A Little Zealous?

When coaching for sporting events, I have witnessed the zealousness of parents. Their passion for their child to win would many times overlook the rules of the game or a call made by a referee.  To be “right” in their physical world, these parents would step on others.  It was embarrassing. 

To be an upright person, have you ever considered the effects of spiritual zeal in a physical world?  What type of ardent passion do you and I display when “correcting” a brother in Messiah?

Followers of YHWH have been called “zealous” in the Bible. Phineas displayed zeal by taking action to stop a plague and judge the idolatry of Israel (Numbers 25:1–9). YHWH declared that Phineas’s zeal reflected His own zeal for His honor (verses 10–13). Elijah also demonstrated zeal for the Lord in his showdown with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:20–40; 19:10). The command for New Testament believers is to “never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor.” (Romans 12:11).

Zeal for Yah is a positive attribute, but zeal can often be misplaced. We can have “single-minded desire, characterized by “enthusiasm and devotion” for the wrong things. Saul’s zeal was misdirected when he destroyed the Gibeonites (2 Samuel 21:2; cf. Joshua 9:15, 18–21). The apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul, ravaged the Early Church, dragging men and women to prison in his “zealousness for God.” (Acts 8:3)  Both of these leaders lacked “gospel” insight in their zeal.  They relied on the works of their understanding rather than the spiritual insights of the Messiah.

In short, our zeal for Yahweh can actually be wrong, if we lack the right kind of zeal, for “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of the wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) Did you notice that last phrase?  Our battle is not on this earth, but in the heavenly places, therefore we must consider the very nature of our intention when we believe we are right.  Can productive “zeal” be displayed, if we don’t know what the real battle is about or where it is located?

In Isaiah 59:17, we see the Messiah wrapping Himself in a “spiritual mantle” after putting on spiritual armor—the same armor talked about in Ephesians 6.  Have you considered the mantle of the prophets?  What does the mantle symbolize?  If we recall prior events, Elijah parts water with his mantle to proceed to the other side.  Water in the Hebrew language can symbolize the chaos of man.  When the prophet parts the water, we see a picture of righteousness displacing chaos to proceed to the destination.  When Elijah went out of his cave to met Yah (I Kings 19:13) he “wrapped his face in a mantle.”  In this picture we see a covering of protection before the image of Yah—a state of humbleness. 

Friends, if you are zealous for a “righteous cause,” consider the battle. To be in spiritual battle, we need armor as well as a mantle covering.  If that mantle is a state of holiness or righteousness, shouldn’t we be extra careful in our perceptions?  Ask Abba to cleanse your heart first, before you ripe someone’s heart out.  Humble yourself to seek only Yah’s direction.  Finally, if there is any bitterness you are holding against your brother, you may consider the source of your zeal.   

In my opinion our zeal should be reserved for YHWH.  Be passionate about Him.  Speak words that only direct someone to the King of Kings and your zeal will find its purpose.   

Be blessed this Sabbath,

Rollyn