“JEALOUSY” (GAL. 5:20)

INTRODUCTION:

1. A man who owned a hardware store wanted to hire another employee.

2. The storeowner wanted to groom someone to one day take over the business.

3. After conducting some interviews, he had narrowed his choice to 3 boys.

4. I will call these boys Ed, Jack, and Tom.

5. On Monday the storeowner asked Ed to come to the store.

A. Ed was given a pie pan and told to deliver this pan to a certain customer.

B. Ed attempted to deliver the pan but could not find the address.

C. He phoned back to the store to make sure the address he had was correct.

D. The owner said, “You have the right address.”

E. Ed returned and said, “The customer is not at that address.”

6. On Tuesday Jack was called to the store.

A. Jack was asked to deliver a pie pan to this same address.

B. Jack returned saying the address was a church building.

C. He added that a woman had lived at this address some time ago but she had moved away.

7. The storeowner called the third boy, Tom, and asked him to come in on Wednesday.

A. Tom was given the same pan and told to deliver it to the same address.

B. Tom soon learned that the woman who previously lived there had moved away.

C. He found out everything that Jack had learned the previous day.

D. However, Tom went further than Jack.

E. Tom pressed the issue and found out where the woman had moved.

F. He then went to the woman’s house to deliver the pie pan.

G. When the woman said she had not ordered any pan, Tom made an impromptu sales pitch.

H. Tom convinced the woman to buy the pie pan.

I. Guess which boy was hired by the storeowner.

I. TOM HAD ZEAL, ENTHUSIASM, AND DETERMINATION.

A. Tom’s dedication and earnestness leads us to Gal. 5.

B. In this chapter Paul listed “jealousy” as a work of the flesh.

C. The KJV uses the word “emulation”.

D. This may surprise some but the word translated jealousy is not always bad.

E. The word translated “jealousy/emulation” in v. 20 can be good.

F. When we eventually get to v. 21 and examine the word “envy”, all that must be said about envy is bad.

G. As we study jealousy, some good things can be said about it.

H. I am going to start with the OT.

I. The word translated “jealousy/emulation” is used in the LXX.

J. The LXX/Septuagint is a Greek translation of the OT.

K. Jesus would have had access to this translation.

L. When the writers translated the Hebrew OT into Greek, they used the same word that Paul used in

Gal. 5:20.

M. In some places the translators used this word to describe God.

N. In Isa. 9:7 there is a promise.

O. Isaiah added that this promise would be fulfilled.

P. The basis for the fulfillment was the “zeal of God”. “Zeal” is translated “jealousy” in Greek.

Q. God’s determination would be so strong, the promise would be fulfilled.

R. God’s zeal reminds us of Tom.

S. Tom wanted a job, and even in spite of some obstacles, he completed his task.

(1) In Isa. 9:7 God’s “jealousy” is zeal.

(2) Translators used this word to describe God’s determination.

T. The word translated “jealousy” in the OT is used in other ways.

U. Many times in the OT Israel is compared to God’s bride.

V. God is the husband; Israel is the wife.

W. At times the Hebrew people are pictured as seeing other men; at times the nation is described as unfaithful.

X. The prophets said this unfaithfulness made God jealous.

Y. References for this are Ezek. 16:37-38 and 23:25.

Z. Jealousy in the Greek OT was also applied to men.

A. Ps. 69:9 – “zeal for thine house has consumed me.”

B. There were some men who were on fire for God.

C. Some men in the OT had zeal and passion for God and this is good.

D. In the OT the word for “jealousy” sometimes had a good meaning.

E. There were also times when this word had a bad meaning.

F. One example of sinful jealousy is found in Job 5:2.

G. An uninspired friend of Job’s said, “jealousy kills.”

H. Not every statement made by Job’s friends was on the money but this one was. Jealousy kills.

I. Prov. 6:34 says that jealousy makes a man “furious”.

II. FROM THE OT WE ARE LEFT WITH THE CONCLUSION THAT “EMULATION/JEALOUSY” CAN BE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE.

A. Let’s now come to the NT.

B. In the second half of the Bible, this word still has a good meaning and a bad meaning.

C. In fact, there are several shades of meaning for the word used in the NT.

D. The first idea might be called “holy zeal”.

E. Earlier I cited Ps. 69:9 – “zeal for thine house has consumed me.”

F. This OT Psalm is quoted and applied to Jesus in Jno. 2:17.

G. Jesus Christ was jealous in the sense of zealousness when it came to serving His Father.

H. His zeal (jealousy) in Jno. 2 is illustrated by his cleaning out the temple courts.

I. Jealousy in the sense of zeal is also found in Rom. 10:2.

J. Paul knew that some Jewish people did not know Christ.

K. These people were very religious but they wanted to stay with their own righteousness.

L. This determination caused Paul to write Rom. 10:1 – READ.

M. Paul said that he too was familiar with jealousy.

N. He made this known in Phil. 3:6 – “I zealously persecuted the church.”

O. Paul had the same kind of drive for God that Jesus did.

P. The word “jealousy” in some places means “zeal”.

(1) This zeal, if properly channeled, is good.

(2) The word translated “jealousy” also has another good meaning.

