Describe Him: Passionate

While this word is often associated with romance, the dictionary defines passionate as an “intense desire for something” or “tending to have strong feelings.”  When it comes to how God feels about His glory and name among the nations, I believe passionate is a very accurate adjective.

We see this idea come out in the first two commandments that God gave to the Israelites:

Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,  2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God…

He is the One and the Only, and there is to be no other who takes His place in our hearts. Add in there that He is also jealous—demanding exclusive loyalty or adherence--and we have a God passionate about being worshiped as the One true God. 

Go over to Isaiah and again we see the idea of “no competing affections allowed”:

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 

Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. 

Isaiah 48:11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another. 

Is there any doubt that God is passionate that all of the affections of our heart be devoted to loving and worshiping Him and Him alone? That He wants the nations to know that HE IS THE LORD?