Numbers 25-27

The execution of Zimri and Cozbi is a very shocking situation (Numbers 25:6-17). And it was the tip of the iceberg of those men whom God killed with a plague because of their rebellion. There had already been 24,000 to die. But Phinehas' action pleased God. Not that he killed two people but because he sought to honor God's name. Phinehas' action was not motivated by anger but by his love for God. It was not an act to earn God's favor but an action of an obedient heart by one already in fellowship with God. It was a display of surrender; a display that we offer as we interact with the spiritual realm. Since that is where our enemy works.
Stuart