“Phinehas (Eleazar’s son and Priest Aaron’s grandson) has done well. He saved the Israelites. Because he was so zealous on My account, tolerating no compromise, I did not consume the people of Israel with My jealousy. 12 So I want you to declare this: “I, your God, do pledge to Phinehas a covenant of peace, 13 not only for him but for his descendants too. I promise they will always be priests because in his zeal for Me, Phinehas (bronze coloured one) covered the wickedness of the Israelites.” (Num. 25:10-13)
WHOLHEARTNESS 2Kings18:5 (Hezekiah – no equal, “ 5 He trusted in Adonai, the God of Israel. Indeed, none of all the kings of Judah after him was like him—and none before him.”); 23:25; (Josiah – no equal, trust – evidence of works – “25 Before him there had never been a king like him, who turned to Adonai with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Torah of Moses, nor has any king like him risen since him.
The phrase, “none of all the kings of Judah after him was like him—and none before him” could simply be a colloquial saying or a statement of comparison (Kal v’Chomer – Light and heavy) emphasising the greatness of a person in comparison to others like him) Wholeheartedness – Deut. 6:5 – is a command not an optional extra.
How many professing Christians’ lives are like half-finished houses without roofs, because they have not ‘added to their faith’ – that is, to their ‘cleaving to the Lord. They know Him as Saviour but not as Lord – choose to live in their comfort zones.
With Phinehas his godly and wholehearted action gained him in an incredible reward as recorded in the first 10 verses of the chapter:
“While Israel was staying in Shittim, the people began to have immoral sexual relations with women from Moab. 2 Then they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, so the people were eating, and bowing down before their gods. 3 When Israel became bound to Baal of Peor, the anger of Adonai grew hot against Israel.
4 Adonai said to Moses, “Seize all the ringleaders and hang them before Adonai facing the sun, so that Adonai’s fierce anger may be turned away from Israel.”
5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you, kill your men who have been joining themselves to Baal of Peor.” 6 Then behold, a man from Bnei-Yisrael came and brought a Midianite woman to his brothers before the eyes of Moses and of the whole assembly of Bnei-Yisrael, while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting!
7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen saw it, he arose from the midst of the assembly, took a spear in his hand, 8 and went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced them through—both the Israelite man and the woman’s belly. Then the plague among Bnei-Yisrael was stopped. 9 However, 24,000 were dead because of the plague!
Here we see a terrible situation for Israel where who had been seduced by Ba’alim into sinning against the Lord. Their sin was linked to satanic worship and practices including immorality, idolatry and inter-marrying with the Moabites (equiv. to murder – forfeiting their identity as Jews), 3 elements that eventually led to the destruction of the 1st Temple – Talmud Yoma 9b And then the destruction of the 2nd Temple was said to be due to baseless hatred, all 3 elements wrapped up in one – idol worship, forbidden sexual relations and bloodshed. (Likkutei Sichot, vol. 26, p. 329, and vol. 32, p. 153.)
Unfortunately, having a godly structure did not create for the Israelites a godly people that has been no different for the Church throughout history. Pin the nT we have constant reminders such as in Coloss. to live lives of purity: “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.” (3:5)
Fast forward backwards to our parsha and we read how an Israelite named Zimri, the son of the Israelite prince Salu from the tribe of Simeon, defied Moses and other leaders who were standing at the Tabernacle entrance by openly committing immorality with Cozbi, the daughter of the Moabite. The reaction from everyone was simply to look on and do nothing until Phinehas took the initiative. Evil flourishes when good people do nothing.
Phinehas was the son of a priest, related to Aaron. When he saw the Israelite leaders simply standing doing nothing to address the situation he took action without their permission and with a javelin in his hand entered the tent of the Israelite and the Moabite and thrust them through. So, the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.
Phinehas took the law into his own hands. He killed a leader of one of Israel’s tribes, and the princess of Moab and strictly speaking was guilty of murder according to the Law. God creates the rules but is not bound by them in terms of political correctness according to how the world necessarily operates. In this case, Phinehas was praised for his action instead. God rewarded him for his bravery and promoted him to be the chief of staff of Israel’s army. (Reminds me of Netanyahu)
To quote my good friend Joseph Shulam: “This is one reason I love God so much. God will surprise you every time when you act outside the box with a pure heart and good honest motives and pursue godliness in season and out of season.”