Q. At times people attempt to reach some type of goal.

R. Think back to the 3 boys who were trying a get a job.

S. Tom wholly devoted himself to delivering a pie pan.

T. In 1 Cor. 12-14 Paul described spiritual gifts.

U. Paul told these brethren that tongues were not the best gift.

V. There were other gifts that would be better than tongues.

W. 1 Cor. 12:31 – READ.

X. “Covet earnestly” (be jealous for) the best gifts.”

Y. One gift to be jealous for (earnestly desire) is prophesy. I Cor. 14:39

Z. The Corinthians were also jealous in another way that was good.

A. 2 Cor. 9:2 says that these brethren were zealous in the area of giving.

B. The Corinthians had been quick to come forward and say, “We will give to the saints. We are

determined to help our brethren who are suffering.”

III. I HAVE SPENT A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME TRYING TO ESTABLISH THAT THE WORD TRANSLATED “JEALOUSY” CAN HAVE A GOOD MEANING. IT CAN DESCRIBE BOTH GREAT ZEAL AND PEOPLE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO REACHING SOME TYPE OF GOAL.

A. If this word is properly explained, we must acknowledge that the word translated “jealousy” has

some good lessons for us.

B. It encourages us to have passion and zeal for God.

C. The word jealousy indicates we are to be zealous in helping others.

D. The word used by Paul can describe spiritual dedication and determination.

E. Someone may be thinking, “How can this be?”

F. How can jealousy ever be good since Paul listed it as a work of the flesh?

G. Paul said that jealousy will keep us out of heaven.

H. My answer to this potential question has already been given.

I. I said the word translated jealousy had several shades of meaning.

J. We have looked at the good side of this term.

K. Now we are ready for the side that Paul had in mind in Gal. 5.

L. If you would like to see an intriguing example, look at Acts 5.

(1) This chapter starts out with Ananias and Sapphira.

(2) V. 12 says that great signs were being done by the apostles.

(3) The Christians were in the spotlight, V. 13.

(4) People were coming from outside Jerusalem, V. 16.

(5) Here is what V. 17 says – READ.

(6) The KJV has “indignation”.

(7) The ASV uses the word “jealousy”.

(8) Acts 5:17 uses the same word that we have in Gal. 5.

(9) These religious people were jealous. They had ill feelings towards the apostles.

(10) These bad feelings were intense – “filled with jealousy”.

(11) The jealousy was so great that these men imprisoned some of the apostles.

(12) Here is jealousy that is a work of the flesh.

M. Jealousy is also found two chapters later in Acts.

N. Stephen gave a Jewish history lesson to some people.

O. Listen to what is said about Joseph. Acts 7:9 – READ.

P. Acts 7:9 uses the same word that we have in Gal. 5.

Q. Jealousy can describe bad feelings towards someone.

R. Because of what someone has, or is, bad feelings are in the heart.

S. Jealousy can live in the heart and soul of people.

T. One definition for the jealousy described in Acts 2, Acts 7, and Gal. 5 is:

“the kind of zeal that does not try to help others but rather tries to harm them.” (EDNT Vol. 2, P. 100)

(1) Jealousy is a problem with the heart.

(2) The bad feelings caused by it create a desire to harm people.

U. Let’s look at another example in the book of Acts. This illustration comes from Acts 13.

V. Luke says that Paul had to face some people who were jealous.

W. This jealousy created some significant problems.

X. Acts 13:43 – READ. Paul and Barnabas were having some success.

Y. Now to v. 44 – READ.

Z. A huge crowd came to hear the gospel. Did this large assembly make everyone happy?

A. V. 45 – READ. The Jews were jealous.

(1) Doesn’t this verse give us a perfect illustration of jealousy?

(2) It does not take much of an imagination to know what the Jews were thinking.

(3) Even the most unskilled Bible student can know what these people were contemplating.

B. These Jews had ill feelings towards Christians.

C. Ill feelings in Acts 7 caused brothers to turn on their own flesh and blood.

D. In Acts 5 jealousy caused people to put godly men in jail.

E. Now we find that jealousy led to Jews speaking against the gospel.

F. No wonder jealousy is called a work of the flesh.

G. One more example of jealousy in the book of Acts is in 17:5. READ.

H. The jealousy in Gal. 5 does not try to help others; rather, it creates in the heart a desire to harm others.

I. Because people get upset and agitated; or they want what someone else has; or because someone else is getting the attention; jealousy is formed in the heart.

J. A simple way to evaluate jealousy in good English – a helpful tip: If we are jealous “of” someone there is a problem.

(1) The brothers in Acts 7 were jealous “of” Joseph.

(2) The religious leaders in Acts 5 were jealous “of” the Christians/disciples.

(3) The Jews were jealous “of” people like Paul.

(4) People are still jealous “of”:

(5) Another’s looks, possessions, charm, status, education, etc.

(6) This type of jealousy is always wrong.

K. On the other hand, Christ was jealous “for” His Father’s house.

L. The Corinthians could be jealous “for” spiritual gifts.

M. Being jealous “for” something is often a good thing.

N. It is good because it expresses positive zeal and determination.

CONCLUSION:

1. Jesus said that man shall live by “every word” from God.

2. This statement by the Lord is literally true.

3. There are individual words in the NT that will guide our lives.

4. Tonight we have examined one more of them.

5. If we are someone who is jealous “of” someone or some thing, we are guilty of sin.

6. The Bible teaches that this sin can be forgiven.