He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.
- from Isaiah 9:7
 
How does the Lord set up an eternal kingdom marked with justice and righteousness? Passivity won’t accomplish this task. The opposition stands too strongly against him.
 
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
 
Rebellion. Revolution. Restoration. Zeal will bring it about. God is full of passion, enthusiasm, excitement, energy. He isn’t playing reindeer games.
 
And this zeal is the zeal of the Lord Almighty. This isn’t a zeal like our zeal, which all too often tips into fanaticism or petty jealousy. The Lord is neither crazy nor cold. He’s passionate.
 
We see this most clearly in Jesus. He flips over the tables in the Temple and drives the moneychangers away because of his zeal. He weeps at Lazarus’ tomb and over the city full of people who are like sheep without a shepherd. He cried out in a loud voice as he took his last breath and the curtain in the temple ripped from top to bottom and the sun went dark.
 
Jesus shows us the lengths God will go to – in his zeal – to establish the kingdom of justice and righteous, the kingdom that’s present today and will never end.
 
When you think about God as a passionate God, what in that do you find challenging? Comforting? Convicting?