12:46.53\00:12:49.13
He says in verse 37,
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
00:12:49.16\00:12:52.90
"the one who kills
the prophets and stones
00:12:52.93\00:12:55.07
"those who are sent to her!
00:12:55.10\00:12:56.74
"How often I wanted to
gather your children together,
00:12:56.77\00:12:59.91
"as a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings,
00:12:59.94\00:13:03.91
but you were not willing!"
00:13:03.95\00:13:06.92
And here you see
this deep emotion of Jesus
00:13:06.95\00:13:10.42
over His people. When I read
this, I always think of, like,
00:13:10.45\00:13:12.95
a tear in His eye as
He looks at His people
00:13:12.99\00:13:15.76
because He wants to gather them
like a hen gathers her children.
00:13:15.79\00:13:18.86
And here again, this
is the same imagery that's
00:13:18.89\00:13:21.43
used in Deuteronomy 32 of
God, who also uses this imagery
00:13:21.46\00:13:26.43
of a bird that wants
to gather His children,
00:13:26.47\00:13:30.94
but they are not willing.
00:13:30.97\00:13:32.21
And so it's this deep emotion
that shines through of Jesus,
00:13:32.24\00:13:35.94
and it's the same
emotional reaction of God
00:13:35.98\00:13:38.21
in the Old Testament
because it's the same God.
00:13:38.25\00:13:40.28
This is why Jesus could
say, "If you've seen me,
00:13:40.32\00:13:41.85
you have seen the Father."
00:13:41.88\00:13:43.69
It's His compassion and His love
00:13:43.72\00:13:44.95
that shines through in
everything that Jesus does.
00:13:44.99\00:13:47.12
>>Eric: So what we're seeing,
the elements, the aspects of
00:13:47.16\00:13:49.49
God's love in the New Testament,
00:13:49.52\00:13:51.13
they're the same;
He hasn't changed.
00:13:51.16\00:13:53.60
God's character has not changed.
00:13:53.63\00:13:55.70
His way of dealing
with people--He loves.
00:13:55.73\00:14:00.97
And we see that--sometimes
people see it more clearly
00:14:01.00\00:14:03.27
in the New Testament.
00:14:03.30\00:14:04.61
Perhaps it's because
they're closing their eyes
00:14:04.64\00:14:06.57
from time to time in the Old
Testament, but we see it there.
00:14:06.61\00:14:09.71
If we want to look
more and delve more deeply
00:14:09.74\00:14:12.71
into understanding
how God is both passionate
00:14:12.75\00:14:15.58
and compassionate,
there is a companion book
00:14:15.62\00:14:17.62
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:14:17.65\00:14:19.42
What's in that book?
00:14:19.45\00:14:20.99
>>John: Yeah, in that
book, I can, of course,
00:14:21.02\00:14:23.89
barely scratch the surface
of God's love in the lesson
00:14:23.93\00:14:26.66
and in the
conversations we have here.
00:14:26.70\00:14:28.70
In that book, I try to
go a little bit deeper;
00:14:28.73\00:14:30.70
I use some illustrations.
00:14:30.73\00:14:32.47
I delve more deeply into
some meanings of biblical terms.
00:14:32.50\00:14:35.47
We talk about some of the
theological misconceptions,
00:14:35.50\00:14:38.41
including misconceptions
about God's emotions
00:14:38.44\00:14:41.44
and God's anger and what
God's anger is really like,
00:14:41.48\00:14:44.21
why it really is the way it is,
00:14:44.25\00:14:45.91
God's
compassion, God's jealousy,
00:14:45.95\00:14:49.58
which is often misunderstood.
00:14:49.62\00:14:51.12
And so I encourage you
to take a look at that,
00:14:51.15\00:14:53.79
I hope it'll be beneficial.
00:14:53.82\00:14:55.26
>>Eric: If you'd like to
pick that book up, and I would
00:14:55.29\00:14:56.76
encourage you to do so, you will
find it at itiswritten.shop.
