Thoughts on Parashah Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1(29:40))

This week’s parashah begins with Adonai making a covenant of peace with Pinchas because of Pinchas’ zeal. There are many things we can learn from Pinchas. First is that zeal for God is a good thing if properly used. There is a such thing as zeal that is well intentioned but ill placed. Then there is zeal that is used properly. It is evident that God rewards properly used zeal. So it seems to be that we should all want to have and exercise this kind of zeal in our lives.

Zeal is best described as being jealous for something. In Pinchas’ case, he was jealous for God. He saw a sin being committed in the presence of God and His people at the place where worship of the one true God took place. Pinchas became jealous that that the man, Zimri, was committing. Zimri was putting something between Pinchas and God that wouldn’t allow God’s presence to be in the midst of the people. That made Pinchas jealous and so he removed what was causing God to not dwell with the people. Pinchas wanted to worship God God’s way, but could not as long as sin remained in the camp. The very fact that Zimri brought the woman, Kozbi by the door to the Tabernacle so all could see is alarming.

God had a certain way the people of Israel were to live and worship Him, even in the camp. Zimri brought Kozbi (which means “my lie” by the way) into the camp and mixed God’s way of worship with a pagan way. In fact, some suggest that the tent Zimri brought Kozbi into was the Tent of the Tabernacle…the Holy Place, the very Sanctuary of Adonai (see “Parashah 118” notes by Tim Hegg at www.torahresource.com).

The mixing of God’s ways of worship and pagan worship seem to be a favorite in the playbook of the Enemy. In fact, if some commentators are correct, what Zimri was doing was performing a fertility act, which is also a favorite of the Enemy. Think about the mixing of Passover and the death/resurrection of the Messiah with the pagan fertility holiday of “Easter” or “Ishtar”. It is well known that the bunny or rabbit is a symbol of the fertility goddess Ishtar and the egg is also connected the same way. I’m not wanting to get into that holiday at this time, I am just wanting to give an example. Why is the mixing of God’s ways and pagan fertility worship so common?

One possible explanation is that the creation of life that results is given to the false god instead of the true author of life, Adonai. We should all strive to make sure our worship to Adonai is pure and not mixing anything in that He didn’t prescribe. We must be zealous in that regard. Zealous for God’s Torah (His way of life for us) and living it out. If anything is found in our lives that is a hindrance or something that keeps us away from God and His presence, let us remove it from us or ourselves from it.

One thing we must note is that we should not resort to putting others to death for their sins. We must reserve that action to God and let Him alone be the judge. But what about Pinchas? He did it. Why can we not?

For one, Pinchas was a priest, a Levite. It was his job to keep the Tabernacle pure and holy in the presence of Adonai. The fact that sin was brought into the Tabernacle was the priesthood’s responsibility to clean out. This was evident in the covenant that God made with Pinchas. Verse 12 of chapter 25 says, “Therefore, say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of Peace…’” This covenant was tied directly to the high priesthood which was pretty much tied to the atonement of Yom Kippur. This was the one day in the Moedim or appointed Holy days that sin was dealt with, in the Holy of Holies, by blood being poured out for the people. It was in that ceremony that the revelation of Messiah’s purpose and work is and was revealed.

“Let no man therefore judge you in eating, or in drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or Shabbat, which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Messiah’s.” – Colossians 2:16, 17

Through Messiah’s sacrifice on the cross, through His spilled blood, sin is atoned for for all who would accept it. Through that act, a covenant of eternal peace is put into place between God and His people because Yeshua always lives to intercede for us.

“Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them. For such a Kohen Gadol was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” – Hebrews 7:24, 25

So the covenant given to Pinchas was a covenant that described how peace can be achieved with God (through the actions of the High Priest; THE High Priest, Messiah).

So how should we be zealous for God if we are not to put sinners to death? The Scriptures give us a very good example. Faithfulness and strict discipleship to the Torah through Messiah Yeshua. We must first and foremost focus on our own lives and fix our own sin in our own lives. What did the Master say?

“For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.” – Matthew 7:2-5

So when we read in our Haf-Torah, “He [Elijah] said, ‘I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God Tzeva’ot; for the children of Yisra’el have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left…” (1 Kings 19:10) and Elijah says this to Adonai multiple times and the Lord answers with, “’Yet will I leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.’” (1 Kings 19:18) we are to understand faithfulness and no compromise.

Again, when we read in the book of Acts 21:20, “They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Judeans of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Torah” we are to understand the Judeans were “faithful” and devout to the Torah. They held no compromise. So too should we.

To achieve this, we must begin with prayer. If we don’t have prayer, we have no foundation to stand on. We must soak our lives in prayer and study of the Word and live it out.

