The Seat of Jealousy

(Ezekiel 8:3 NKJV) He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.

How was it possible for the “image of jealousy” to actually set up its own “seat” in the inner court of the temple? It would appear to have been easier to set it up in the outer court where all the people were gathered than in the inner court where the “men of God” were. After all, men of God are supposed to be more sensitive and less tolerant in allowing such intruders.

There has always been a much higher expectation of the Priest who functions in the inner court than of the people who operate in the outer court. However, the “jealousy” strategy does make more sense in the inner court if one can get by with it. After all, as the Priest goes, so goes the people.

I find it amazing that the “spirit of jealously” still uses this same strategy today in the church as it did in the Temple. The purpose of such strategy is to weaken the Body of Christ and make it ineffective. One may ask, “Since everybody seems to have to deal with jealously at one time or the other then what harm is it?” The fact is, jealously is like a slow growing cancer…it is a destroyer.

When God is jealous for us it is because He is our protector. When we are jealous of one another it is because of our insecurity. There is a big difference between being jealous like God and making someone else jealous like the “image” was doing in our text. Being jealous like God is the result of superiority whereas being jealous like man is the result of inferiority.

 Man’s type of jealousy is a mixture of emotions that can include anger, fear, grief and feelings of betrayal that are the result of a basic survival instinct.

The fact is jealousy has been known to have a negative effect on one’s brain, their stomach, their eyes and their heart. This type of jealousy is rooted in the “seat of the image of jealousy” that was set up in the inner court of the temple. This is obviously not the God kind of jealously.

The “image of jealousy” in our text is a picture of how that same spirit wants to set up shop in our temple (our body), for the purpose of destroying our mind, body and emotions.

Over the years I have known several “jealousy addicts” whose lives were totally miserable because they were jealousy driven.

Many years ago I helped bring a minister to this country. He proved to be a very jealous man. At that time I was blinded by “what I believed to be” his anointing and gifting, but I was totally unaware of this particular character flaw.

The young man had no more than gotten to town when he began manipulating to get rid of the head pastor so he could take over the church. No one knew of all the shenanigans he was trying to pull except me…and I cut his plans off at every turn.

Because I loved our head pastor I would have done anything to protect him and shield him from such dastardly deeds. This was one of those things that I was trying to protect him from and particularly since I endorsed this guy. I actually spent time trying to deal with the “spirit of jealousy” in the young man’s life, but it was so deep that I was never successful.

He eventually left that church and started his own church thinking all the people would go with him…but they did not.

The fact is, jealousy is a destroyer and will always rob one of the success that usually accompanies one’s anointing and gifting.

Father,

Help us to not allow the “seat of the image of jealousy” to be set up in our temple (our body). We only want You to set on the throne of our life so righteousness will prevail. Help us also to be a healing agent to those who face such insecurity, who allow jealousy to rule their lives.

Amen