00:14:56.79\00:15:00.76
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:15:00.80\00:15:03.23
Look for the
companion book to this quarter's
00:15:03.26\00:15:05.20
"Sabbath School"
lesson by John Peckham.
00:15:05.23\00:15:08.04
We're going to be right
back as we continue looking
00:15:08.07\00:15:10.17
at lesson number four,
00:15:10.21\00:15:12.01
delving into
God's love and justice,
00:15:12.04\00:15:14.61
how God is both
passionate and compassionate.
00:15:14.64\00:15:17.11
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:15:17.15\00:15:18.61
[uplifting music]
00:15:18.65\00:15:20.82
>>John Bradshaw: To hear
some people tell the story,
00:15:22.32\00:15:24.95
you might think there were
actually two Gods in the Bible,
00:15:24.99\00:15:28.76
That is, the God
of the Old Testament
00:15:28.79\00:15:31.16
and the God of
the New Testament.
00:15:31.19\00:15:33.86
To some, the Old
Testament God is a God of wrath,
00:15:33.90\00:15:38.00
while the New
Testament God is a God of love.
00:15:38.03\00:15:41.90
To some, the Old
Testament God was a God of law,
00:15:41.94\00:15:46.24
while the New
Testament God is a God of grace.
00:15:46.27\00:15:50.88
To some, the Old Testament God
was the God of the old covenant,
00:15:50.91\00:15:55.85
while the New Testament God
is the God of the new covenant.
00:15:55.88\00:16:01.02
So what is "The New Covenant"?
00:16:01.06\00:16:04.36
Don't miss "The New Covenant,"
00:16:04.39\00:16:06.46
and you will discover that
the God of the Old Testament
00:16:06.49\00:16:08.90
is the God of the New Testament
00:16:08.93\00:16:10.93
and that the God of
both testaments is consistent
00:16:10.97\00:16:14.10
from start to finish.
00:16:14.14\00:16:15.80
Unravel the mysteries
of "The New Covenant,"
00:16:15.84\00:16:19.27
brought to you by
"It Is Written" TV.
00:16:19.31\00:16:21.98
[uplifting music]
00:16:22.98\00:16:27.28
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:16:27.32\00:16:28.95
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:16:28.98\00:16:30.95
We are looking at God
as being both passionate
00:16:30.99\00:16:33.29
and compassionate
00:16:33.32\00:16:34.69
as we look at God being
a God of love and justice.
00:16:34.72\00:16:38.86
John, there's an interesting
word that's used regularly
00:16:38.89\00:16:43.50
to describe God, and
that's "a jealous God."
00:16:43.53\00:16:47.20
Now, when you and
I probably typically
00:16:47.24\00:16:49.37
think of the word "jealous,"
it's in a negative context.
00:16:49.40\00:16:53.41
But the Bible still uses
this word to describe God.
00:16:53.44\00:16:57.28
Help us to understand
how God can be jealous,
00:16:57.31\00:17:00.22
and that not
necessarily be a negative thing.
00:17:00.25\00:17:02.62
>>John: Yeah, yeah, like you
said, if my wife said to you,
00:17:02.65\00:17:06.09
"My husband is a
jealous husband,"
00:17:06.12\00:17:08.22
you would probably think that
was not a compliment, right?
00:17:08.26\00:17:10.29
That there's a problem
here, something is going on.
00:17:10.33\00:17:12.59
But in the Bible,
God's jealousy is always
00:17:12.63\00:17:14.56
a perfectly virtuous jealousy.
00:17:14.56\00:17:16.87
In fact, it's probably better
to translate it as "passion"
00:17:16.90\00:17:20.24
or "passionate love."
00:17:20.27\00:17:21.80
And the language is actually
of God's passionate love
00:17:21.84\00:17:25.81
for His metaphorical bride.
00:17:25.84\00:17:28.24
And so it's the imagery
of a love in a relationship
00:17:28.28\00:17:31.91
that is for exclusive
relationship with the other.
