Deuteronomy 6

Heard a good discourse on the self-centeredness of God yesterday with John Piper.  I can't even begin to quantify it as it's such an abstract deep thing.  It's certainly not about the narcissistic self-centeredness that plagues the best of us, but more about God's self-existent and fully satisfactory, complete nature, His glory and desire to bring all things to Himself and that those things glorify/magnify Himself.

Anyway, this passage from Deuteronomy touches back unto this for me (the jealousy as part of His nature)

Deu 6:13  It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.
Deu 6:14  You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you--
Deu 6:15  for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God--lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.


"And this act of unfaithfulness would result in judgment since the Lord… is a jealous God (cf. Deu_4:24; Deu_5:9; Deu_32:16, Deu_32:21). This means He is zealous to protect what belongs to Him alone. Jealousy in this sense is ethically right. Jealousy in the sense of envy for another’s possessions or privileges is, of course, wrong."  Comment from BKC

In the discourse, they mentioned that before his conversion, C.S. Lewis found this self-centered praise to be like an old lady who needs to hear compliments about herself all the time....praise Him for this, praise Him for that...kind of thing.  Interesting...