Numbers 25:7-8 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went after the man of Israel in his tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
Israel had committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab and worshipped their gods. God grew angry and sent a plague, from which 24,000 died. One man and a foreign woman boldly walked through the camp to his tent. Phinehas was zealous for God and killed the man and the woman. Then the plague was stayed. The bold action of one pious and zealous believer turned away God’s wrath. This drastic action took courage and faith, not to mention a jealous love for God.
It is no accident that zealous and jealous are similar words. Both arise from a flaming love. God’s limitless and unconditional love for His redeemed people makes Him jealous of our worship of other gods. The Christian’s thankful love for his Savior God makes him zealous for God alone above all others. Extreme love is the common bond between Jesus and me. 1 John 4:19: “We love because loved us.”
It may seem a bit over the top to do what Phinehas did, but he killed sin, like Jesus on the cross, and let God’s Love come through. We take sin seriously so that we die to self daily and rise to new life.