More and more in these end times we can see parallels here where sin is tolerated and abounding within the Church, and a spiritual plague is running rife because of the ready acceptance of ungodly seductions. In all of this, God was primarily concerned with Israel’s protection and well-being to preserve their identities as His covenant people. Only one man, Phinehas, son of Eliezar the priest, and grandson of Aaron stood against the flow of the tide after 24,000 people had been destroyed by the plague.
Bronze is mentioned in many contexts in the Bible especially in connection with the Tabernacle. Bronze is symbolic of God’s judgement that deals with sin most fully expressed in Messiah Yeshua who is the only way anyone can enter the pure and holy presence of God. We see this illustrated as a type and shadow only a few chapters earlier in Num 21 where Moses fashioned a bronze serpent that was lifted up to save Israel after they had been bitten by poisonous snakes as a consequence of their sin and rebellion.
God has created us to be agents of righteousness who are participators not spectators and warriors not worriers and in all of this there is a price to be paid. Standing up for the Lord will result in a direct clash with the principalities and powers of this world. And since sin has violent and destructive consequences, we must deal with it uncompromisingly whenever it may enter the camp. In this context Yeshua said in Matt. 11:12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (spiritual warfare)
Ezekiel (33:5) provides us with a sobering message over 2500 years ago that’s applicable to us today: “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.”
God honoured a violent act by Phinehas which ended a plague due to the sins of the Israelites who were enticed by the Balaam. But, it was not the violence which God was honouring but godly zeal for Himself.
The Kingdom of Heaven requires action from those who desire all that God has, and all we need to do with godly zeal, passion and aggressiveness. This battle is one we fight with the weapons of warfare that God has provided us with: “…not physical weapons of flesh and blood. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses…destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the true]knowledge of God, and taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Yeshua,” (2Cor.10: 4-5)
Phinehas’ action turned away God’s wrath from Israel and is the first occasion where the phrase “covenant of peace” is employed in Scripture, (significance of first mention). It places Phinehas’ actions in perspective that brought order out of chaos. The “covenant of peace” bestowed upon Phinehas was extended to all his descendants who inherited the role as priestly mediators of God’s covenant that was ultimately fulfilled in Yeshua, our “Great High Priest.”
Phinehas has been compared by the rabbis to Elijah who also walked in godly zeal and passion. Elijah confronted the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to confirm that God is the Creator of the universe through whom all creation must bow the knee and it was in this sense that God honoured Phineas’ violence. It is an ‘all-or-nothing’ response. Anything less merely become the scraps under the table because the greatest enemy of love is not hatred but apathy, that is a poison which paralyses all who drink from its cup.
There is a direct link between the events surrounding Phinehas and the 4th and 5th months in the Hebrew calendar (‘Tammuz’ and Av) a period marked by tragedies in Jewish history that is specifically linked to the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples.
Between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av (July 6-27), orthodox Jews observe a period of three weeks known as ‘Bein ha Metzarim’ (between the straits, (Lam.1:3) to mourn and reflect upon the manifold tragedies that occurred between these dates.
Bein ha Mitzarim implies navigating your way between grave dangers on both sides blindfold leading to inevitable but avoidable destruction – like a ship trying to steer its way through narrow path to avoid an inevitable shipwreck. Should we ever relegate God to anything other than 1st place in our lives, we will find ourselves, “between the straits.” We need to take off our blindfold…
This term is also a term used for labour and childbirth. When a woman is in full abour she is said to be “bein hamitzarim.. In our walk with God we will face various ‘childbirth’ situations when we are ‘bein hamitzarim’ where our pain can be likened to that of childbirth but ends with joy unspeakable when we place our lives at the feet of Yeshua. As Zechariah prophesied: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah.” (Zech 8:19)
God turns our mourning into dancing, removed our sackcloth and clothes us with joy. And as Ps. 30 proclaims, so the glory of God within us will sing to Him and not be silent and we will ascribe praise to Him forever! (Ps. 30:12-13)
It is in this knowledge that we stand firm in Him as did Phinehas even in dire times of great challenge, and allow him to have His perfect way in our lives. The 17th of Tammuz is a minor fast that carries with it the hope of a major promise for us – a present and future hope with everlasting life dwelling in His glorious presence!
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