How Zealous are You for the things of ADONAI?

Torah:  Numbers 25:10 – 30:1

Haftarah:  1 Kings 18:46 – 19:21

B’rit Chadashah:  Romans 11:2 – 32

הָאְנִק  – ‘qana‘

11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. 12 Therefore say, “Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.”‘  ~ Numbers 25:11-13

qana’ – Hebrew, a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) zealous, i.e. (in a bad sense) jealous or envious:–(be) envy(-ious), be (move to, provoke to) jealous(-y), X very, (be) zeal(-ous).

and it’s Greek equivalent…

zeo – Greek, a primary verb; to be hot (boil, of liquids; or glow, of solids), i.e. (figuratively) be fervid (earnest):–be fervent. (from which comes the extended word ‘zeal’)

“10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in Spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer,“ ~ Romans 12:10-12

‘Be aglow, and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.’ – AMP version

You may have noticed a strong connection between ‘zeal’ and ‘enthusiasm’.  To be zealous over the things of ADONAI is to be enthusiastic, and even jealous for those things, just as HE is with us…

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I am zealous [qana] for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.’  ~ Zechariah 8:2

“…(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous [Qanna], is a jealous [qanna] God),”  ~ Exodus 34:14

Therefore, one of the Names of God is El Qanna! [Jealous God]

Now, taking this one step further, we see the Greek word for  ‘enthusiasm’ is ‘entheos’ meaning ‘God within’.  Truly, to be ‘burning aglow, burning with spiritual fervor’ IS TO BE filled with His Spirit, producing fruit and zealous for building ADONAI’s Kingdom and not merely building our own ‘kingdoms’.

Pinchas (Phinehas) was a man whose righteous zeal indeed, caused him to ‘do things with all his might…as unto the LORD, and not unto men’ [Ecclesiastes 9:10; Ephesians 6:6-7].  

This zealous act was ‘done in faith’.  It was done because Phinehas fore mostly and chiefly believed ADONAI!  In other words, it was not the act itself that caused it to be ‘accredited to him as righteousness’ [as Psalm 106 reveals], it was Phinehas’ FAITH!  

And FAITH is nothing less than an ‘ACTIVE TRUST from a believing heart [pure conscience] that produces acts of righteousness in the ZEAL of ADONAI…ENTHEOS!

30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, And the plague was stopped. 31 And that was accounted to him for righteousness To all generations forevermore. ~ Psalm 106

Romans 14:23 cautions us that…

 “…whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful]. “

Both Phinehas and Abraham were JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, not by their works. [Please Read Romans 4:1-8]

You see that we, too, are justified [made righteous] BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST JESUS.  And we also see that whatever ‘works’ we do that are not DONE IN FAITH is SIN [dead works]!  This is why the writer of Hebrews reveals yet another great TRUTH to us:

‘13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?’ ~ Hebrews 9

Conclusion:  True zealous and righteous acts are works done IN FAITH, in union with the Mashiach, in the zeal of ADONAI.  These works will continue on and will be rewarded in the world to come [‘olam haba].  For Scripture declares:

11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 

~ 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

• Do you have a real passion and zeal for the LORD, for the things of the LORD (as the LORD does}?
• Does it show in your work?
• What does this week’s Torah portion and extra drash reveal about your own heart?
• Have you asked the LORD to reveal to you what portion of your work is done IN FAITH (living works to be rewarded) and what work is done without faith (dead works to be burned = sin)?
• What does ‘be aglow, burning with the Spirit’ mean?
• How has The Word convicted and convinced your heart this week?
• What has ADONAI instructed that you do differently this week in your relationships?
• THE WORD can take you anywhere.  Where did the Ruach of ADONAI take you this week in your drash (study)?