A Zealous God

On New Year's Eve, God impressed upon me "What God has blessed, no one can curse". That brought me to the book of Numbers, in particular, chapters 22 to 24. As I read on Numbers 25, which speaks about Israel’s harlotry in Moab, something struck me. We see in verse 6 how an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the entire assembly of Israel, after Moses declared to the leaders what God said – to put to death those who indulged in idolatry and yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. What caught my attention is in verses 7 to 13. When Phinehas (the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel) saw what happened, he took a spear and followed the Israelite into the tent. He thrusted the spear into both of them – right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. This may be gruesome to us (for me, at least) but it was this very act that stopped the plague against the Israelites (which already killed 24,000). It turned away God’s anger from the Israelites. The Lord commended Phinehas for his zeal – “he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal” (v11). God gave him and his descendants His covenant of peace, a covenant of everlasting priesthood because he was zealous for God. While this is in the Old Testament, I cannot help but think how our God is a zealous God, and His nature does not change be it in the Old Testament or New Testament. God is a righteous God from the beginning to the end, hates injustice and cares for the broken, the marginalised and the meek. Meek as we are, there comes a time where we may have to make certain decisions and stand up for what we believe is right - if unsure, check the Bible. God's nature and His commandments are unchanging. Sometimes what we stand up for may seem foolish (and disapproved of) in the eyes of our family, friends and the public, and it comes at a hefty cost. However, let us not forget that Jesus too did a very “foolish” thing by dying on the Cross for all humanity, when He Himself is completely sinless and pure. Is it worth it? To Him, we are worth it. He went to the Cross because of God's zeal for us. If Jesus is alive today and we see Him going to the Cross for us, would we call Him "overzealous"? Why go through the undeserved suffering? Yet He takes after the nature of our Abba Father, that being zealous. Likewise, we too, must be zealous for the things that God has revealed to us and given us the conviction for, and not just sit and watch as events unfold. We are called to be the salt and light of this earth. God hates injustice, so we too hate it. Like what David said in Psalm 139, he hated those who are against God with perfect hatred and count them his enemies. Why so? Because David is a man after God's own heart. Yes – Jesus is love, but He is also zealous with His love. Are we, too, zealous for the Him?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for revealing to us Your nature. Thank You for Your zealous love for us, even as we are undeserving of it, You see us worthy. We may not always have the courage and the zeal for the things that please You, or responding to the things You have called us to do or even things You have placed in our hearts, but today we ask that You give us the boldness and courage as we live a life surrendered to You. No longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Help us to stand up for things that matter to You, even if it seems foolish in the eyes of others. We choose to be that salt and light that You have called us to be.

In Jesus' most precious name we ask and pray, Amen!