41. Par’shah Pinchas

[alon]

This week’s readings:
Date of reading- July 7, 2018/24 Tammuz 5778
Name of Par’shah- 41. Pinchas
Par’shah- Num 25:10 – 30:1
Haftara- 1 Kings 18:46-19:21
Brit Chadashah- Mat 26:1-30; Mark 14:1-26; Luke 22:1-20; John 2:13-27, 7:1-13, 37-39; 11:55-12:1 Acts 2:1-21; 12:3-4, 20:5-6; 1 Cor 5:6-8; Heb 11:28

D’rash: What Balaam offered the Midianites was a diabolical method of overcoming the Hebrews. He helped them destroy the bond between Israel and Magen Avraham- the "Shield of Abraham.” Entice them into immorality and the holiness of YHVH M’quaddash- The LORD Who Sets (us) Apart (Leviticus 22:32) would compel Him to withdraw from the nation. The Midianites, whose punishment for their attempts at destroying Israel physically were delayed, now would be severely punished for this treachery:

Numbers 2:16-18 (ESV) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 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.”

Baal was a Canaanite god of sensuality, and Peor is a mountain in Moab; thus the proper name is in this case “Baal of Peor.” Balaam had suggested the way to defeat the Hebrews was for the Moabite women to entice the Hebrew men to fornicate with and possibly intermarry Moabite women who were notoriously wanton. And it almost worked.

Revelation 2:14 (ESV) But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.

Once allow even the suggestion of this kind of behavior and the downfall and punishment of not only the perpetrators, but of those who sat silently by and allowed it will soon follow. We as servants of God must always be uncompromising in eschewing even the pretext of this kind of idolatrous apostasy.

Numbers 27:12-14 (ESV) The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

The reason God was angry with Moshe over striking the rock is this was supposed to be prophetic of a later time when Yeshua would speak words of life:

John 7:37-39 (ESV) On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as [Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Those of us who believe and keep the mitzvoth, and who stand against evil; we bring blessing on our fellow countrymen:

Numbers 25:10-13 (ESV) And the Lord said to Moses, “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. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 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.’”

Compare this response toElijah just after he’d called down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, then killed all the priests of Ba’al:

1 Kings 19:1-3 (ESV) Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”  Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

Like Moshe at Meribah, Elijah had broken faith. Moshe did so out of grief and anger, while Elijah did so out of fear. And so the task both men had set out to accomplish was left to another to complete:

1 Kings 19:14-18 (ESV) He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Those who follow HaShem and do His work will always experience more of these life’s problems. We need to be speaking words of life, blessing and encouragement to our leaders and each other. We need mutual support and to be willing to stand in the gap when necessary. Build each other up, especially our leaders, giving them strength to persevere, because they will be slandered, cursed and set upon by the world. The enemy will never miss a chance to harm thjose who serve Abishter or their families, trying to derail them as he did Moshe at Meribah. Those who are faithful to do this on their own will also experience this kind of persecution, and they have no one to fall back on for strength. So we must never miss an opportunity to bless them as well. But whenever that encouragement is not forthcoming, we all need to remember:

1 Peter 3:14-15,17 (ESV) But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, … For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

God grants authority to those who will lead:

Numbers 27:18-20 (ESV) So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.

The rite of laying on hands, or s’micha, transfers authority from a leader to those who work under or succeed him.

Yeshua Himself showed the kind of zeal as Phineas, Elijah, and Moshe:

John 2:13-17 (ESV) The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Note that Yeshua took the time to gather the materials and make a scourge; then in a protracted act of premeditated violence He drove the moneychangers, sellers, and their livestock from the Temple. This was no quick act, as many of the larger animals had to be driven out of gates located in the center of the walls. And His anger must have been fierce for one man to overcome everyone there. This is not the timid, weak, pacifist Yeshua we were taught about in church. It is a man with the courage and zeal to later go meekly to His execution; one who could have called down fire from heaven to consume His tormentors, but did not.

God is Sar Shalom, Prince of Peace. But He is also the Lawgiver and Judge: (James 4:12). He has given us His mitzvoth, and He expects us to follow them. And the Bible is full of penalties and woes to those who disobey, as well as many examples of those who did not. As with Midian, YHVH Nakah, the Lord Who smites in judgment. (Ezekiel 7:8) will not hold back forever.


Mekorot: JPS Study TNK, J Eldredge, FB Meyer, MF Unger, Rav S, my father and others

[Elizabeth]

I love your comments about Yeshua overthrowing the tables. One thing I've really come to appreciate about our G-d is how in control He is, and Yeshua exemplifies it perfectly. He never gets riled up or just vents emotion. Everything He does is perfect, and so when He acts, He doesn't hold back or change His mind. That's why He gave us more time to be ready for the Kingdom.

The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of G-d. (James 1:20) so when He acts in this way, it shows His heart and His ability. How passionate He is for His people. Why they had to wait for the Kingdom, and how much their corruption and priorities upset Him for their sake. He isn't upset about what He has to go through, but rather the state His nation is in. He loves even in His anger, but His anger is that much more fearsom because it is perfect; never out of line or control. That's very sobering for me personally.

