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Reading
– Numbers 25:10-18
By
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
The
title of this Torah portion, Pinchas, shares its name with the priest Pinchas
which is translated as Phinehas in English. The portion opens with the
declaration that Pinchas’s zealousness towards God turned aside God’s wrath,
and, as a result, he was awarded with a special covenant with God—a covenant of
peace.
Numbers 25:10-12 NKJV 10 Then the LORD
spoke to Moses, saying: 11 "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron
the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he
was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of
Israel in My zeal. 12 "Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him My covenant
of peace;
Notice
that when Pinchas acted with God’s zeal to destroy the sin within the camp, God
did not need to act directly. If God had done so, He would have consumed the
entire camp of Israel. What action did Pinchas take that turned away God’s
wrath and resulted in this great reward? What is a covenant of peace?
In
order to answer these questions, we need to go back to the beginning of this
incident and look at the events that led up to Pinchas’ actions and the reward
given to him by God. In the previous Torah portion, Balak, the king of Moab,
allied with the elders of Midian and paid Balaam to curse the children of
Israel. God turned that curse into a blessing.
Deuteronomy 23:5 NKJV 5
"Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD
your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God
loves you.
After
this incident, when it seemed that the Moabites and Midianites had stopped
trying to destroy the children of Israel, the Israelites began to mingle with
the Moabites and Midianites. Logically, this makes sense. These nations would
be neighbors of Israel. However, they didn’t just interact with the Moabites
and Midianites, they began to participate in the worship of the local gods.
Numbers 25:1-3 NKJV 1 Now Israel
remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the
women of Moab. 2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and
the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel was joined to Baal of
Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.
In
fact, the Moabites and Midianites hadn’t ceased trying to destroy Israel; they
just changed tactics. The invitation to join in worship of Baal Peor was
engineered by Balaam. When Balaam was unable to curse Israel, he devised a way
to get God to curse the children of Israel. He convinced Balak to “welcome” the
children of Israel and invite them to a party which involved worship of the god
Baal Peor knowing that this would anger God. The angel who appeared to John in
Revelation warned the church of Pergamos not to fall into the same trap as the
children of Israel when they were enticed to sin by the machinations of Balaam.
Revelation 2:14 NKJV 14 "But I
have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the
children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual
immorality.
The
children of Israel didn’t just eat things that the Moabites and Midianites
sacrificed to idols; they were the ones who brought the sacrifice to the gods
and fully participated in the worship of that god including acts of ritual sex.
This is reminiscent of the actions of the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai right
after they received the covenant. AT that time, Aaron built the golden calf,
erected an altar before it, and declared the next day to be a feast day in
honor of the golden calf.
Exodus 32:5-6 NKJV 5 So when Aaron saw
it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said,
"Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD." 6 Then they rose early on the next
day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat
down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
The
children of Israel worshipped the golden calf by bringing peace offerings which
is a shared meal with the god to which they brought the offering! They ate food
that they sacrificed to the golden calf idol! Then they rose up to play, which
is a euphemism for engaging in sexual activity.
As
we examine the participation of the children of Israel in worshiping Baal Peor,
we will see how thoroughly the children of Israel participated in this idolatry.
In Numbers 25:3, we learned that the children of Israel “joined” to Baal of
Peor.
The
word “join” is the Hebrew word “tsamad,” number 6775, in Strong’s Concordance,
meaning to link, join, or yoke. This linking can be either physical or
figurative such as joining in purpose or activity. In the fullness of the
meaning of the word tsamad, Israel joined with Baal Peor both physically and in
purpose. Tsamad is not used at any other instance when the children of Israel
worshipped other idols. The Stone Edition Chumash translates Numbers 25:3 as
“Israel became attached to Baal-Peor.” Matthew Poole, a seventeenth century
theologian writes:
The word implies a forsaking of God,
to whom they were and should have been joined, and a turning to, embracing of
strict conjunction with, and fervent affection after, this false god.[i]
In
other words, the Israelites enjoyed their worship of Baal-Peor and didn’t want
to give it up! Instead of remaining holy to God, they had separated themselves
to Baal-Peor.
