Zealous for God
“Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.” Nehemiah 3:20
I had a friend in college who remarked that he was so grateful for his salvation that he would do anything at all to please God. He lived with zeal for God and the verse above from the book of Nehemiah reminded me of his declaration of devotion. Quite honestly, it’s a verse that’s easy to just pass by because it’s part of a long list of names of people who were rebuilding the wall around the city of Jerusalem. In fact, you might think it odd that the Bible includes such a seemingly unimportant list, until you stop and consider its context and its potential application to your own life.
The short story is that the people of Israel had been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years because of their disobedience to God. They had returned from exile to Jerusalem and now, years later, Nehemiah is leading a difficult effort to rebuild the protecting wall, despite severe opposition. The people want to live securely in their beloved city, and they don’t want to return to exile so they are working “zealously” to rebuild the wall in obedience to God. They want to experience again the blessings of his provision and protection.
To do something with zeal means to do it with enthusiastic devotion and total commitment. That’s how the Bible says we are to serve God in gratitude for his grace and mercy in providing salvation. Because of this Titus 2:14 tells us to be “zealous to do good.” And in recognition of Christ’s victory over sin and death, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” The assignment God gives us may include difficulties, as Nehemiah’s did, but knowing he will help us to fulfill his call, we should, like my friend from college, serve him with unmitigated zeal.
Are you zealous for God?
Having begun as a guest speaker in 2005, Dan was appointed Interim Pastor in 2008 and has been serving Maple Root Baptist ever since. As a small group leader and Chaplin for the Connecticut Tigers, Dan has a heart for the lost and the God that saves them.