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| An Exposition of Numbers 25
(Thanks to Wayne Hendricks for sparking my thoughts on this passage as a result of a devotional he presented back in July '05)
Phinehas: Man of God
I. Introduction
Phinehas was the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son (Exodus 6:25). As the son
of a priest, he was in an unique position to observe the Lord’s
working, as well as to serve as an active tool of the Lord’s Will among
the Children of Israel.
This expository message seeks to mine the practical truths and Biblical
doctrines of Numbers 25:6-13, examining Phineas’ life and practice as a
model for our day.
II. God Hates Sin
The first thing of which we can be sure, and that we see in this passage, is that God hates sin.
Numbers 25:3, 4:
And Israel joined himself unto
Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And the
LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them
up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD
may be turned away from Israel.
And what is sin? Very simply put, sin is man’s failure to conform to God’s law:
I John 3:4:
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
The question then becomes, “Why does God hate sin?” Very simply put,
God is the standard for all rightness and goodness in the world, and
sin is that which resists and contradicts God’s sovereignty and
holiness. Thus, God hates sin because sin denies God and all that
He is.
As our passage shows, sin effectively denies God and raises up other
gods to ourselves. It places man at the center of the universe and
holds his actions as binding and sovereign, rather than submitting to
God’s determinations.
As Romans 6:23 says, the wages of sin is death and in this passage, God
commanded those responsible to be put to death for the sins of the
people. There can be no distinction between sin and the sinner. God
hates sin AND those who commit iniquity, and sinners will be punished
for their sins.
This passage in Numbers 25 effectively refutes the worldly assertion
that God “loves the sinner but hates the sin.” (Psalm 7:11).
But our focus should not dwell on sin. Rather, sin shows us the beauty
of Christ, who took the condemnation of our sin upon Himself:
I Peter 3:18:
For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being
put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
III. Cautions Regarding Sin
A. Descent Into Sin
The story of the Children of Israel, no less in this passage, is one of
cycles of frequent sin, Divine punishment, repentance and deliverance,
blessings in obedience and an ultimate return to sin, thus initiating
the cycle.
Our passage opens with the Children of Israel committing spiritual and
physical fornication with the inhabitants of Moab, and continues on to
a specific example of sexual sin between an Israelite prince and a
Moabite princess. Although this appears to be a sudden development, the
Biblical narrative and teaching regarding sin instructs us that sin is
rarely, if ever, an abrupt development.
The Biblical model for sin is that sin is a much more progressive occurrence.
Psalm 1:1:
Blessed is the man that walketh not
in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor
sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Here, the model is first walking in ungodliness, then
standing—tarrying—with sinners, and finally sitting with the scornful
in full familiarity and comfort of their ways.
Lot:
Genesis 13:12, 13:
Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan,
and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward
Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD
exceedingly.
Genesis 14:12:
And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
Genesis 19:1:
And there came two angels to Sodom at
even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to
meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
Here the model is again repeated. Lot first pitched his tent toward
Sodom, overlooking Sodom. Five years later, he was a resident of Sodom,
and fifteen years after becoming a resident there, we see him sitting
in the gate—a position reserved for the governing elders of Sodom. The
grasp of sin is slow, but sure.
David:
II Samuel 11:1-4:
And it came to pass, after the year
was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent
Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the
children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at
Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from
off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the
roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful
to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one
said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah
the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in
unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her
uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
Here the pattern is again repeated. King David tarried at Jerusalem
when he should have been leading his men in battle. In Jerusalem, and
at the time of evening prayer, he was not praying, but pacing the roof
of his house. And there, he looked. And having looked, he lusted and
indulged his lust and curiosity, and committed sin—sin which soon
blossomed into murder and not only the death of innocent Uriah, but of
David’s infant son.
Eve:
Genesis 3:1-6:
Now the serpent was more subtil than
any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto
the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the
midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye
shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one
wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto
her husband with her; and he did eat.
Here, Eve first hearkened unto the serpent and his reasoning. Then she
looked on the fruit and lusted after it. As a result of that she
plucked the fruit, ate it, and then gave to her husband. Here the
progression of sin was again gradual, but ultimately much larger than
its beginnings and fatal in its results.
Peter:
Luke 22:54-60:
Then took they him, and led him, and
brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off.
And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set
down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him
as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This
man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him
not. And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also
of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour
after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also
was with him: for he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, Man, I know not
what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.
Rather than standing with his Lord during His judgment, Peter followed
the mob from afar and sat down with those who were complicit in the
Lord’s betrayal. Soon he was accused of being who he was, and soon he
had denied Christ, his Savior.
