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.
