If God Is Jealous, Is Jealousy Good?

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Hello, friends! Today’s podcast question is a great one:

"If God is a jealous God, is jealousy good? Please help. I’ve always compared jealousy to envy and coveting, which I know are sins. How should I answer my kids' questions about this?"

This is such an important topic to think through because Scripture clearly states that God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). But what does that actually mean? Does it mean jealousy is good? Or does it mean God contradicts Himself?

We’ll dive deep into these questions today on the Foundation Worldview Podcast—where we equip you to help the children in your care carefully evaluate every idea they encounter and understand the truth of the biblical worldview.

Before we jump in, if you haven’t yet rated and reviewed the Foundation Worldview Podcast, would you take a few seconds to do that? Lately, our growth has been a little stagnant, which is okay, but when that happens, our content becomes harder to find—even for those who have subscribed. So if you could help us out by leaving a rating or review, I’d really appreciate it!

Affirming Your Child’s Questions

Now, back to our question! If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you probably know what I’m going to say first: affirm your child’s question.

If your child asks about jealousy and God, the best first response is:
"Wow! I’m so glad you’re thinking critically about this!"

We want our kids to ask good, hard questions because that’s how they grow in discernment. If we want them to recognize truth and reject lies, they need to practice asking tough questions.

If your child has recently asked you a hard question—whether you affirmed them or struggled with how to answer—I’d love for you to share it in the YouTube comments! It’s always encouraging to hear the thought-provoking questions our kids ask.

Helping Kids Find Answers, Not Just Giving Them Answers

The next thing to remember is don’t just answer off the top of your head.

I say this all the time: We don’t want to simply give our kids answers—we want to teach them how to find good answers.

If we always give them answers, we unintentionally train them to blindly trust us. But what happens when they grow older and stop caring as much about our opinion? If they haven’t learned to think critically, they’ll just blindly trust the next "expert" they look up to—whether that’s a friend, a teacher, a website, or an influencer.

Instead, we need to walk them through the process of finding answers so they develop discernment for themselves.

Obviously, you won’t be able to do this with every question—especially if you have a child who asks five questions a minute! But for big theological questions like "Is jealousy good?" or "Does God contradict Himself?" we need to take the time to help them find solid answers.

Defining "Jealousy"

A great place to start is by looking up the definition of jealousy. When I did this, I found several definitions, but two of them directly relate to what we see in Scripture:

1. Feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages.
2. Being fiercely protective or vigilant over one’s rights or possessions.

So now, we ask: Which of these definitions aligns with what Scripture says about God?

Jealousy as Envy = Always Sinful

Let’s start with the first definition—envy. What does the Bible say about this kind of jealousy?

One passage we can take our kids to is Exodus 20:17, the tenth commandment:

"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s."

This clearly shows that envy is sinful.

Another passage is Galatians 5:19-21, which lists envy and jealousy among the "works of the flesh":

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

So, according to both the Old and New Testaments, this kind of jealousy—jealousy rooted in envy—is always sinful.

Jealousy as Protection = Righteous When God Does It

Now, let’s look at the second definition—being fiercely protective of what is rightfully ours.

What does the Bible say about God’s jealousy? Here are a few key passages:

• Psalm 78:56-58 – Israel’s unfaithfulness “moved God to jealousy” because they were worshiping idols instead of Him.
• Zechariah 8:2 – "Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.’"
• 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 – Paul says he feels a divine jealousy over the Corinthians because they were turning away from Christ.

In these passages, God’s jealousy isn’t about envy—it’s about protecting what belongs to Him.

God’s people belong to Him, and He knows that turning to idols leads to destruction. His jealousy is not sinful—it is a righteous, loving protection for His people.

Can Human Jealousy Be Righteous?

Unlike God, humans can sinfully twist even righteous jealousy.

For example:

• If a husband is jealous for his wife’s faithfulness, that’s appropriate.
• But if he allows that jealousy to lead him into rage or violence, it becomes sin.
• Similarly, protecting our home is good—but if it leads to selfishness and lack of hospitality, it becomes sinful.

So, the first type of jealousy (envy) is always sinful.
The second type (protectiveness) is righteous when God does it, but humans must be careful to use it rightly.

Helping Your Kids Think Critically

For the parent who submitted this question, I encourage you to walk through this process with your kids:

1. Look up the definitions of jealousy.
2. Identify which definitions apply to God.
3. Read through Scripture together.

By doing this, you’ll equip your children not just with an answer—but with the tools to think critically and biblically.