from Lenae, GEMS Training Manger
Zealous for His Honor
Phinehas son of Eleazar, the
son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he
was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not
put an end to them. - Numbers 25:11
While Moses was on top of the
mountain receiving God’s law, the Israelites were at its foot disobeying it.
When he entered the camp, saw the golden calf and the dancing Israelites, his anger burned and he threw the tablets
out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. Moses
saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of
control (Exodus 32:19, 25).
It was a Popeye moment. The
1930’s Popeye the Sailor cartoon character always came to the pivotal point
where he proclaimed, “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more.” Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and
said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to
me” (Exodus 32:26). The tribe of Levi immediately responded. Zealous for
God’s honor, they strapped on their swords and went back and forth through the
camp, killing their brothers, friends, and neighbors. Three thousand people
died.
Again God’s honor was
compromised in Shittim when the men indulged in sexual immorality with Moabite
women. The LORD’s anger burned at their immorality and idol worship. It was
when Phinehas drove a spear through the Israelite and the Midianite woman’s
body that the plague stopped. Twenty-four thousand people died.
Phinehas was passionate about
making God visible. He was zealous for God’s honor, and exalted His greatness.
He stood up in a culture of compromise and it was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come (Psalm
106:31).
The ever-present temptation
to compromise God’s commands and look a whole lot more like the culture than
Christ is as real today as it was for the Israelites. Think about it. Does our
anger burn like Moses when we see people dance around evil and celebrate sin?
Are we as zealous as Phinehas for God’s glory and honor? Do we strap on the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and do battle in a world of
darkness with His weapon of light?
Sisters in Jesus, we must not
compromise but confront. Stand firm for God’s glory, fight for His honor. Do
not shrink back from being a witness to the Light. Let’s be zealous for His
greatness and earnest in prayer that His glory be over all the earth.
HE>i:
When those around us
make less of God, how do we respond?
His pleasure, His honor, and His will are
the things for which we are meant to live.
Paul David
Tripp
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