A Leader's Zeal

More Encouragement for Small Group Leaders

I love the account of Phinehas' zeal in Numbers 25. Do you remember the story? Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron, the Priest. And when the Israelites were weeping before the Lord because they were being punished with a plague for their sexual sins, a man from the tribe of Simeon walked right past them with a Midianite woman. Phinehas was indignant. He grabbed a spear, followed them to their tent and drove it right through both bodies. His action put an end to them, an end to their sin, and an end to the plague.

BUT what inspires me was that God was impressed with Phinehas’ zeal. God commended him “for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them.” Sometimes we have to show our zeal for God by stepping out and speaking the truth in love to someone in our small groups. I know some of you have and are being zealous in this way, and that’s why I wanted to remind you how special this is to God.

It’s not easy confronting someone else’ sin:
It takes preparation – arming ourselves with the Word.
It takes time and energy- when we could be doing something else.
It takes boldness and courage- uncomfortable delicate social situations.

I personally was challenged by the fact that most of the Israelites were weeping and praying outside the tent of meeting, but that wasn’t enough to stop it. In fact, twenty-four thousand Israelites died before one person stepped up to confront it. How many more would have died had Phinehas NOT stepped up? It took Phinehas to see the sin and CARE ENOUGH about GOD’s HONOR to DO SOMETHING about it.

Finally, I am encouraged about how personally God received Phinehas’ act. He saw that there were two distinct acts of righteousness that went forth that day. One was the slaying of the sin, but the other was the will of Phinehas’ heart. God rewarded both. First, by stopping the plague and the second by honoring Phinehas in a very personal way. We see it in God’s instructions to Moses that basically said: ‘Hey Phinehas! I saw what you did and I know that the reason you did it was for Me… and I’m going to bless you for this… and I’m telling Moses to tell everyone that I am going to bless you for this… so that all people of all time will hear about it…’

Well, God’s word says it better: "The LORD said to Moses, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.” (Num 25:10-13)

So, this morning, I am thinking about the ways small group leaders express zeal for the Lord. And I just wanted to remind you that God does see it… He will help the lives of those you are stepping out for and He delights in YOUR zeal to honor His name!