The Children of Israel:
Numbers 25:1-3:
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the
people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they
called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did
eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto
Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
In our text, we first find the Children of Israel sating their physical
lusts among the Moabites. Soon, we find them beckoning the call to
accompany the Moabites’ religious practices. Then the Children of
Israel were sitting down to eat in full fellowship with the Moabites,
and then worshipping the pagan gods, before finally converting to
Baalpeor.
B. Avoidance of Sin
Sin thus begins with small causes. (Galatians 5:9, Song of Solomon
2:15) But how can we avoid the small beginnings of sin? What is the
solution to this gradual descent into sin?
The example is clear. There must be no fellowship, no giving way in the
slightest to sin. When sin appears it must, by the grace of God, be
ripped up by the root, nipped in the bud, and uncompromisingly
destroyed.
Proverbs 4:14, 15:
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
II Corinthians 6:16, 17:
And what agreement hath the temple of
God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath
said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be
ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I
will receive you.
Job 31:1:
I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
IV. Dealing with Sin
A. No Compromise
And what of sin, when it is not avoided and is being indulged? How do
we deal with it? Phinehas is our example: in verses 7 and 8 we see him
taking up a javelin—a short, throwing spear—and going after the man and
the woman, running them through and halting the plague.
This is the only response to sin. It must be dealt with decisively and firmly. There can be no compromise.
Matthew 18:8, 9:
Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot
offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for
thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or
two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend
thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to
enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast
into hell fire.
Matthew 21:12:
And Jesus went into the temple of
God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that
sold doves,
Deuteronomy 11:6:
And what he did unto Dathan and
Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her
mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents,
and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all
Israel:
Deuteronomy 7: 24, 25:
And Joshua, and all Israel with him,
took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the
wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his
asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they
brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou
troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel
stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had
stoned them with stones.
I Corinthians 5:9-13:
I wrote unto you in an epistle not to
company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of
this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters;
for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto
you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a
fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or
an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do
to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are
within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from
among yourselves that wicked person.
Galatians 1:9:
As we said before, so say I now
again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed.
The “accursed” here is the Greek word “Anathema”, denoting something
that has been set aside to be destroyed and without hope of redemption
of salvation.
B. Public Testimony
But Phinehas’ example in going after the sinning Hebrew prince and his
Moabitess princess—regardless of their rank—was not only decisive, it
was public. In this we see the duty to take a public stand for
truth, to serve God openly and fearlessly. We must uphold Christ before
the World:
Matthew 10:31-33:
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Mark 8:6:
And he commanded the people to sit
down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and
brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set
them before the people.
Daniel 3:12:
There are certain Jews whom thou hast
set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 6:10:
Now when Daniel knew that the writing
was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his
chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day,
and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
We are called to serve God and testify of truth publicly. When Christ,
our ultimate example, suffered the public shame of the Cross, how can
we dare to conceal our testimony? If we are Christ’s we will not—we
cannot:
Matthew 5:14:
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
If we do not testify of Christ before men, what certainty can we have of our salvation, our Christlikeness?
V. Collective Results of Sin and Obedience
The great fallacy of human thinking is that sin, and obedience of
truth, bring only personal results. In our egotistical pride, we think
that only we experience the results of what we do, for good or evil.
This is a misconception as old as time.
The results of sin, and obedience, span generations and affect
multitudes. As the Children of Israel discovered, as the plague swept
through them in Numbers 25:4, 9, disobedience carries a grave penalty
for many.
A. Generational Effects of Sin
Romans 5: 12, 19:
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned:
Numbers 21:5, 6:
And the people spake against God, and
against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in
the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and
our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents
among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel
died.
Matthew 27:24, 25:
When Pilate saw that he could prevail
nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed
his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of
this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said,
His blood be on us, and on our children.
As indeed it was. 37 years later, Jerusalem was scrubbed from the map by the Roman general, Titus.
Joshua 7:5:
And the men of Ai smote of them about
thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto
Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the
people melted, and became as water
Achan’s sin not only killed 36 innocent men of Israel, but it exterminated his family, as well (Joshua 7:24:25).
II Samuel 12:10:
Now therefore the sword shall never
depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken
the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
King David’s sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah not only caused the
death of an innocent baby, but it occasioned the continual and bitter
conflict among his children and descendants, much to his grief and
their pain.
B. Generational Effects of Obedience
The Lord blessed Phinehas with a “covenant of peace” (verses 12 and 13)
that was not only given to him, but extended to his seed, after him.
Obedience blesses future generations, as well.
Proverbs 20:7:
The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
Psalm 112:1, 2:
Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the
man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright
shall be blessed.
