God declares the end from the beginning. He knows all things—and this has huge implications for our Christian lives.
"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.'"
- Isaiah 46:9b–10
Are we willing to accept the attributes of God that we aren't so comfortable with—such as His vengeance, wrath, and jealousy?
"You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth."
- Deuteronomy 6:14–15
Our ideas of God are always too small. We are not dealing with a tame God, but the God of the Bible who is jealous and wrathful.
"The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies."
- Nahum 1:2
To be jealous for God's name means that we have zeal to see Him honored: the kind of jealousy God commends, not the kind the world provokes.
"Therefore thus says the LORD GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name."
- Ezekiel 39:25
We tend to think of jealousy in negative terms, but the truth is that God has every right to say, "I am a jealous God, and I expect the exclusivity of your worship."
"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image ... You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God."
- Exodus 20:3–5a