Elijah was a good man who loved the Lord. He could not bear the thought of the people of God rebelling against the Lord. Although misguided into thinking that he was the only remaining person who cared about the things of God, he certainly did care. Elijah took things personally when the people forsook the Lord’s covenant, threw down His altars, and killed His prophets. Elijah constantly pleaded with them to make things right. The apostle Paul felt the same way, but his feelings even extended to a jealousy over the people of God (2 Corinthians 11:2). Unfortunately, few people today seem to take such a personal interest in the Lord or His people.
The Bible consistently identifies the Lord as a jealous God. As the Creator, He deserves man’s undivided allegiance. As the most High God, He is worthy of man’s unadulterated worship. It is often in this vein that the Bible speaks of God’s jealousy. He warned Israel not to make or bow down to any graven images (Exodus 20:4-5; Deuteronomy 5:8-9; Psalm 78:58) because He was a jealous God and would have no choice but to judge such infidelity. The same was true of any false god (Deuteronomy 32:16) or sin (1 Kings 14:22) which man allowed to come between him and his Creator. God is perfectly just in His jealousy since man was created for God’s pleasure (Revelation 4:11).
Paul’s stedfastness in the gospel message caused a stir throughout Asia. He boldly declared that the people’s idols were no gods at all. Such preaching angered the local craftsmen so they met together to discuss how to stop Paul and end his message’s impact of their livelihood. The mass confusion intensified the fear as it spread throughout the city. As some of Paul’s companions were ushered into the theatre, the crowd cried out conflicting things to the point that many had no idea why they had even gathered together. The people’s confusion escalated. Because of conflicting reports, they were unable to discern the reality of the situation. Confusion thrives when conflicting statements or feelings are present and people fail to discern the truth.
