By 
Are you ever so profoundly struck by a word in Scripture that it follows you into your day? A few years ago I was particularly impacted by one such word. I pondered it beyond that season, looking for it throughout Scripture and finding it repeated and used in many instances, speaking of both God and man. It has infused my study with purpose and my service with pause.
I first encountered the word in a regular reading for Advent. As with so much of Bible study, God reveals Himself surprisingly in the well-known passages of His Word.
The Scripture was Isaiah 9:6-7(ESV):
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this: zeal, not accomplished by strength, authority, or courageous act.
Defined as “a passionate ardor for any person or cause”, zeal is what God uses to accomplish His purposes for us. It was His intense devotion to and love for His people that drove the gift of His Son. Put another way, Christ’s coming into the world was accomplished by and because of God’s zeal for us—for me, for you.
Sitting in the middle of Holy Week, we see evidence of strong feelings flying around Jesus. The zeal of the Jewish leaders is met with the zealous greed and fear of Judas. Peter is eager to throw himself into death or washing—whatever the LORD commands. The disciples witness Jesus’ zeal for the house of God.
Although not all these Scriptures use the word zeal, they are all describing it. Derived from Hebrew words that mean “flush with passion” and “to be hot”, such intense emotions can be fueled by either good or evil purposes.
There is ignorant zeal: For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness (Romans 10:2-3, NIV). Paul’s zeal against the church before his encounter on the road to Damascus was ignorant zeal: as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless (Philippians 3:6, NIV).
And there is temporary zeal: Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you (Galatians 4:17-18, NIV).
What does God have in His zeal that we do not? Wisdom. What can we add to our zeal to make up for this void? Humility. When we humble ourselves to the sovereignty of God, we have the Holy Spirit working in us a more sacred zeal.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
—Titus 2:11-14, ESV
As we head toward Easter Weekend, may we center our attention on the LORD and on His zeal, His wise ways, His extraordinary love. The triune God, whom we will spend a lifetime comprehending, accomplished His purposes then and is still zealously for us today.
Elizabeth Murphy
Elizabeth Murphy has been following Christ since she was 17. Although this road has not always been straight, she has seen God’s hand in every detour. Elizabeth is blessed with and by her husband of 30 years, John, and 2 grown daughters. As an educator, she has been able to feed her insatiable desire to learn every day and share learning with others. Elizabeth became a student of Womenary in 2016. From the Bible to theology to cozy mysteries, Elizabeth is always absorbed in reading. This still leaves time for enjoying travel with her husband, walking, old movies, and time with extended family and friends. Elizabeth loves to walk alongside fellow Christ-chasers—learning and laughing through life.
