Zeal Gone Wrong
Immerse yourself in the wisdom found in Luke 22:49-51 as we bisect the balance between zealous faith and patient discernment. Learn valuable insights from biblical examples and discover the importance of seeking God's guidance before acting in out journey of faith. Join us for a reflective exploration on avoiding hasty assumptions and embracing divine direction in our pursuits of God's will. #zealousfaith #patience #discernment #zeal #faith #tsj #theselahjournal
ZEALFAITH
The Selah Journal
12/8/20232 min read
Luke 22:49-51
Just some few moments away (vs 35-38) Jesus had asked His disciples if they were with swords. But they made a tragic assumption of thinking they knew what it'll be used for. This is one thing we should avoid; assuming we know the exact reasons for His instructions and acting on those instructions.
How zealous are you for God and His kingdom? Are you like the disciple who was ready to use the sword for His (Jesus') defense? Or are you like Phinehas who wouldn't sin nor watch others sin?
I agree that there's this zeal we have for God and for His Kingdom that would make us want to do things for Him and His Kingdom (e.g. as in the case of Phinehas) but sometimes, they may not be what God Himself wants or may not be done in the way God wants (e.g. as in the case of this disciple).
As humans, we ask God for directions but have little patience to wait for His response and then go ahead to do what we think is good or what we want to do.
For instance, the disciples were quite zealous for Jesus so much so that they did not want Him to be taken away by those who came with Judas Iscariot to arrest Him and so they asked "shall we strike with the sword Lord?".
It is however expected that after a question is asked an answer should be given before one knows the next step of action that should be taken concerning the question that was raised. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. After asking the question, one of the disciples could not wait for Jesus' response and then proceeded to strike one of the servant's ear right, at that moment, Jesus responded. Unfortunately, Jesus had to undo what the disciple did out of zeal (vs 51).
Another instance I can think of is that of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6. Uzzah was zealous for God and the ark of covenant that when the ark was going to fall, he tried to prevent this but ended up losing his life in the process. Why did this happen you may ask. I would say it is simply because he was not the right person to hold the ark.
When it comes to God and things that pleases / concerns Him, although they may not be wrong or bad to do, they may not be what God wants to be done or be done how He wants them to be done or even by who He wants them to be done. Thus, a need to get His response to our questions (or ask the right questions to get the right or desired answer(s)) before we take actions in order to avoid doing something for Him or the Kingdom that He will have to undo.