Spray it…don’t say it…

Just some thoughts for this Thursday…I was reading in a book last night before bed and I read the following: “It is easy for me to say to my wife, ‘I love you,’ and that’s a problem.” That hit me like a ton of bricks.

In our world and culture those words have become common. We say we “love” just about anything we really only “like” or “like a lot.” Our common use of the word “love” has hindered the word from expressing its full meaning. “Love” should be reserved for expressing one’s deepest most intimate feelings toward someone or something. Modern TV and movies have helped to create this problem of the commonplace use of the word “love.”

Unfortunately, this happy go-lucky use of “love” has found its way into the lives of Believers. Which makes one scratch one’s head when we read passages like John 15:13:

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

That kind of love is different from the kind of love we find in our culture today. When one thinks about love of God, one must consider that to love God goes against every fiber of one’s flesh. Our flesh will fight it tooth and nail. Our flesh wants what is good for the flesh. Our spirit wants what is good for the Kingdom….for God.

So is it easy for you to tell God, “I love you”? Do you say it with more than words? And I think that is the point. To truly say you love someone, your actions will reveal that truth. The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is still true.

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” – 1 John 4:20 & 21

So when it comes to loving God, don’t just say it..spray it…with action.

Parashah Naso

This week’s Scripture reading is Parashah Naso.  In Parashah Naso (Numbers 4:21-7:89) we have the Lord’s instructions for the “nazir” or Nazerite.   We are told in detail how one could take this vow and how one was to live during this vow and finally how one is to complete this vow.  A Nazerite was one who took a special vow to not cut their hair, touch a dead body, to not eat grapes, raisins, grape seeds, not drink grape juice, wine and other intoxicating liquor or any other product of grapes.   This person was considered holy unto the Lord for this time frame.   The vow had two requirements to have it “commence.”  One was that the person had to publicly declare they were entering this vow.  They could do this in a number of ways.  For example, if someone said, “I will be like Sampson.”  They were saying they were taking a Nazerite vow.  Sampson was the most famous Nazerite in the Scriptures.   One could also say, “I will not drink any wine” or “I will not cut my hair.”   The second thing they had to declare was the time frame of the vow.  The minimum time frame accepted for the vow was thirty days.   The longest was one’s lifetime.   We have an example of this scenario in the Gospel of Luke:

“For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come.” – Luke 22:18

Here we have the Master taking on a Nazerite vow.  Notice He pronounced that He was abstaining from “the fruit of the vine” and He gave a time frame (“…until the kingdom of God shall come”).

So, why would anyone willingly take on this vow?  The Scriptures do not give many examples of Nazirites or people taking this vow.  They seem to be special people and rare at that.   The writings of the Rabbis seem to hint to us that many people took on this vow.  As well, in Acts 21 we are told that four of the Believers in the Jerusalem community even took on this vow.

I have heard it taught that one would take on this vow to help “curve” a fleshly desire they have and to help them focus on the Lord and serving Him.  It was a way to help “fine tune” one’s focus on God.

The word “nazir” or “Nazerite” means “separated” or “consecrated.”  In a sense, when one took on this vow they were separating or consecrating themselves to God for a certain time frame.  It has been described as a type of “spiritual cleansing.”

When I read about the Nazerite, I see someone who is devoted to God.  Someone who is willing to give up things that are ok for them to have (i.e. grapes, wine, raisins, haircuts, taking care of dead relative’s body) for a closer relationship with the Master.   This reminds me of something Yeshua said in (once again) the Gospel of Luke:

“And it happened as they were going in the way, one said to Him, ‘Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.’  And Yeshua said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’  And He said to another, ‘Follow Me!’ But he said, ‘Lord, first allow me to go and bury my father.’  Yeshua said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’  And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but first allow me to take leave of those in my house.’  And Yeshua said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ – Luke 9:57-62

Now, none of these requests were bad.  None were sins.   What Yeshua was getting at is that in order to follow Him, in order to “separate” or “consecrate” oneself to serving God, one had to give up certain things.   One had to decide which was more important: God or something/someone else.  Devotion and disciple rule the day.

Think about it.   In today’s world, look at the body of Believers around us; and look at ourselves as well.  How much true devotion and discipline do we see?   We are all guilty of it from time to time.   Too much TV and not enough prayer, overeating instead of eating only the amount of food our body needs to function and be healthy, going to a sporting event instead of helping the poor.   The list could be any number of scenarios.   The bottom line is we all could do better in our devotion to God.   It all boils down to choices.