00:17:31.95\00:17:35.95
So let's take a look at the
way the Bible describes this
00:17:35.98\00:17:37.85
in Deuteronomy 4 before
I say some more about this.
00:17:37.89\00:17:41.22
>>Eric: In Deuteronomy 4,
verse 24 it says, "For the Lord
00:17:41.26\00:17:44.39
your God is a
consuming fire, a jealous God."
00:17:44.43\00:17:48.73
>>John: So you have
this language, and there's
00:17:48.76\00:17:50.53
other passages say God
is the God of compassion.
00:17:50.57\00:17:53.03
So you have the God of
compassion, you have the God
00:17:53.07\00:17:55.54
of jealousy or
the God of passion,
00:17:55.57\00:17:57.71
and actually this is
much better understood,
00:17:57.74\00:18:00.21
throughout Scripture, as
the language of God's passion
00:18:00.24\00:18:03.55
for exclusive
relationship with His wife.
00:18:03.58\00:18:06.38
And so some commentators point
out if a husband is jealous
00:18:06.41\00:18:11.62
or passionate about exclusive
relationship, meaning they
00:18:11.65\00:18:14.36
don't want their wife to have
other partners--or vice versa,
00:18:14.39\00:18:17.13
the wife doesn't want
their husband to enter
00:18:17.16\00:18:18.79
into romantic
relationships with others--
00:18:18.83\00:18:20.46
this is a virtuous love;
it's a virtuous kind of passion.
00:18:20.50\00:18:24.00
It doesn't include any
of the kind of negative
00:18:24.03\00:18:26.23
connotations of
jealousy in our relationships
00:18:26.27\00:18:29.74
because our jealousy
is often not virtuous;
00:18:29.77\00:18:31.81
it might be possessive;
it might be functioning
00:18:31.84\00:18:35.58
in all kinds of ways that do
not correspond to God's passion.
00:18:35.61\00:18:40.22
But God's passion is actually
His ardent love for His people
00:18:40.25\00:18:44.99
and for exclusive relationship,
not for His benefit,
00:18:45.02\00:18:47.96
but for the benefit of
His people because it's only
00:18:47.99\00:18:50.29
in that relationship between God
and His people that God's people
00:18:50.33\00:18:53.83
flourish in the way that
God wants for them to flourish.
00:18:53.86\00:18:57.43
>>Eric: And there's a couple
of verses that I wanna dip into
00:18:57.47\00:19:01.34
here that I think will
help draw that idea out.
00:19:01.37\00:19:05.01
The first one is in 1
Corinthians 13, verse 4,
00:19:05.04\00:19:08.91
if you want to read that one,
00:19:08.94\00:19:11.25
and let's see
what that one says.
00:19:11.28\00:19:12.85
>>John: Yeah, 1
Corinthians is is often known
00:19:12.88\00:19:15.18
as "the love chapter." So
it goes through all of these
00:19:15.22\00:19:18.19
virtues of love--that I
often tell my students, I say,
00:19:18.22\00:19:21.96
you know, especially
those that are not married,
00:19:21.99\00:19:23.43
"If you're looking
for a marriage partner,
00:19:23.46\00:19:25.43
"you want to look for someone
who has these virtues, but also
00:19:25.46\00:19:28.56
you should be one who displays
these virtues yourself," right?
00:19:28.60\00:19:31.90
This is what we should
all be looking for in love,
00:19:31.93\00:19:34.74
and we ourselves should be,
hopefully, modeling God's love.
00:19:34.77\00:19:39.74
But there's something
interesting in verse 4 that
00:19:39.77\00:19:42.74
might give us pause because
we already saw God Himself say,
00:19:42.78\00:19:45.55
"I am a jealous God."
00:19:45.58\00:19:47.38
And now in 1
Corinthians 13:4, it says this:
00:19:47.42\00:19:50.72
"Love suffers long and
is kind; love does not envy;
00:19:50.75\00:19:55.26
love does not parade
itself, is not puffed up."