Abraham:
Genesis 22:18:
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Joseph:
Genesis 39:5:
And it came to pass from the time
that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had,
that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the
blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the
field.
Christ:
Romans 5:19:
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
VI. Service to God is the Door to Further Service
The final thing that I would like to consider from this passage, is
that Phinehas’ obedience and defense of truth opened the door to
further opportunities to serve God.
In Numbers 31:6, we find Phinehas dispatched to lead Israel against the Midianites:
And Moses sent them to the war, a
thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the
priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow
in his hand.
In Joshua 22, we find Phinehas sent as an envoy to heal the rift
between between the Children of Israel and the tribes of Reuben, Gad
and Manasseh.
And in Judges 20:28, we again find Phinehas—after a full and prosperous
life—used one last time to level the Lord’s judgment upon the
wickedness of the Tribe of Benjamin.
Would you be used by God? Would you serve Him and receive His blessings
in service? God does not choose the lazy and the inactive to be blessed
in His service, but, rather, those who are faithful to, and active in,
His work.
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| Sorry for the long wait folks. Its been "my week" for a couple of weeks now  .
There's this home-made magazine called Hidden Wisdom, which my family is subscribed to. One of the past issues was about Waiting on the Lord, and I submitted the following poem. Hope its a blessing, in some way!
The future lies before me now,
Vast and far it lies.
The months and years are plotted out,
Beneath a darkening sky.
I long to climb a mountain side,
To see what lies ahead.
Discover what tomorrow holds,
For all I’ve done and said.
Then I could see the end result,
Of the path I have to follow!
I’d gladly stand for truth today,
And have no regrets tomorrow.
The Master of this path and life,
Has formed the way with care,
He knows what trials wait for me,
For He has placed them there!
Although I long to run ahead,
To do, to work, to say!
He bids me trust His guiding Hand,
And wait on Him each day.
He sees beyond this desert land,
The rain beyond the drought!
He sees much farther then I can,
My view is plagued with doubt.
He sees beyond the futures crest,
Right up to Heaven’s gate!
His timing always is the best,
If I’d only learn to wait.
November 16, 2004 Posted by DanielAaron
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| Today is my week to post. Seeing I'm so crazily busy, I 'm going to cop out and link to Elizabeth's excellent post on Christ as Prophet, Priest--AND King for your spiritual consideration. It's excellent.
Ben
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| Unfortunately I won't be able to put one up this week. I started Limited Atonement on Sunday, but I wasn't able to finish it. Throughout the week I wasn't able to get back to the computer to finish it due to visitors plus school tests. Please forgive me, folks. I'll do better next time.
David
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" Neither do I condemn thee." (John 8:11b)
Christ's words thus quoted were
spoken to a woman first caught in sin, then brought before the
multitudes for contemplation, and finally the plan was to first execute
Moses's law upon her, and then debate her case again with our Savior.
The verse I've excerpted from above, is where we may observe the
moment in which Christ disperses her peers, and forgives sin of present
and past. The sharp decisiveness of Moses's law was dispersed when
both young and elder withdrew, and here Christ withdraws the sharp decisiveness of God's Holy Being. He says, " Neither do I condemn thee"
and in a moment this burdened lady is pardoned for as long as eternity
may stretch. Should we recite these same words in our own power, they
have such weak meaning, for where one leaves off the other takes up.
Should we be forgiving, our neighbor may not, and in a world of
millions, what is one person saying "I condemn no longer so-and-so
culprit"? But let Jesus Christ say it and it is enough. The soul is
freed, a burden is lifted, and a heart made grateful.
Now I would imagine ten years after the occurrence in this verse
that we find the woman, yet free from condemnation, and we may ask: has
there been more transforming words spoken to her then those of ten
years back? Has there ever been a time when her Savior more clearly
revealed Himself unto her sinning heart? Regarding her, have dark veils
ever been lifted more completely from guilty, shameful eyes like they
were that day? And would she find any excuse to not joy at the
remembrance of Christ's words unto her, " Neither do I condemn thee"?
We may boldly say no. And as it was hers, may it be ours to
recall to mind amidst our routines, the blessing of Christ's words unto
us. May I not let any wretch of sin cloud up my sweet memory of the
event in which Christ's blood was applied, the law appeased, and God
looking on, rested my case with " Neither do I condemn thee!"
Condemned no longer,
Not by man
nor by moral law.
But pardoned full,
by the Hand,
Of Jesus Christ my Savior!
Let my soul then recall,
Not my tears
or vain despair,
But blessed day
of all the years,
When God condemned no more!
Posted by DanielAaron
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