In this article, we will deal with two basic questions:

  • Is it wrong for God to show favoritism to certain people, if He expects us to not show such favoritism?
  • Is it wrong for God to be jealous, if He expects us to not be jealous?

Is It Wrong for God to Show Favoritism to Certain People, if He Expects Us to Not  Show Such Favoritism?

First, we will define the term favoritism.  According to Webster’s Dictionary, favoritism is “the showing of more kindness and indulgence to some person or persons than to others.” 

Now, we will consider what the Bible says with regard to favoritism.  [Note:  When we quote Scripture in this article, we use the wording in the New King James Version of the Bible, unless noted otherwise.]  

Scriptures that Indicate People Should Not Show Favoritism To Other People

There are a number of scriptures, including the following, that indicate people should not show favoritism (or partiality) toward other people.  [Note:  When we quote Scripture in this article, we use the wording in the New King James Version of the Bible, unless noted otherwise.]  

Leviticus 19:15: You shall do no injustice in judgment.  You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty.  But in righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.

Deuteronomy 1:17a: You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great. . . .

Proverbs 24:23b: It is not good to show partiality in judgment.

James 2:9: [I]f you show partiality [toward other people], you commit sin. . . .

Scriptures that Indicate God (the Father) Showed Favoritism for Certain People

Genesis 12:3: [God tells Abraham] “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. . . .”

Psalm 135:4: For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel [Jacob’s descendants] for His special treasure.

Malachi 1:2-3a: “I have loved you,” says the Lord.  Yet you say, “In what way have you loved us?”  “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” says the Lord.  “Yet Jacob have I loved, but Esau I have hated. . . .”

Psalm 106:23:  Refers to Moses as God’s “chosen one.”

1 Samuel 16:1: Then the Lord said to Samuel, “. . . I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite.  For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”  Subsequently, in verse 13, we learn that the person God has chosen is David.

1 Chronicles 28:4: [David says] “[T]he Lord God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel. . . .”

2 Chronicles 6:6b: [Solomon states that God previously had said] “I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.”

1 Chronicles 28:5-6: [David says] “[O]f all my sons . . . He [God] has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.  Now He said to me, ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father.’”

Furthermore, God showed favoritism for the Hebrews/Jews as a nation.  There are a number of scriptures that make it clear that the Hebrews/Jews were – and still may be – God’s “Chosen People.” In addition, several scriptures indicate that Christians are chosen by God, so Christians may also be regarded as God’s “Chosen People.”  [Note: For a discussion of scriptures that support these perspectives, click on the title of our article entitled “Are Christians Now God’s Chosen People?”]

Scriptures that Indicate Jesus Christ (God Incarnate) Showed Favoritism for Certain Disciples

Matthew 17:1: Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves. . . .

Mark 5;37: [Jesus] permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 

Mark 9:2: Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.

Mark 14:32-33: Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He {Jesus] said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And He took Peter, James, and John with Him. . . . 

Luke 8:51: When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.

Luke 9:28: Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He [Jesus] took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

The preceding scriptures indicate that, on several occasions, Jesus Christ showed favoritism for the same three of His 12 disciples who comprised His “inner circle” of disciples.

Scriptures that Indicate God Does Not Show Favoritism for Certain People

In contrast with all of the previous scriptures, the following scriptures state that God does not show favoritism:

2 Chronicles 19:7b: [F]or there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality . . . .

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible indicates that this scripture pertains to whether a person is “high or low, rich or poor” (i.e., their socioeconomic status).

Acts 10:34-35: Then Peter . . . said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.   But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” 

With regard to this scripture, a footnote in the NIV Bible states,

God does not favor individuals because of their station in life, their nationality or their material possessions. . . . He does, however, respect their character and judge their work.  This is evident because God ‘accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right’. . . .

Romans 2:10-11: [G]lory, honor and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For there is no partiality with God.

According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word that is translated as partiality (or respect) in this scripture refers to “the position, rank, popularity, or circumstances of men, instead of their intrinsic conditions, preferring the rich and powerful to those who are not so.”  Similarly, Matthew Henry’s Commentary states, “As to the spiritual state, there is a respect of persons; but not as to outward relation or condition.”

In other words, Romans 2:10-11 indicates that God does not show partiality based upon a person’s earthly status. As for Acts 10:34, which we cited previously, some sources indicate that the meaning of the term translated as “partiality” in that verse of scripture is similar to, if not exactly the same as, its meaning in Romans 2:10-11.

Thus, the aforementioned New Testament scriptures apply only to God’s judgment of people for their actions, and these scriptures indicate that God is not a respecter of anything about a person other than his (or her) inner character.  In this regard, 1 Samuel 16:7b states, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  This infers that God focuses on a person’s inner character.

Reconciliation of Apparent Discrepancies Regarding Favoritism

Certainly, the Bible records a number of instances that indicate God and Jesus Christ have shown favoritism (or preference) for certain people.  However, several scriptures which we will subsequently discuss, state that God loves everyone, thereby implying that He does not show favoritism (or partiality) without appropriate justification. 

Because God is omniscient, He knows what a person is capable of accomplishing.  [For a discussion of God’s omniscience, click on “Is God Really Omnipotent and Omniscient?”] Therefore, one probable reason why God shows favoritism is to ensure that what He wants to accomplish through humans will be achieved.  There may be other reasons why God shows favoritism, but we may not be able to comprehend them, as indicated by the following scripture:

Isaiah 55:8-9: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Is It Wrong for God to Be Jealous, If He Expects Us to Not Be Jealous?

Webster’s Dictionary defines jealous as “intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness; disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness: apprehensive of the loss of another’s exclusive devotion.”

There are a number of scriptures that indicate God is jealous, including the following:

Exodus 20:5b: “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. . . .” 

According to Strong’s Concordance, the word that is translated as jealous in this scripture “refers directly to the attributes of God’s justice and holiness, as He is the sole object of human worship and not tolerate man’s sin.”

Exodus 34:14: [Y]ou shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.  

In reference to this scripture, Strong’s Concordance says, “God is not tainted with the negative connotation of the verb [that is translated as jealous]. . . His holiness does not tolerate competitors or those who sin against him.”

Deuteronomy 4:24: For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

The comments made by Strong’s Concordance with regard to Exodus 20:5b above are also applicable to this passage and to the next two passages.

Deuteronomy 5:9b: “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. . . .” 

Deuteronomy 6:15a: [T]he Lord your God is a jealous God among you. . . .

So, is it wrong for God to be jealous?  Interestingly, there do not seem to be any scriptures that clearly indicate jealously is wrong, even for humans.  Apparently, jealousy itself is not wrong, but rather it is how we express our jealousy that determines whether or not we are committing a sin.  If our jealousy leads to behavior that the Bible indicates is wrong, then it is that behavior, not the jealousy itself, that results in sin.

In any case, God is the Creator of the entire universe.  He is not being selfish when He expects us to give Him top priority in our life.  Selfishness implies having disregard for others.  God does not have disregard for any person.  In fact, as the following scriptures indicate, God loves everyone.

John 3:16: [Jesus Christ declared] “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

John 17:23b: [Jesus Christ prayed] “that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

Romans 5:8: God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 

Most significantly, these scriptures indicate that, because God loves every person, He is not partial regarding who can have eternal salvation.

Conclusion

Because God does not show favoritism without proper justification and because He deserves to be worshipped and honored by everyone, we believe that the types of favoritism and jealousy that He demonstrates are appropriate.  So, if we fail to worship and honor Him, He is justified in being jealous.