Hosea 9:10 NKJV 10 "I found
Israel Like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers As the firstfruits on
the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal Peor, And separated
themselves to that shame; They became an abomination like the thing they loved.
The
word “separated” is “nazar,” number 5144, meaning to hold aloof, or set apart.
It is the root of the word “nazarite” referring to the nazarite vow through
which the children of Israel were to separate themselves to service to God.
When recounting the journey of the children of the Israel in the wilderness,
Moses contrasted those who joined with Baal-Peor with those who clung to God.
Deuteronomy 4:3-4 NAS95 3 "Your
eyes have seen what the LORD has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men
who followed Baal-peor, the LORD your God has destroyed them from among you. 4
"But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of
you.
The
phrase “hold fast” is the Hebrew word “dabeq,” number 1695, meaning to adhere,
to stick closer, to cleave, or join. This is from the word “dabaq,” number 1692,
which is used in Genesis to instruct that a husband is to cleave to his wife
and become one flesh.
As
we can see, the children of Israel participated whole-hearted in the worship of
Baal Peor! They joined themselves physically and in purpose with this god
separating themselves to that god. Instead of remaining true to God, they
participated in adultery breaking their bond with God!
God
immediately pronounced judgment on all those who joined themselves to Baal
Peor.
Numbers 25:4-5 NKJV 4 Then the LORD
said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders
before the LORD, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn
away from Israel." 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Every
one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor."
Even
as the LORD is pronouncing judgment on those who joined themselves to Baal
Peor, one of the children of Israel, who we later learn is Zimri, a leader of
the tribe of Simeon, presented a Midianite woman to his brethren.
Numbers 25:6 NKJV 6 And indeed, one of
the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in
the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of
Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
This
verse paints a contrasting picture. Zimri openly flaunts his relationship with
the Midianite woman while many of the congregation are weeping openly in front
of the door of the Tabernacle of meeting. The NKJV Study Bible comments
on Zimri’s actions.
Zimri (v.14), a Hebrew man, became
involved with a Midianite woman named Cozbi (v.15), who may have been a
priestess of Baal. Although the nature of the offense isn’t clear in the text,
it could be that their sinful actions were performed at the door of the
tabernacle in full view of the congregation.[ii]
Zimri’s
fornication with a possible priestess of Baal in view of the door of the
tabernacle of meeting nearly defiled God’s sanctuary! At this point, we need to
know what Baal-Peor is. Baal means master or lord and is used in reference to
many different idols that the Israelites worshipped. The name Peor is from the
name of the hill or mountain above the plain of Moab where this event took
place. It is the hill from which Balaam spoke his prophecies over Israel.
Numbers 23:28 NKJV 28 So Balak took
Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland.
The
early church father, Jerome, associates Baal-Peor with the god Chemosh. The
Jewish Encyclopedia states that “this form of Baal worship especially called
for sensual indulgence.[iii] The name “Peor” comes from the Hebrew,
“pa’ar,” number 6473, meaning to yawn or
open wide. It generally has a negative connotation as in opening wide the mouth
to consume something.
Isaiah 5:14 NKJV 14 Therefore Sheol
has enlarged itself And opened its mouth beyond measure; Their glory and their
multitude and their pomp, And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
In
this case, the open mouth of Sheol opens to receive or consume the dead.
Matthew
Poole and John Wesley comment that Baal-Peor is the same as the Roman god
Priapus who is a fertility god noted for his large phallus. Understanding the
nature of this worship helps to understand Pinchas’ actions and why his actions
stopped the plague. This connection is missed in our usual translations where
Pinchas or Phinehas follows the man of Israel and the Midianite woman into a
tent where he runs them through with a javelin.