00:19:55.29\00:19:59.13
"Love does not envy."
00:19:59.16\00:20:00.46
In some translations, it just
says, "Love is not jealous."
00:20:00.50\00:20:05.10
Okay, so how can it be
that God is a jealous God,
00:20:05.13\00:20:10.11
but love does not envy,
and love is not jealous?
00:20:10.14\00:20:14.94
Now, this is Paul writing here,
00:20:14.98\00:20:16.61
so maybe Paul can help
us answer this question
00:20:16.64\00:20:19.11
if we go to 2
Corinthians 11, verse 2, and see
00:20:19.15\00:20:23.62
what he says there, that might
help us a bit with this puzzle.
00:20:23.65\00:20:26.62
>>Eric: He writes,
"For I am jealous for you
00:20:26.65\00:20:28.79
"with godly jealousy.
00:20:28.82\00:20:30.79
"For I have betrothed you to one
husband, that I may present you
00:20:30.83\00:20:34.46
as a chaste virgin to Christ."
00:20:34.46\00:20:36.77
>>John: Yeah, so there
you have this language of--
00:20:36.80\00:20:40.20
what kind of
jealousy? >>Eric: Godly.
00:20:40.24\00:20:42.70
>>John: Godly jealousy.
00:20:42.74\00:20:44.71
So that tells us, right
at the outset, that there is
00:20:44.74\00:20:47.54
a negative kind of jealousy,
and there is a godly jealousy.
00:20:47.58\00:20:53.35
Now, it's the same Greek
word, and so here and elsewhere
00:20:53.38\00:20:57.75
in Scripture, it's
important to remember
00:20:57.79\00:20:59.79
that words have
ranges of meaning.
00:20:59.82\00:21:03.09
And it's the context that
tells you what the meaning is
00:21:03.12\00:21:05.93
when there's a range of
meaning like there is here.
00:21:05.96\00:21:07.96
And so it's not that the
primary word for "jealousy"--
00:21:07.96\00:21:11.27
sometimes translated "zeal."
00:21:11.30\00:21:12.53
and when it's translated "zeal,"
you can tell that it's positive,
00:21:12.57\00:21:15.27
but it's the same Greek word.
00:21:15.30\00:21:18.94
And so you have this
positive kind of passion or zeal
00:21:18.97\00:21:22.11
or ardor, and you have
the negative kind of jealousy
00:21:22.14\00:21:25.05
that one shouldn't have,
that's like being envious.
00:21:25.08\00:21:28.72
This is the kind of jealousy
that you find in ancient
00:21:28.75\00:21:32.05
Near Eastern mythologies
and also in Greco-Roman myths.
00:21:32.09\00:21:35.22
This is the kind of
envy that the gods have.
00:21:35.26\00:21:38.46
They have envy for one
another, or they're envious
00:21:38.49\00:21:41.23
of something else, or
they're selfishly jealous.
00:21:41.26\00:21:44.30
This is the kind of
jealousy that humans also
00:21:44.33\00:21:47.80
often display in
our relationship.
00:21:47.84\00:21:51.31
But God never has
this kind of jealousy.
00:21:51.34\00:21:55.04
His jealousy, or passion, is
actually always the godly kind
00:21:55.08\00:21:59.18
of jealousy for this passionate
and exclusive relationship.
00:21:59.21\00:22:03.05
And this is actually born out
00:22:03.08\00:22:05.32
in the very way the
words are used themselves.
00:22:05.35\00:22:07.89
I told you that it's
the same word, it is,
00:22:07.92\00:22:09.72
the same Greek word in the New
Testament, the same Greek verb
00:22:09.76\00:22:12.59
in the Old Testament, but there
is, kind of, something about
00:22:12.63\00:22:15.43
the way the word is used in
the Old Testament that actually
00:22:15.46\00:22:17.93
makes this distinction,
even in the Hebrew grammar.
