Zealous For the Honour of God

The first nine chapters of first Chronicles can be quite hard to read as it contains one list of genealogy after another. It is easy to skip over to Chapter ten and read about the life of King David instead, but I found that there is hidden treasure in these previous chapters if you have eyes to see. I hit on one of those precious jewels this morning when I read today’s verse. In the few verses preceding, there is recorded a list of gatekeepers who were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the Tent. Their position was a position of trust and not to be taken lightly or flippantly(1 Chronicles 9:22). In days past, Phinehas had been in charge of the gatekeepers and the Lord was with him. These last five words jumped out at me as I read them and I started to research the life of Phinehas.

Why was he given special mention in this narrative? In Numbers 25 we discover that he was zealous for the honour of his God and had made atonement for the Israelites after they had gravely sinned. God not only commended Phinehas for this but made a covenant of peace and lasting priesthood with him (Numbers 25:10-13). He had sided with God and now God was siding with him. After reading this narrative, I stopped momentarily and asked myself whether I was as zealous for the honour of my God as Phinehas was. Unfortunately, the answer was no. How about you? I am not recommending that we take up a spear like Phinehas did and thrust it through the bodies of those who are defying the word of our God. His actions were appropriate for that situation and for that time, but not for now. We are New Covenant believers and Phinehas was living under the Old. I still believe that God calls each of his people to be ‘zealous for his honour’ though.

“What does that look like practically, in the twenty first century?” you may very well ask. That is a very good question and one that I have been pondering on. Firstly, I think it is about priorities and heart attitude. Do we put the worship of God, His will and His perspective above all else? Do we desire to please Him above pleasing all others? Secondly, are we grieved by the things that grieve Him and do we hate the things that God hates? Thirdly, are we offended when others ‘touch His glory’ and attempt to elevate themselves above Him? God makes it quite clear in Scripture that He will not share His glory with another! (Psalm 115:1). May God help each one of us to be men and women who are zealous for His honour.

Prayer: God, I want to be like Your servant Phinehas – zealous for Your honour. I declare Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Amen.