JEALOUSY! – When we hear this word we often think of negative implications in a romantic relationship. However, God Himself declares that He is a jealous God.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving-kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.– Deut. 5:9
Jealousy demands single-mindedness. In relation to God it demands total loyalty and worship of one God alone; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God promises punishment to those who hate Him and loving-kindness to those who love Him and keep His commandments.
In this week’s Torah Portion we see this principle of God’s jealousy fleshed out in both a positive and negative way. The story actually begins at the end of last week’s Parasha, Numbers 25:1-9.
The sons of Israel were led astray by the daughters of Moab and Midian through prostitution and, as a result, they sacrificed and worshiped their gods. God’s anger burned in jealousy against the Israelites and God commanded Moses to execute all the leaders of Israel. A plague began to spread through the camp of the Israelites killing thousands. As the children of Israel were weeping at the doorway to the tent of meeting, an Israelite man (Zimri) brought a Midianite woman (Cozbi) into his tent before the eyes of Moses and the entire congregation. As everyone else looked on, one man rose up, took a spear, went into the tent, and killed Zimri and Cozbi. The man who did this was named Pinchas (Phinehas) and the plague of the sons of Israel was immediately stopped.
God’s response to Pinchas is epic. God said,
“Pinchas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy” (Num. 25:11).
God declared that Pinchas did that which was right, for his heart was filled with the same jealousy that God Himself has.
What are the issues that we face today which are in the heart of God? We need to have a righteous jealousy for the things of God and act in a manner honoring to His Name.
God then rewarded Pinchas in two ways; he gave to Pinchas His covenant of peace and promised that he and his descendants would have a covenant of an eternal priesthood (Num. 25:12-13). God blessed Pinchas beyond the riches of this world because of his jealousy for God.
As mentioned in Deuteronomy 5 above, God promises to punish those who hate Him and show loving-kindness to those who love and obey Him. This principle, exemplified by both Zimri and Pinchas, is just as real for us today.
Yeshua promises His peace to those who know Him (John 14:27) and we are promised the peace of God as we walk and trust in Him (Philippians 4:4-7). We are also called to be a “royal priesthood” as believers in God through Yeshua today (1 Peter 2:4-10). The covenants of peace and the priesthood are ours today as we walk with Yeshua.
May the jealousy of God burn in our hearts!
Shabbat Shalom!
Torah Reading: Numbers 25:10-30:1
Haftarah Reading: 1 Kings 18:46-19:21