Reflections: Are negative-sounding words always negative?

Are negative-sounding words used in the Bible always negative in meaning or application? I’ve encountered people new to faith or questioning their faith tradition, who question terminology such as Exodus 20:5, in which God refers to himself as “a jealous God,” or 2 Corinthians 11:2, where the Apostle Paul refers to himself as “jealous” for the Corinthian Christians, among whom he has worked to help develop their relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Similar questions arise about the term “fear of God”; some people have trouble—sometimes for good reasons, such as past trauma—reconciling that concept with God’s faithfulness and love. With both of those terms, though, context is key. I’m currently taking a hermeneutics class which includes guided practice to examine a term by comparing surrounding verses, the entire chapter or section, other references by the same inspired writer and the entire Bible. With those considerations, while jealousy is considered a negative trait when used as a synonym for envy in terms of Christian conduct, the Exodus passage is in the context of God’s protection of his people, using corrective discipline, if necessary, to keep their focus on Him and not distracted by Satan. Paul, similarly, is broken-hearted by the Corinthians’ susceptibility to false teaching and wants to take steps to get them back on track. 

One of my favorite negative-sounding Bible phrases is “hedge of thorns.” Some of the biblical references deal with God’s corrective discipline—ouch!—such as Hosea 2:6, which implies God using a hedge of difficulties to try to steer Israel away from idolatry. Proverbs 15:19 uses a similar phrase to describe obstacles encountered by folks who are lazy or neglectful as opposed to living righteously. But the same phrase can imply protection: In Job 1:10, Satan accuses God of putting a hedge around Job, saying such protection and blessing were Job’s only motives for obeying God. In the Job story, God allowed testing to prove Satan’s accusation wrong, and Job passed the test; but other biblical examples also show that such protection does in fact exist. 

I grew up around Kansas farms, where a hedge surrounding crop fields served as a windbreak as well as helping slow down certain critters from dashing into the field for a snack. The children’s story of Brer Rabbit is a wonderful reminder that a hedge can serve dual purposes—by begging Brer Fox NOT to throw him into the briar patch, the rabbit convinces Brer Fox to do just that, where the rabbit feels right at home but the fox does not. I don’t know how or why God may choose to allow, not allow, or use a “hedge of thorns” in my life or anyone else’s, but I do know God can be trusted in all circumstances! 

When something seems negative or undesirable, I’m trying to remember to look at the context: Can I learn from it? Is God showing me something I need to change or at least be aware of? Maybe negative words aren’t always negative after all.