Zeal for the Lord
The story of Phineas begins several generations before. Phineas's great-great-grandfather was Levi the third son of Jacob. Levi had committed murder and along with his brother Simeon had tricked and then killed all the men of Shechem in a bloodthirsty rage. This act had been so heinous that God had prompted Jacob to remove the potential for the birthright from him and had in effect placed a curse on him in Genesis 49 which would scatter them through the country.
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Four generations later, we see a nation that had turned its back on the ways of the Lord. It was out in the wilderness, committing sexual sins with the pagan culture of the Moabites, and they worshipped the gods of Moab. They begin to worship the Ba'al of Mount Peor and it enraged God. This worship is described as "joined with", and refers to an evil collusion with the fertility religion of the Moabites.
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Today, many believers have joined with the fertility religion of the world around us. Many will say, "I do not bow down to a graven image of Ashira or Ba'al." However, how many people follow the famous stars on instagram? The entire purpose of the influencers on social media is to arouse your desires and promote a fertile increase in revenues for the priests of materialism. Do we bow down to sports, our careers, and wealthy lifestyles and put God second or worse? These are technically all fertility religions. They are idols that are "joined with".
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God is angered by this. God told Moses to gather the people who worshiped Ba'al Peor and hand them. It can be inferred from comments by Paul that 1000 died as a result of the hangings and 23000 died from a separate plague that came upon the nation. The women of Israel gathered at the meeting tent and wept for the losses.
Israel’s Sin with the Moabite Women
25 When Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab. 2 These women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal Peor, the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel.
God’s Punishment
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Arrest all the leaders of the people, and hang them up before the Lord in broad daylight, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must execute those of his men who were joined to Baal Peor.”
6 Just then one of the Israelites came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the plain view of Moses and of the whole community of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he got up from among the assembly, took a javelin in his hand, 8 and went after the Israelite man into the tent and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman’s abdomen. So the plague was stopped from the Israelites. 9 Those that died in the plague were 24,000.
The Aftermath
10 The Lord spoke to Moses: 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites, when he manifested such zeal for my sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal. 12 Therefore, announce: ‘I am going to give to him my covenant of peace. 13 So it will be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of a permanent priesthood, because he has been zealous for his God, and has made atonement for the Israelites.’”
Numbers 25:1-13
Just then, the bible says, a Simeonite named Zimri, brought a Midianite woman in to the innermost part of his tent and there began the same sort of sin that was producing a plague upon Israel. Phineas, the grandson of Aaron, and Great Great Grandson of Levi, immediately got up and took his javelin and went in and killed the two offenders of God. The Hebrew wording or the passage seems to indicate that Zimri and the Midianite were establishing some sort of new fertility rite. Phineas wasn't having any of this and before it could start and anger God again, he took swift and immediate action.
Phineas's actions turned God's anger away from Israel and saved the people. One man who was zealous for God, changed the course of history. Not only was the plague stopped but the curse that was on the tribe of Levi was lifted for him and his descendants. They became the priests for set aside for special service for God.
Being someone who can change the course of history does not have to only be someone in bible days. It could be you. God needs people just like you, who He can fill, change, and use to bring the world back to Him. You are perfect for His purposes.
Stories like these are not ones to hear and put on a shelf. They are not quaint little passages to give us reading material to put us to sleep. They are meant to guide us into safe waters. The things God brought Israel through are meant to educate us and direct us. Paul has clear instruction for us and hope for these days in 1 Corinthians 10 that directly is drawn from the story of Phineas.
Paul said that the Israelites were like us, believers. They had followed the cloud in the desert, they had gone through the waters of the Red Sea. In effect baptized into Moses' teachings. They had the same teachings as we do. Verse 4 says that they even were drinking form the spiritual rock of Christ. But God was not pleased with most of them and they died in the wilderness. Then he gets very specific. "These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did. 7 So do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and 23,000 died in a single day. 9 And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. 10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.11 These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall. 13 No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:6-13.
This is something we should pay very close attention to. Paul says that these things were given as an example to us so that we will not crave evil things as they did. But you know what? Look around, we do! We are just as immoral if not more so as they were. Could it be that the current plague....
But Paul ends with hope. He says that God is faithful. He will give us a way out of every trial. Please stand with us and ask God for a way out for our country.