Oprah got it wrong.Yes, I realize for some people such a claim is heresy of the highest order. But, believe it or not, Oprah really seriously misunderstands Scripture.

I recently heard her say that she attended church regularly until she heard a preacher describe God as a “jealous God.”

The term troubled her. How could the Supreme Being possess such a crass character flaw as jealousy? Why should God be insecure?

I’m guessing she went through her share of guys who were jealous and thus tended be manipulative, domineering jerks or crybabies. And she is smart enough to know that the root cause of jealousy is often deep seated insecurity. But what would make the Almighty feel that way?

Well, she just couldn’t buy into a belief system that worshipped such a neurotic deity, so she began conjuring up her own faith, which she believes is free of such negative notions as a jealous God. Call it Oprahism.

But here’s the problem. She missed the real point entirely.

One of the great chellenges in trying to express the most profound truths is that words are often inadequate. Sometimes, when translating from one language to another, the subtler meanings are lost. For instance, English has one word for love. Thus, in English, I can love my wife and children and also love Nathan’s hot dogs. One would hope, however, that the affection I have for my family is more profound than my regard for a particular brand of tube steak.

In New Testament Greek there are several words for love. Philia is “brotherly love.” Eros is romantic love (and a lot more than just sex). Agape is selfless, compassionate love, and the term most frequently used in the New Testament.

As for the word “jealous” when applied to God…Well, what the Scriptures are trying to say is that God does not want us loving other, considerably lesser,  gods. Not because of insecurity, but because God knows what those other “deities” do to us.

Years ago, I had a Bible Study with a group of recovering crack heads. We were discussing the Ten Commandments, and I asked them which one was first? They proceeded to name pretty much every other commandment, but the First.

The full text of that commandment is: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; Do not have any other gods before me.

I recall one high school student responding that it was rather rude of God to place such a restriction on her affections and affiliations. Who was God to do such a thing?

God answers that question in the first part of the commandment which is usually, and improperly, ignored and excised from all those displays of the commandments: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…

In other words, “I am the One who saved you. All those other gods whom people worship were quite content to let you languish in the slave pits.”

I then asked the women what god they had been worshipping for the last several years? What god had ruled their actions and haunted their thoughts?

“Crack.” they all admitted. It had effectively been their god.

“And in the service of that god; did you steal, lie, betray your families, act sexually irresponsibly, and maybe even risk killing someone either intentionally or accidentally?”

“Yes” they all admitted.

“Well, you did that in the service and worship of a false god that enslaved you,” I responded, “And now, by the grace of the true God, you are finding the love and hope you need to overcome your life and soul destroying addictions.”

Suddenly, a “jealous” God didn’t seem so unreasonable or cosmically neurotic.

This is what the prophets were trying to communicate, using language. If you saw someone whom you passionately loved and cared for, essentially dismissing your affection and concern; and then giving their time and attention to someone whom you knew was going be bad for them…what emotion would that elicit for you?

How would you feel toward this false lover who was simply using and destroying someone for whom you have the deepest love? Would that be jealousy? For anyone who has ever loved someone who left them for a “bad boy” or “bad girl” the pain of this is all too familiar and searing. God feels is every moment.

The only way for God not to be deeply hurt and frustrated by our dangerously misguided affections, would be to simply stop loving us.

Oprah lost this in translation. She read it through the lens of her experience with men who were insecure and abusive. An honest mistake. But one which fails to recognize that even true love can be jealous, when it is not recognized or acknowledged.

Oprah...and others…may find a jealous God off-putting. I would find a God who didn’t care about us enough to be jealous, far more disappointing.

In Ministry With You,

Bob Morwell