A light emitting device has a semiconductor light emitting element and a multilayer chip varistor. The multilayer chip varistor has a multilayer body with a varistor portion therein, and a plurality of external electrodes disposed on an outer surface of the multilayer body. The varistor portion has a varistor layer containing ZnO as a principal component and exhibiting nonlinear voltage-current characteristics, and a plurality of internal electrodes arranged to interpose the varistor layer between them. Each of the external electrodes is connected to a corresponding internal electrode out of the plurality of internal electrodes. The semiconductor light emitting element is disposed on the multilayer chip varistor. The semiconductor light emitting element is connected to corresponding external electrodes out of the plurality of external electrodes so as to be connected in parallel to the varistor portion.