[alon]

Jul 7, 2018 12:44:16 GMT -8 Elizabeth said:

I love your comments about Yeshua overthrowing the tables. One thing I've really come to appreciate about our G-d is how in control He is, and Yeshua exemplifies it perfectly. He never gets riled up or just vents emotion. Everything He does is perfect, and so when He acts, He doesn't hold back or change His mind. That's why He gave us more time to be ready for the Kingdom.

The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of G-d. (James 1:20) so when He acts in this way, it shows His heart and His ability. How passionate He is for His people. Why they had to wait for the Kingdom, and how much their corruption and priorities upset Him for their sake. He isn't upset about what He has to go through, but rather the state His nation is in. He loves even in His anger, but His anger is that much more fearsom because it is perfect; never out of line or control. That's very sobering for me personally.

Thanks. The ideas about Yeshua driving out the vendors from the Temple come fro John Eldridge. I did some studies of his work while still in Christianity, oddly enough, and this just sort of stuck with me. 

As someone who has had to overcome (and still has a LOT more) anger issues, I can absolutely agree with you: righteous anger (whether of Yeshua or any other person) is much different than our own natural anger. Your other insights are spot on as well. I tend not to focus on the love, because that is where nearly everyone else does focus. But it is important. And that God loves even in His righteous anger is extremely important. Thanks for pointing that out.

Dan C

[Elizabeth]

I know what you mean about anger. Part of my struggle with evil is that I sometimes wake up angry. I have to get up the moment I first wake up because if I try to sleep in a bit, I struggle with bad dreams and the like. It's kind of trickier than it sounds because I don't really look forward to my day. I used to handle it by kind of praying as I woke up, but that isn't working anymore.

So I struggle, and then I find myself saying to G-d,, "how is it You are still blessing me and working with me?" because I'm not the person I should be for Him. I never did that before this because I had never experience being blessed in such a place. I know He's humbling me and helping me truly understand what I already know. G-d continues to bless me and teach me because if He didn't, I'd give up, I need a lot more than I realized, and I don't really understand how He loves.

I wasn't as far along spiritually as I thought because I can't get over that He would still bless me and work with me when I can be like that. I know it's Yeshua and I understand it logically, but to truly understand it spiritually and emotionally is a deep, scary, and humbling leap.

The truth is I can't love the way G-d does and so it's hard to come to terms with it all including how much He loves me. How can you put up with me? It's so inherently human to struggle with this and I know it's something we all experience. Yet, it's so personal at the same time, and I love thinking about it like that, broadly human but intimately personal, because I believe that's the way G-d loves.

We have nothing figured out or put together. We pray, study, and worship but only because He gives us a Spirit to, and we're dependent on that gift at the very same time we offer it. I am struggling to come to terms with a spiritual truth I only mentally know. We're saved cause G-d loves us. That's it. It sounds so easy but it's hard to accept because human nature has a hard time understanding something beyond it. You can't really accept what you can't understand. So we're called to a spiritual place beyond our reach if not for G-d Who only in His wisdom knows how to get us there. I simply can't really comprehend the terms of His love as truly unconditional because that doesn't come naturally to me as applied not only to others, but me. I thought I got it, but I really don't. In all this, I think I finally am seeing the point of it, or maybe just a small point of it. Every lesson always comes back to how much Yeshua has truly done for me, and that it's too much to really understand and come to terms with.

I feel like G-d kind of goes in circles with me that gradually take me to a deeper understanding of something I thought I previously understood. It's such a balance He has to achieve with us between doing what we are called to and truly depending on Him in humility as we do it, which I think we do a lot less of than we tend to realize. Or maybe it's that we don't realize how much we are depending on Him. Either way, it's a constant struggle He endures through with us. It's like He sees a weakness or misunderstanding but knows we're going to have to come back to that because it's simply too much, so He keeps us moving. He moves us on by addressing other things, and then we find our way back to a previous issue but with more understanding. So on it goes, and He knows how to help us tackle something too big for us without overwhelming or even overburdening us. The truth is we are so in over or heads we couldn't deal with the reality of it, but in G-d's Grace there is always a hope just in His fellowship. It's beyond me to even handled how much I have to be grateful for, so in G-d's wisdom and grace, I don't have to understand it all at once.

There have been moments where I knew that if I understood what was going on, it would be too much for me to pick myself up off the floor and move on. So He gives me encouragement and comfort just to get me up and going on, but it's still a struggle because I don't know what's really going on.

It's amazing how we just go about with daily life in the light of what G-d does for us generally, but that in and of itself is a huge blessing. I think about what they did when the sea was parted. It had to be G-d Who kept them going because they didn't do anything but just walk. So I tell myself to just get up and walk to whatever mundane task is next, but He gives me more energy, solace, and hope for understanding. He has left me in a really bizarre place though. It's such a strange and beyond me place spiritually, meanwhile I carry on with my day like nothing strange is going on. That's dumbfounding to me, but that's what we're called to do generally I think if you consider the reality of our situation. I guess that's some indication of why we have an eternity to worship Him when we finally get it.

Meanwhile I think He has to be gentle even in expressing His love and our need to us because it would be too much for us to understand all at once. I don't think we could handle just moving on the way we have to in this life if we understood it all at once with complete understanding. It's just another amazing aspect of G-d's grace in the life of those who follow Him.