The Trinity 4 - The Green Eyed Monster? Series

THE TRINITY IV The Green Eyed Monster?

10/21/12

I believe that most of you have heard jealousy defined as “The green eyed monster”. The phrase comes from the Shakespearian play Othello.

It is uttered by the nemesis of Othello, Iago (ya-go), he states to Othello, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey’d monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on…” From what I could find no one knows exactly what Shakespeare had in mind in calling jealousy a green eyed monster. The best guess I think is that he is referring to a cat. As many cats have green eyes, and they also have a habit of playing with their catch before they eat it.

Be it as it may, jealousy is looked at as being something that is sinful and wrong. Yet, we must understand that jealousy is not always wrong. As we will see today there is a jealousy that is holy and pure, that is the jealousy of God. The Bible recognizes two different types of jealousy, that which is sinful, that is the type of jealousy by which we think “you have what I want, and because you have it, I dislike, or wish ill will towards you.” That Jealousy is based on pride and self.

But these is also the type jealousy that J.I. Packer defines as a “zeal to protect a love-relationship, or to avenge it when broken.” That is a godly jealousy. For this jealousy is based on love. Giving love and receiving love in return. This jealousy is one that seeks to defend that giving and receiving of love.

As we have been studying the doctrine of the Trinity over the last few weeks we have been working off an illustration that I gave, that I believe helps us to understand on a human level the importance of the Trinity on a Spiritual level. It also demonstrates for us why love is at the center of our understanding of the Trinity. I believe this illustration will help us to understand not only the importance of the Trinity, but I believe it will help us to develop in ways you can clearly see, that the Trinity is about love. I am going to present the illustration again very briefly and move on to the fourth specific Scriptural truths that this illustration makes clear to us.

Before I present the illustration I wish to again remind you what we mean by the term Trinity, as Dr. James White states, “Within the one being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal persons, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Now to our illustration. You go into Brooks restaurant to eat. There in corner you see me with a young blond haired, blued eyed women who appears to be about 5’9” tall. We are doing the kissy, kissy thing, holding hands etc. You come over to confront me, wanting to know what I thing I’m doing with this women who is not my wife. I protest and tell you that this is my wife Darleen. You object by saying, you know my wife Darleen, she is 5’ tall, has brown hair and brown eye, and this is not my wife. I continue to say, no you are wrong, this is my wife Darleen and you do not know what you are talking about.

My question was, what would be going through your mind about then. Anger, hurt. You would probably not like me very much after that, you would certainly feel sympathy for Darleen. And all those emotions would come from love that you have towards Darleen and myself.

I then asked you to consider if it were my daughter Brooke who saw me. Think of what would go through her mind if the same thing had happened. She has a more intimate love for Darleen that any of you. She knows first hand what a loving mom and wife she is. Think of how she would react if I said “This is my wife Darleen” to her. The hurt would be greater because the love is greater.

I also asked you to consider if it were my wife Darleen in that situation and I said the same thing to her. There would certainly be some emotions there. Hurt, jealousy, anger. Again, the hurt would be greater because the love towards me is greater and also of a different kind.

I will remind you that the main premise of this illustration is the fact that calling another women my wife does not in fact make her my wife, any more then calling something god, makes it the true and living God of the Bible.

Let us move now to the forth specific scripture truth that this illustration makes clear to us is that God is a jealous God. The point is if you deny the triune nature of God, deny the very way in which God reveals Himself, what you are then doing, is worshiping something other then the truth and living God. You are loving something other than God, loving something over God, you are giving adoration that belongs to God alone and that brings about the jealousy of God.