“All things are lawful to me, but not all things profit. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

There may be something we do, something we eat, something we desire that is “lawful.”  It may be permissible.  However, is it profitable to the Kingdom of God?   Does whatever it is come between you and the Lord?  Does it hinder your prayer time?  Does it cut into your study of the Scriptures?  Does it not allow you to share the Gospel or help those in need?

What shall we do then?  Shall we all take Nazerite vows?  I wouldn’t recommend it.  However, I would recommend a “spiritual cleansing” of sorts.  In any case, it won’t be easy.  For me personally, change is hard.   If I need to change my eating habits or change my routine, it takes a great deal of disciple and devotion to the change.   The goal has to be continually in my sights and in my mind.

Change is something most people have trouble with.  However, if we listen, the Master is still calling, “Follow Me!”  His call is not just one of following Him down the street.  It is one to live as He lived.  It is a call to sacrifice, devotion and discipline.

The writer of the book of Hebrews called Yeshua our “High Priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5:10).  If one is to compare the Nazerite vow with the priesthood of the Temple, one would see the close comparisons between the two.

The priesthood was forbidden to drink any wine or fermented drink when serving in the Temple (Leviticus 10:9); so too the Nazerite was forbidden wine and fermented drink during their vow.  The priesthood was also forbidden to come into contact with a dead body during their time of service in the Temple (Leviticus 21:1-4, 11); so too the Nazerite was forbidden to touch any dead body during their vow.  The priesthood were forbidden from uncovering their head or using a razor on their hair (except for trimming it) (Leviticus 10:6, Ezekiel 44:20); so too the Nazerite was forbidden to cut their hair (except they were not allowed to trim it).

There are even more connections between the two.   The sacrifices a Nazerite is suppose to bring at the conclusion of their vow is the same as that of sacrifices a priests is to bring when they are ordained into priesthood (Numbers 6:13-21, Exodus 29:1-3, Leviticus 8:2).  So what is the point in the comparison?  The Nazerite vow seems to be a way for an ordinary person to “enter into the priesthood” in a sense.   Numbers 6:8 tells us they were “holy unto the Lord.”  This is the same phrase written on the High Priest’s crown (Exodus 29:6).  This is the call we hear from Peter:

“…be holy for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)

As we answer Yeshua’s call to follow Him, we are taking up His way of life as our own.   We are saying “no” to our own desires and saying “yes” to His call.  We are becoming “separated” or “consecrated” from the world for the Lord.  We are becoming a peculiar people, not looking like the rest of the world.  In a way, being a disciple of Yeshua is a “type” of Nazerite vow.  I’m not trying to lessen the seriousness or specialness of that vow (it is important and special on its own), however, there seems to be a parallel.  Just as there is a parallel between the Nazerite and the priesthood of the Temple, there is a parallel between Yeshua’s followers and Yeshua, the High Priest of the Heavenly Temple.

The Master said to “count the cost” of discipleship before starting on that journey (Luke 14:26-35).  One must give up certain things.   Devotion and discipline is the key.  Are you devoted to the King?

“Behold, the sower went out to sow.   And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth. And they sprang up immediately, because they had no deepness of earth.  And the sun rising, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away.  And some fell among thorns. And the thorns sprung up and choked them. And some fell on the good ground and yielded fruit, indeed one a hundredfold, and one sixty, and one thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear….Therefore hear the parable of the sower.  When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.  But that which was sown on the stony places is this: he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy.  But he has no root in himself, and is temporary. For when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, he immediately stumbles.   And that sown into the thorns is this: he who hears the Word; and the anxiety of this world, and the deceit of riches, choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But that sown on the good ground is this: he who hears the Word and understands; who also bears fruit and produces one truly a hundredfold; and one sixty; and one thirty.” (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23)

How we spend our time in each of our lives will determine how the “seed” falls.  Your heart is the soil and if your heart is focused on other things, it won’t “hear” the Word and receive it.  If your heart is not rooted in prayer and the Scriptures, the “seed” your heart receives will be temporarily received, but soon lost.

It is a good thing to stop from time to time and take a spiritual inventory or our lives.  It is good to ask ourselves if anything has gotten in the way of our devotion to God.  Has anything crept in unaware?   Have we allowed our prayer time and study in the Scriptures to diminish while leisure time has increased?  Leisure time is not bad, but if it takes away from our time with God, it is something we need to control and use properly.  Our lives must be rooted in prayer, study of Scripture and putting what we learn into practice.

Our time here on earth is short.   Our lives are but a blink of an eye in God’s time.  Are we making the most of it?  Perhaps we should repeat Paul’s words before we do anything:

“All things are lawful to me, but not all things profit. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

Then we should ask, “Is what I am about to do profitable to the Kingdom?”