Numbers 25:7-8 MKJV 7 And when
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up
from among the congregation and took a spear in his hand. 8 And he went after
the man of Israel into the tent, and pierced both of them through, the man of
Israel, and the woman, through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the
sons of Israel.
Notice
that Pinchas’ actions stopped the plague. Apparently, in addition to the
command for each leader to kill the men under their command who participated in
worshipping Baal Peor, God sent a plague. This is the same punishment that God
sent on the children of Israel after they worshipped the golden calf. At that
time, God sent a plague as well as having the Levites kill those who worshipped
the calf.
There
are also a couple of words that add to our understanding of Pinchas’ actions
and the results of his actions. The Hebrew word that is usually translated as
“tent” is “ohel,” number 168. In verse eight, the Hebrew word used is “koob-baw,”
number 6898, meaning a domed cavity. This is the only place in the scriptures
that this word is used. As such, its use here is important. Another significant
word in verse eight is the word “belly.” It is translated from the Hebrew word
“ko-baw,” number 6897, meaning the abdomen as a cavity or the belly. “Koob-baw”
and “ko-baw” are from the same Hebrew root word. The connection between these
two words is even more significant when we examine the root word itself! It is
“kaw-bab,” number 6895, meaning to scoop out, figuratively to malign or
execrate such as stabbing with words. It can also mean to curse. In fact, the
only place this word is used in scripture is when Balak wants Balaam to “curse”
Israel! There is one more connection. Pinchas’ name, number 6372 means mouth of
a serpent.
Okay,
let’s see if we can put this together. Balak wants Balaam to curse Israel,
literally to scoop out and make Israel hollow. Zimri takes Cozbi into his tent,
a place that is or has been made hollow and empty. Pinchas takes a spear and
pierces Cozbi in her belly, an empty or hollow cavity. In connection with Baal
Peor with the wide-open mouth ready to consume Israel, Pinchas thrusts his
spear in the hollow place of Baal Peor’s priestess and the open mouth of the
serpent. Pinchas figuratively kills Baal Peor, the representative of the
serpent, removing him from among the children of Israel and stopping the
plague. Pinchas’ actions also return the curses of Balaam back on them. After
God purifies the camp of Israel, He sends the children of Israel to take
vengeance on the Midianites. Balaam is killed in this battle.
As
a result of Pinchas’ actions, God grants a covenant of peace to him.
Numbers 25:12-13 NKJV 12
"Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; 13 'and it
shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting
priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the
children of Israel.'"
The
LORD praised Pinchas saying that Pinchas turned back God’s wrath because
Pinchas was “zealous with my zeal.” The word translated as “zealous” or “zeal”
is “qana,” number 7065, meaning to be or cause to make zealous, jealous, or
envious. We think of jealousy as a negative trait whereas being zealous is
positive. We are not to be jealous or envious of others, yet we are to be
zealous in protecting what belongs to us. A jealous husband is not a pretty
sight, but a husband zealous to protect his wife is a beautiful sight. Israel
is God’s bride, His people. Her love, loyalty, and passion belong to God. However,
she gave all those things to Baal-Peor when she joined herself to him. God is
jealous as a betrayed husband and zealous to reclaim what is His. First Fruits
of Zion in the Torah Club Volume 1 Unrolling the Scroll write:
God is jealous in the sense that a
loving husband is jealous over his wife. If your spouse told you, “I don’t care
if you see other people; it doesn’t bother me,” you would be alarmed that he or
she no longer holds your wedding vows sacrosanct. It should bother you that
your spouse had such little affection for you that infidelity was not even an
issue. … God’s jealousy over us is an indication of His love for us.[iv]
Pinchas
acted with God’s zeal as a protective husband would to protect and demonstrate
His love for a wife. By doing so, he demonstrated his love and commitment to
God. This reciprocal love and commitment were rewarded by God with His covenant
of peace. What is a covenant of peace? The word “peace” is “shalom,” number 7965,
which means safe, well, happy, friendly, peace, prosperity, and overall
well-being.