00:22:17.97\00:22:21.97
So the Hebrew word for
"jealousy" or "passionate love"
00:22:22.00\00:22:25.64
is "qanah."
00:22:25.67\00:22:27.18
And we see that sometimes
this verb is used in a sentence
00:22:27.21\00:22:30.91
with a particular
kind of preposition,
00:22:30.95\00:22:33.95
a prepositional phrase,
00:22:33.98\00:22:35.28
and so you have the verb,
and then you have a preposition.
00:22:35.32\00:22:37.55
The preposition
in Hebrew is "beit."
00:22:37.59\00:22:40.06
Whenever it's used
with that preposition,
00:22:40.09\00:22:41.82
it's referring to envy,
00:22:41.86\00:22:44.43
or this kind of
negative kind of jealousy.
00:22:44.46\00:22:46.86
And it's used
frequently of humans having
00:22:46.90\00:22:49.43
this kind of
envy for one another
00:22:49.46\00:22:51.63
or an envious, selfish kind
of jealousy in relationships.
00:22:51.67\00:22:54.64
You see that throughout the Old
Testament, but you never have
00:22:54.67\00:22:57.94
that construction of "qanah"
plus "beit" used with God
00:22:57.97\00:23:02.04
as the subject
because He is never envious,
00:23:02.08\00:23:04.75
because He's never jealous with
that kind of negative jealousy.
00:23:04.78\00:23:07.65
That is never found.
00:23:07.68\00:23:08.98
You have a more
positive construction
00:23:09.02\00:23:10.82
where you have
the same verb "qanah"
00:23:10.85\00:23:12.69
that's used with a
different preposition,
00:23:12.72\00:23:15.29
the preposition,
"lamed," the Hebrew letter
00:23:15.32\00:23:18.09
of the alphabet, "lamed,"
which has a particular meaning.
00:23:18.13\00:23:21.10
When that construction
is used, it's always of this
00:23:21.13\00:23:24.10
positive kind of passion
for exclusive relationship.
00:23:24.13\00:23:28.14
It's the righteous
passion, the righteous ardor
00:23:28.17\00:23:31.37
of relationship
between God and His people.
00:23:31.41\00:23:33.91
And this can be used of
both human relationships
00:23:33.94\00:23:36.08
when it's used of the
godly kind of jealousy
00:23:36.11\00:23:38.35
that we saw Paul talk about,
00:23:38.38\00:23:40.08
but it can also be used of
this righteous passion of God.
00:23:40.12\00:23:44.22
And so even just in the
grammar, God is never envious
00:23:44.25\00:23:48.69
like the false
gods of the nations.
00:23:48.72\00:23:51.03
He is never
jealous in a negative way
00:23:51.06\00:23:54.40
that is unfitting for Him.
00:23:54.46\00:23:56.30
It's always His passion for
exclusive love relationship,
00:23:56.33\00:23:59.57
and it, really, it's His passion
for His people on their behalf.
00:23:59.60\00:24:02.77
And this, then,
motivates Him to rescue them
00:24:02.80\00:24:05.64
and save them
from the other nations
00:24:05.67\00:24:07.98
and do all kinds of
loving actions on their behalf.
00:24:08.01\00:24:11.11
>>Eric: So we have a little
clearer picture of what it means
00:24:11.15\00:24:13.48
for God to be jealous versus
what it might mean for us to be
00:24:13.52\00:24:16.82
jealous or our understanding
of the typical definition there.
00:24:16.85\00:24:19.75
What kind of--if somebody
wanted to be more passionate
00:24:19.79\00:24:23.73
like God, more compassionate
like God, what kind of
00:24:23.76\00:24:27.23
practical steps might a
person take to more fully adopt
00:24:27.23\00:24:32.83
that element of God's
character in their own life?
00:24:32.87\00:24:35.60
>>John: Yeah, the first step
would be for us to recognize
00:24:35.64\00:24:38.07
that we can't
generate this kind of love,
00:24:38.11\00:24:40.61
or godly jealousy, by ourselves.
