TRUTHS - FACTS -
"A Jealous God—In What Sense?
“Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, he is a jealous God.” We can read that comment at Exodus 34:14, but what is its import?
The Hebrew word rendered “jealous” can mean “exacting exclusive devotion, tolerating no rivalry.” In a positive sense that benefits his creatures, Jehovah is jealous respecting his name and worship. (Ezekiel 39:25) His zeal to fulfill what his name represents means that he will carry out his purpose for mankind.
Consider, for example, his judgment of the people dwelling in the land of Canaan. One scholar offers this shocking description: “The worship of Baal, Ashtoreth, and other Canaanite gods consisted in the most extravagant orgies; their temples were centers of vice. . . . Canaanites worshiped, by immoral indulgence, . . . and then, by murdering their first-born children, as a sacrifice to these same gods.”
Archaeologists have discovered jars containing the remains of the sacrificed children. Although God noted the error of the Canaanites in Abraham’s day, he showed patience toward them for 400 years, allowing them ample time to change.—Genesis 15:16.
Were the Canaanites aware of the gravity of their error? Well, they possessed the human faculty of conscience, which jurists recognize as a universal basis for morality and justice. (Romans 2:12-15) Despite that, the Canaanites persisted in their detestable child sacrifices and debased sex practices.
Jehovah in his balanced justice determined that the land needed to be cleansed. This was not genocide. Canaanites, both individuals such as Rahab and whole groups such as the Gibeonites, who voluntarily accepted God’s high moral standards were spared. (Joshua 6:25; 9:3-15)
Rahab became a link in the royal genealogy leading to the Messiah, and descendants of the Gibeonites were privileged to minister at Jehovah’s temple.—Joshua 9:27; Ezra 8:20; Matthew 1:1, 5-16.
Consequently, when one seeks the full and clear picture based on fact, it is easier to see Jehovah as an admirable and just God, jealous in a good way that benefits his faithful creatures.
Did not the Canaanites’ destruction conflict with God’s love? On the surface, God’s exterminating the Canaanites might seem inconsistent with his love. (1 John 4:8) However, that love becomes quite apparent when we take a closer look.
God knew long beforehand that Canaan’s inhabitants were headed in the wrong direction. Yet, instead of immediately wiping them out, he patiently allowed 400 years to pass until their error had “come to completion.”—Genesis 15:16.
When the sin of the Canaanites reached the point where all hope of improvement was gone, Jehovah brought their end. Even so, he did not blindly execute all Canaanites. Why? Because not all were beyond reform. Those willing to change, such as Rahab and the Gibeonites, were shown mercy.—
Joshua 9:3-11, 16-27; Hebrews 11:31."
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