Numbers 25: Turning Back the Wrath

Key Verses
11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
 
Meditation
The bold and shameless sin of humanity serves to magnify the unmerited grace of God evidenced through the cross of Christ.
 
Today’s reading is the final record of the first wilderness generation. Apart from Joshua and Caleb, this is the final word. And it is tragic. Israel turned from the Lord to yoke with the false gods of Moab. They sold their daughters into cult prostitution and bowed down to false gods.  Rebellious hearts rejected God’s grace to seek gods of their culture (Romans 3:1-20).
 
God’s righteous anger against sin is justified. God is holy and just, His wrath aroused by rebellion. The wage of sin is death and the zeal of Phinehas abated God’s wrath. The killing of the culprits put an end to the idolatry and apostasy and their sacrifice stopped the spread of the plague.
 
Phinehas was Aaron’s grandson, “jealous” with the Lord’s jealousy for the hearts of His people (“jealousy” is repeated four times in vv. 11-13). God is passionately protective of His people’s purity, having set them apart for relationship with Himself. Only sacrifice can satisfy His justice, stopping the plague of the curse and sanctifying His people for the purpose of knowing Him.
 
Paul applies today’s difficult narrative as a lesson for Christians to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 10:8). Ultimately, Phinehas’ jealousy points us to the work of Jesus who turned back God’s wrath for our sin, stopping the spread of the curse, so all who believe can be saved by His grace, set apart in His righteousness, and sanctified by His Spirit.
 
Today’s Reading
While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”
6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

The Zeal of Phinehas
10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”

14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father's house in Midian.

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you in today’s reading, especially the depth of sin and rebellion and the need for sacrifice to turn back God’s wrath?
 
-Where do you identify with Israel, turning to false gods of our culture and participating in sexual immorality?
 
-Our sin is not the end of the story. God’s love is long suffering and His covenant faithfulness compels us to return to Him. Jesus took the wrath we deserve so we can receive His unmerited grace. Where do you need to respond to God’s grace by returning to God’s loving invitation for relationship, necessarily turning from the gods of this world and freeing yourself from secual immorality? Be specific.
 
Key Verses
11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.