00:24:40.64\00:24:42.94
So first we have to
go to the source, right?
00:24:42.98\00:24:45.11
"We love...because He
first loved us," 1 John 4 says.
00:24:45.15\00:24:47.78
So we should always be
in relationship with God,
00:24:47.82\00:24:50.29
and we should be asking
Him to fill us with His love.
00:24:50.32\00:24:53.62
And the Holy Spirit
does fill us with that love,
00:24:53.66\00:24:56.62
according to Romans 5,
for those who ask of it.
00:24:56.66\00:24:59.73
And it's that
kind of unselfish love
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that we cannot
generate by ourselves.
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And then, we should try to
actually follow God's example.
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I shared with you already
00:25:10.41\00:25:11.71
that God's passionate love for
His people spurs Him to action.
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It moves Him to do things.
00:25:14.78\00:25:16.64
We saw also that Jesus is,
over and over again, moved to
00:25:16.68\00:25:20.48
compassion, and then He does
something to help the people.
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And in our lives, it's
easy for us to see imagery
00:25:23.35\00:25:26.65
of someone's suffering, imagery
of something going wrong,
00:25:26.69\00:25:29.19
and we have the sympathetic
feeling or reaction, right?
00:25:29.22\00:25:31.69
At least we should--our
heart goes out to them.
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But that's not enough,
to just have the feeling.
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We should actually be willing
to do something for them,
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especially to do
something within our means.
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Now, we can't, you know, solve
all world hunger by ourselves.
00:25:43.74\00:25:46.94
We can't stop wars. We
don't have that kind of power.
00:25:46.98\00:25:50.18
But there are
many things we could do
00:25:50.21\00:25:51.85
within our sphere
of influence, right?
00:25:51.88\00:25:53.75
We can help people
within our sphere of influence.
00:25:53.78\00:25:56.42
We can clothe the naked.
00:25:56.45\00:25:57.95
We can give food to
those who are hungry.
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We can do all kinds of other
things that are tangible, active
00:25:59.92\00:26:03.96
expressions of love that mirror
the love that God has for us.
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When Jesus is moved to
compassion for His people,
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He does something for them.
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And when we're
moved to compassion,
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we should also be
looking for opportunities.
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How can I be a blessing
in this other person's life,
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who needs it? How can I, who
claim to be a follower of God,
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who claim to be a child
of God and know God's love,
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how can I reflect that
love towards someone else
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in a tangible way?
00:26:33.15\00:26:34.96
When I see suffering
and injustice in the world,
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and that moves me,
maybe, to righteous indignation,
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how can I translate
that into positive action
00:26:40.16\00:26:42.63
that will actually make
the world a better place?
00:26:42.66\00:26:44.43
Instead of just complaining
about the way things are,
00:26:44.47\00:26:46.97
what could I do that
would actually make the world
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more loving and more just, as
a reflection of our great God?
00:26:49.50\00:26:52.31
>>Eric: I think as God places
those things on our hearts,
00:26:52.34\00:26:55.58
and we see those
things happening around us,
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He's also going to
give us opportunities
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to remedy those
things in tangible ways.
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Well, we trust that this
week has been a blessing to you.
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Once again, we've been looking
at how God is both passionate
00:27:07.09\00:27:09.86
and compassionate, and
that should translate into
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very tangible, very real
ways in our lives as we look
00:27:14.00\00:27:18.10
at the world around us and
as God gives us opportunities
00:27:18.13\00:27:20.84
to interact with that
world in positive ways.
00:27:20.87\00:27:24.74
We have the opportunity
to reflect Christ's character
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in our lives to
the rest of the world.
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We're going to continue
our study of the look at God
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being a God of love
and a God of justice
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when we come back again next
week for lesson number five.
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We look forward to seeing you,
00:27:41.19\00:27:42.99
once again, here
on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:43.02\00:27:44.69
brought to you by It Is Written.
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