ON THE VANGUARD

ZEAL IN THE CAMP
“’Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has deflected my anger from the people of Israel by being as zealous as I am, so that I didn’t destroy them in my own zeal.’”
Numbers 25:11

My children enjoy watching the Disney cartoons of Phinehas and Ferb these days. When I had mentioned to them that the name Phinehas was in the Bible, the first question my son asked was if Phinehas had a triangle head like the boy on the cartoon. After I shared a laugh with him about this, I explained to him the account of Phinehas from Numbers 25. To give you a little background on this account, it was soon after the details of Balak and Balaam that Israel began whoring with the women of Moab. They joined in with the worship of Baal, and God’s anger festered. Moses commanded the death of those who had joined themselves to Baal-Por, and the curse was ended at 24,000 people dead when the spear of Phinehas struck the stomach of an Israelite and Midian couple (Num 25:1-9).
If we continue from this account we read in Numbers 25:10-19 the blessing of God on Phinehas for this action. In fact, in verse 11 we read of God commending him for being as zealous as He was and how this action saved the nation from God’s own wrath. The reward to Phinehas was a covenant of peace within the office of the priest, covering him as well as his descendants.
But here is the point I want us to consider in this devotional today – ZEAL. Phinehas was rewarded for his zeal concerning the sin taking place. What does this mean exactly? The word in Hebrew is QANA’. Qana means to excite to a jealous anger. Think back with me to the listing of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. The second commandment states, “You are to have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3). The command is broken down stating that no carved image is to be made or bowed down to and then God states why. “…for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God…” (Ex 20:5). The word used in Exodus 20:5 is QANNA’, from the root QANA’. God is a jealous God. In the moment when Phinehas took the spear and struck the stomachs of the couple, he was acting in the same jealousy that God would have acted in.
So here’s the kicker. Are we a jealous about our God as God is of Himself? Remember, we are still answering the question of what would Jesus do. In this example we have an inside look as to the jealousy that God comes to concerning obedience. We know that Christ obeyed His Father on every account. So then shouldn’t we? What are the things God has told us not to intermarry with, to worship, or to join with? Maybe more accurately asked, are we worship and bowing down to something other than God? I remember back in the late 1990’s singing a song in church by Scott Faircloth. The words were, “I want to love what you love / I want to hate what you hate / teach me the fear of the Lord.” These words cannot just be words. These words must be our prayer and decree as they were for Phinehas. It is time that we rise up also, take the stand that God commands, and no longer let sin in the camp.