Defending the Old Testament God 2

Paul Copan, in his exceptionally helpful (and very timely) new book, Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God, defends the God of the Old Testament. One of the criticisms of the Old Testament God is that God breaks out into a monumental rage when his chosen people flirt with rival gods — and Bill Maher says this “attribute” of God isn’t even “moral.” Is this God petty and insecure?

Copan begins by defining what we mean by terms. When it comes to Divine Jealousy definitions are very important. Here’s why: for some people, jealousy is petty or it is vindictive or it is overreaction. But in the pages of the Bible God is the Jealous God.

In fact, here is Exodus 34:14: “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” And Deut 4:24: “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” And 32:16: “They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.” And 32:21: “They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.”

And this one from Ezekiel 23:22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side: 23:23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, all of them governors and officials, officers and nobles, all of them riding on horses. 23:24 They will attack you with weapons, chariots, wagons, and with a huge army; they will array themselves against you on every side with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I will assign them the task of judgment; they will punish you according to their laws. 23:25 I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in rage. They will cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors will die by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your survivors will be consumed by fire. 23:26 They will strip your clothes off you and take away your beautiful jewelry. 23:27 So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution which you have practiced in the land of Egypt. You will not seek their help or remember Egypt anymore.

What do you think of when you hear that the biblical God is a Jealous God? Do you see Jealousy as unworthy of God?

Two terms deserve careful distinction: Jealousy describes the reaction we have when our honor, status, glory, stature and place in this world are disrespected or denied. And jealousy is good when it is rightful. Envy, on the other hand, is to desire what another has.

God is Jealous in that he both deserves and desires that his honor and glory and love and status be honored by his people. When they aren’t, God’s response is the rightful reaction to be disrespected.

Analogy: You are the best in your office at some task, say negotiating a deal. Your boss, for some foolish reason, decides to let someone else negotiate. Your reaction to this is Jealousy — tinged, of course, by our own human sinfulness.

The Jealousy of God is like this (without the tinge of sinfulness). And Dawkins and others accuse God of jealousy because God reacts when his people find other gods to worship and act as if idols are providing their food.

Paul Copan offers a critique:

His critique is a gentle and clear and accurate description of how the theme of Jealousy works in the Bible.

It all begins by understanding (1) the honor God deserves and (2) the intimate relationship into which God has entered in the covenant with Israel. God likens his covenant relationship to a relationship of a husband and wife, and if a wife is violently unfaithful, the husband’s honor and love are disrespected and the husband is jealous for his love and for his honor.

Big in this is Copan’s discussion of divine vulnerability in this theme of Jealousy. God’s jealousy emerges out of his love for his people, not out of pettiness.

All in all, Copan shows that Dawkins et al are unfair to the meaning of the term Jealousy and the legitimacy of the feeling of Jealousy — and this especially so with an all holy and all loving and absolutely committed-to-love God. Essentially, they equate this with pettiness and vindictiveness and completely fail to understand the holiness and the vulnerability of God in his always-faithful relationship with Israel.