Jealousy- red or green?

In our study of "A Heart Like His" this week we looked at jealousy - the very sour type, of envy that King Saul had of David, and the good kind like the kind of jealousy that God has for us.

you can biblegateway.com your way through the word jealousy and find how it's used throughout the bible - but this is what our bible study pointed out: the difference between the word OF and FOR


jealous of= bad, envious, spiteful, hateful, coveting
jealous for = good, protective, sense of belonging, love

And where the study pulled out several references from the bible that pointed to the 'jealousy for = good' idea, it didn't take into account one of my favorite verses :

Song of Solomon 8:6
Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame

Jealous like RED hot!

I like the idea that God jealously protects us.  I like it very much - and it is right that he do so since we belong to him.

I'm just saying.

Bible Study: A Heart Like His.

Me and some fellow missionary gals are in week one of this bible study that focuses on David.


And I will not promise to post every week about it because that was such a dismal failure with the Boundaries book study - but if something stands out for me I will attempt and have the best intentions to get it posted here. Promise.


Today's insight wasn't from the study, per say, but how the Lord spoke to me - and I'm excited about it.


It's the idea of David being a man after God's own heart - my workbook asked what that meant to me. I've always understood it to mean that David had a heart like God's - so I was trying to define what that meant as I read over the verse again:

1 Samuel 13:14 (New International Version)

But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command.

As I mulled on it the word "after" really popped out.  It didn't say "like" - not even in the King James Version, but "after".  I looked for any other reference like this in the bible and came up with Acts 13:12 

Acts 13:22 (King James Version)

. . . and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

That little word gives me the sense of pursuit - David was a man that pursued God's heart.  Like in woo-ing. A seeking out, a desire to win favor, a passionate persistence . . .


Just stop and think of the implications of that!


(If it helps; think of your significant other first. "Prince Charming is a man after Princess's heart." or "Prince Charming has a heart like Princess" . . . see the difference?)


God makes it clear in the Bible that we are pursued, and wooed by Him.  And that is beautiful - but what if we did the same?


So- go ahead and do what I did: put your name in there~

~Michelle is a woman after God's heart.~

Doesn't it just blow your mind - or is it just me.  If it's just me, I'm OK with that . . .