In
the Torah scroll of this passage, the word shalom, , is written with a
broken vav. The Vav is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet and also
represents the number 6. Six is the number of man, so, the broken vav
represents the broken man who died to establish peace. When the vav is broken
into two pieces, the top part resembles the letter yood which is the hand. The
bottom part looks like a spear or nail. The nail pierces the hand of Yeshua as
He was on the cross to bring us peace.[v] We can think of the spear that Pinchas used
to pierce the man of Israel and the Midianite woman as the spear that pierced
Yeshua. We know that Yeshua was pierced for our transgressions and that Israel
will mourn for the one they pierced.
Zechariah 12:10 NKJV 10 "And I
will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit
of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes,
they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as
one grieves for a firstborn.
The
covenant of peace granted to Pinchas is established over the broken man, the
broken body of Messiah Yeshua. Pinchas’ name, , as written in the Hebrew
of Numbers 25:10 has a small yood. In the ancient Hebrew writing, the letter
yood is a hand representing a person’s deeds. This small yood represents
Pinchas’s small deed of slaying only one man among the many who were slain. But
God stated that this one act above all the others in this situation stopped the
plague.
Ezekiel
mentions a future covenant of peace with Israel when David is shepherd over the
people.
Ezekiel 34:23-25 NKJV 23 "I will
establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them-My servant David. He
shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 "And I, the LORD, will be their
God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken. 25
"I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease
from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the
woods.
Ezekiel
expands on the covenant of peace stating that it is an eternal covenant, and
that God would live in their midst forever.
Ezekiel 37:24-28 NKJV 24 "David
My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they
shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. 25
"Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant,
where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and
their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince
forever. 26 "Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it
shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply
them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 "My
tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall
be My people. 28 "The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify
Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore."'"
Pinchas
removed the stain of idolatry from the camp of Israel when he killed Zimri, a
leader of that idolatry, and Cozbi, the priestess of Baal. His actions resulted
in an everlasting covenant to him and his descendants that they would be
priests to God forever. When Messiah comes, all idolatry will be removed from
Israel and Pinchas’ descendants will be those who serve God in the new temple. As
Pinchas was zealous for God, so God was zealous for Pinchas. The apostle John,
in his closing words of his first epistle, admonishes his flock to keep
themselves from idols. Let us be zealous for God, joining ourselves only to Him
and keep ourselves from idols.
Study
Questions:
2.
What deeper meaning does the use of the
unusual choice of Hebrew words for curse, tent, and belly as well as the
meaning of Pinchas’ name reveal? How do these choices connect this event with
the rebellion of Korach and the judgment of being bitten by serpents?
3.
Compare this covenant of peace with
Pinchas with the covenant of peace God promises to the entire nation of Israel
in Ezekiel 34:23-25 and Ezekiel 37:24-28. How is the covenant of peace a
picture of the messianic era?
General
Portion Questions
4.
What other events related in this Torah
portion are similar to events at Mt. Sinai?
5.
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam led the children
of Israel out of Egypt? Who are the three leaders left among those who came out
of Egypt who bring them into the land? What are their qualifications?
6.
What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in
this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?
©
2023 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.
[i]
Poole, Matthew. English Annotations on the Holy Bible. Commentary on Matthew 18:3-4. ©1683
[ii] NKJV
Study Bible. General Editor Earl D. Radmacher, Th.D. Thomas Nelson
Publishers. ©1997,
2007 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Page 252.
[iii] Jewish
Encyclopedia. Baal-Peor. Morris Jastrow, Jr., J. Frederic McCurdy, Marcus Jastrow, Louis Ginzberg. http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2246-baal-peor. ©1906
[iv]
Torah Club Volume 1 Unrolling the Scroll. First Fruits of Zion. Page 653.
[v]
Pastor Mark Biltz. El Shaddai Ministries. Commentary on the Torah Club Volume 2
Shadows of the Messiah- Pinchas. 2008.
