Gal 4:17 They are zealous for you, but not well. But they only desire to exclude you, that you be zealous to them.
In this particular context the Apostle Paul was speaking of the false teachers who desired to keep God’s freed men under the law. Yet there is a wider application, it applies to all false teachers, the pattern never changes. Today Christendom is full of false teachers. And we can see that many men and women desire that God’s children be zealous for them. How many Christians have you heard talking about famous women teachers and famous men teachers. They will tell you plainly that they love them and buy all of their books and go to their conferences. They convince others to join them saying things like ” you just have to hear so and so,” or ” you must get this book.” Such as these are lovers of men , zealous for them and it is by design. These teachers build their ” brand,” and enrich themselves by cashing in on this zeal that they have created in the masses. So what does Paul mean when he says that they desire to exclude you?
That is a heavy charge. We know that God is a jealous God and He shares His glory with no one. You cannot give your zeal to a man or a women and maintain your relationship with God, He will have no other gods before Him. These teachers who desire the zeal of men are little gods unto themselves and others. And because they are gods unto themselves they see no problem at all with enriching themselves and making merchandise of God’s word and truth. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. If He made a scourge of chords for the money changers and drove them out of the temple here on earth, what will He do when they come before Him in the world to come? If zeal for His house ate Him up and that was for a temple built by human hands destined to be torn down, what shall that same zeal do to those who defile the heavenly temple? You cannot follow men and follow God, you will be part of one and excluded from the the other. You are excluded from fellowship with God when you follow men.