The Zeal of Phinehas

Minister:
Date: PM
Text: Numbers 25:7-13
Psalters: 168, 199, 184, 291
  1. The sad setting.
    1. Israel had just won great victories, taking all the land of Canaan east of Jordan.
    2. The Moab and Midian acted on the advice of Balaam (31:16; Rev. 2:14).
    3. The sin was that “Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor” (3) and “separated themselves unto that shame” (Hosea 9:10).
    4. As a whole the nation fell into sin. Three evidences.
      1. Many of the leaders and heads of the tribes were guilty (4).
      2. The sin was openly and brazenly committed by a prince of Simeon (6-8).
      3. So many involved: the 23,000 who were killed in the plague were all guilty of this sin (Deut. 4:3,4).
  2. God led Israel back to the way of constant, humble repentance.
    1. “The anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel” (3b).
      1. God’s favor is shown in chastisements too.
      2. God demanded Christian discipline on the leaders who sinned: they were killed and hung (4).
      3. And God sent a plague which killed thousands (Deut. 4:3; I Cor. 10:8).
    2. God’s mercy and faithfulness was evidenced in the zeal He gave to Phinehas.
      1. This gift of holy zeal Phinehas exercised, publicly executing divine justice fit for the sin.
      2. Phinehas’ condemnation of the sin “made atonement for the children of Israel” (13b).
    3. God publicly rewarded Phinehas’ zeal with His “covenant of peace” (13).
  3. Application.
    1. Great warnings in this incident.
    2. It is for his zeal as priest that Phinehas is to be remembered.
      1. He was willing to lose his office because he was concerned to maintain God’s glory.
      2. We are to strive for holy zeal for God and His glory, but we must be careful how we do it (cf. Luke 9:54,55).
      3. Phinehas’ zeal is a type of Christ, Who was completely consumed with zeal for God (Psalm 69:9).