During the month of April, I’ve chosen to blog through the alphabet. Each day I will use a letter to share a Name of the Lord that begins with that letter based on Proverbs 18:10 and the fact that there is strength in the Lord’s Name. I pray you’ll be blessed and that you’ll stop by often.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Proverbs 18:10 – NIV

Qanna’ ‘El

I was a music major in college. That meant I sang, played the piano, sang in the choir, and attended classes that related to music. There were also required classes that everyone had to take, so those were interspersed with my music.

But then there were the elective hours that could be filled with whatever courses we wanted to take. My option was always an extra Bible class. I loved studying God’s Word (and still do).

What I chose not to take though, were Greek and Hebrew. I struggled with Spanish in middle school and high school, so I knew it wouldn’t be a good fit. Today as I study God’s Word on a deeper level, how I wish I had tried. I believe there are valuable tidbits that can be learned by going back to the original language. I must rely on others for these morsels of goodness.

The Name of the Lord I’ve chosen today is from the Hebrew language. Qanna’ is the Hebrew word for jealous. We all know what jealousy is don’t we? I will suggest that at one point in our lives, we have felt this jealousy bug touch us. Jealous of a schoolmate playing with another person on the playground. Jealous of an achievement of another. Perhaps jealous of another in regard to a spouse. I believe I can safely say we’ve all been jealous.

There are multiple verses in God’s Word that tells us that we are not to be jealous. This is just one. “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery…jealousy…I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 – NIV) God warns us that jealousy is not fitting behavior for His children.

However, we find the word qanna’ in the Old Testament a lot and some of these occurrences are in relation to God. Qanna’ ‘El. Jealous. Take a look at Exodus 34:14 (NIV).  “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

One of God’s names is Jealous. We know in the list of Ten Commandments, God says, “you shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3 – NIV) God’s desire was that nothing would come between our relationships with Him. God was concerned for His people. He knew they would be tempted to turn to other ways of worship. As part of His loving nature, His desire was to spare Israel from the heartache of idol worship.

Think of it this way. You create a magnificent piece of art. You spend effort, time, and money to create the perfect piece. Wouldn’t you do anything in your power to keep it safe? I would say yes.

That is exactly what God has done. He created mankind in His image. He invested in mankind. He desires nothing but good for mankind.

Now God does expect something in return. He desires our devotion and praise to only be focused upon Him. Isaiah 42:8 (NIV) says, “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.”

God is jealous. No, Jealous is jealous. Qanna’ is qanna’. And to be honest, I am blessed beyond words because of God’s jealous nature. He loves me. He pursues me. He wants what is best for me and He will not let me go.

If you don’t know the love of God as many have come to know, I pray that you will take this moment to seek Him. Allow Jesus to become the Lord of your life. Accept the Holy Spirit’s invitation to dwell in your heart. If you have questions about this, just let me know.

Human jealousy is ugly. God’s jealousy is beautiful. I praise Your Name, Qanna’.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna