Knowing the Truth of God’s Sovereignty
Since last time, I wonder if you have thought about your favorite name of God revealed in Scripture.
Here are the primary, or most used, main names of God in Scripture:
- Yahweh (LORD) — God’s personal, covenant name meaning “I AM” or “Self-Existent One”
(Exodus 3:14). - Elohim (God) — A majestic plural name emphasizing God’s power and creativity
(Genesis 1:1). - Adonai (Lord, Master) — Highlights God’s authority and lordship
(Psalm 110:1). - El Shaddai (God Almighty) — Focuses on God’s all-sufficiency and strength
(Genesis 17:1). - Jehovah Jireh (The LORD Will Provide) — God as provider
Genesis 22:14). - Jehovah Rapha (The LORD Who Heals) — God as healer
(Exodus 15:26). - El Elyon (Most High God) — God’s supreme sovereignty
(Genesis 14:18). - Abba (Father) — Intimate, personal name used by Jesus for God
(Mark 14:36).
There is another name however I stumbled upon in those ancient days of Seminary where I studied the works of great evangelists, preachers, and teachers from the past. Charles Haddon Spurgeon as an English Particular Baptist preacher from England, preached a sermon in 1863 with the title “The Jealous God.” It’s worth a read, and you can probably find it online. That day at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Elephant and Castle, London, which opened for worship in 1650 and originally seated 6,000 people, Spurgeon’s text was Exodus 34:14.
“-for you shall not worship any other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
Does this verse take your breath away. It should.
Jealousy
Today this word carries a lot of baggage with it. Often used in a negative connotation, it refers to thoughts or feelings of insecurity or fear. It implies a concern over the lack of certain possessions or relationships. It may present itself in demonstrations such as fits of anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust.
However, there is a second way to see the word, not conforming to most of current societies thoughts. Jealousy also means “close vigilance.” Seen in biblical text with the Greek word (zelos) it means “tolerating no unfaithfulness.” See where I’m going with this?
The Jealous God
Exodus 34 discusses the replacing of the original stone tables which God had carved with His own finger (Exodus 31:18) which Moses broke in Exodus 32:19 as a burst of outrage at the people’s sin. What’s interesting in chapter 34 is that God is speaking these actual words, they are not original to Moses own thoughts and recollections.
Imagine it. God has descended from the cloud at the top of Mount Sinai. He passes in front of Moses and began speaking in verse 6 and didn’t stop until verse 26, then told Moses to write it all down. It took 40 days and 40 nights where Moses worked the stones to restore the Ten Commandments.
What exactly is God Jealous of?
- God is Jealous of His deity.
- God is Jealous of His Sovereignty.
- God is Jealous of His Glory.
It’s clear His name should rightly be called Jealous, because He says “You shall have no other god except me. I alone am God.” All other would-be deities are fake news. They mean nothing, they are nothing.
It is also clear His name should rightly be called Jealous, because just as Joshua warned the Israelites, “You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your wrongdoing or your sins iIf you abandon the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and destroy you after He has done good to you.” Joshua 24:19-20.
And finally, it is clear His name should rightly be called Jealous, because He says, “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to idols.”
Today
Oh, that’s just ancient Old Testament history stuff. The year is 2026, and things have changed. Right? Wrong! Scripture teaches that “Jesus Christ (GOD the Son) is “the same yesterday and today and forever.” The irrefutable truth is that God is still Jealous today. Jealous that we revere Him as God, the ONLY God. Jealous that we align our wills with His Sovereignty. Jealous that we not try to rob God of the glory He alone deserves, by attributing the things of God as outdated, or irrelevant today.
The Sovereignty of God can be seen in all of the names listed at the beginning of this article. We’ll examine this more in a future article.
Next Time…
Have you ever wondered why good things, prosperity, success, and wealth come to evil people while true believers lack many of these same things? Do bad things happen to Good people and good things happen for Evil people? How does God’s Sovereignty fit into all this?
Buckle up. We are diving deeper into the pool by discussing God’s absolute authority over…. well, you’ll see!
As I was saying... 