El-kanna

No this is not about Samuel's father Elkanah. We see this El-kanna in Exo:20:5 and Ex:34:14. Where God introduces Himself as thus. The lord whose very name is Jealous and is a jealous God.

Hold on! Are we talking about the Holy God, sinless absolutely perfect God. How can He be jealous? Here He goes a step further. He says His name is Jealous. His very character is that He is jealous.

The problem arises when we attribute selfishness to jealousy. The meaning is so construed that we are not able to see any good in it.

Love in itself becomes distorted when it becomes possessive and selfish.

Self esteem becomes warped when it becomes pride.

There is this thin line between righteous anger and unhealthy one.

So is jealousy.

When God says He is a jealous God, it doesn't negate his attribute of goodness. Yes jealousy has a virtuous meaning. 

Which husband desires to share his wife to someone else. Which wife would ever want to stake her better half. Which parent would ever want to part with their own child?

Is that unhealthy?

Is that contorted?

That is genuine, right?

So means God when He says He is El-kanna. The Almighty God who created you, who loves you with an everlasting love, whose possession are you, who says "you are mine" doesn't want to share you with any other gods - be it Baal/Asherah or gadgets/addictions or any people in your life or your own self.

This is righteous kind of love and jealousy. Not the distorted and crooked and wried sort that the world teaches. We should indeed be rejoicing because our God is jealous of us.

My children often ask, how can God say or do that? Is it right for Him to think like that? Even in their innocence their idea of jealousy is gnarled by world's fallenness and corruption.

We need to redefine jealousy. We need to redefine love for our children, for a better world for them to live.