Joy in the Messiah

Pinchas
Numbers 25:10-29:40
1 Kings 18:46-29:40
John 2:13-22
    The previous Torah portion, Balak, ends with 2 violent deaths: ‘Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; ⁸ and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body.’  
     This Torah portion, Pinchas begins with God’s approval for Pinchas’ actions in Numbers 25:10-13 ‘Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ¹¹ “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. ¹² Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; ¹³ and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’     
     Having failed to curse the Israelites, Balaam came up with a plan that succeeded. He persuaded the Moabite women to seduce the Israelite men and then lure them into idolatry. This obviously evoked the anger of Adonai, causing the plague, which eventually killed 24,000 Israelites.  Zimri, a leader in the tribe of Shimon, brought a Midianite woman into the camp where they flagrantly engaged in relations. This is where Pinchas stopped the plague by thrusting a spear through them both into the ground, dubbing him Pinchas the Zealot.     
     The reason for God’s wrath is in Numbers 25:18, ‘for they (the Midianites) harassed you with their schemesby which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.’ Some Hebrew translations use the words deceived, distressed, beguiled, in lieu of harassed.  Regardless, it was a scheme.
     We see two opposite traits of two different men; two defining character traits of one against and of one for.  Both men having zeal, one has zeal for himself and the other zeal for God. The difference between the two characters is so extreme that we should pray to be like one and pray to never be like the other.
     When one has zeal for their own ego and not for the care, empathy of others, nor for the will of God, then they become the zealot who will harass/seduce/beguile others to gain what is important to them.  Their zeal is for their own will and ideology. However, when one has zeal for God, they edify, are compassionate, and are willing participants in the order of Adonai, joining themselves to the will and covenants of God, the zeal of God.  ‘Pinchas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.’ Numbers 25:11.
     There is another point in Pinchas.   In Numbers 27:15-17 Moshe implores Adonai for a new leader with these characteristics, ‘Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: ¹⁶ “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, ¹⁷ who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.’  God repeats this request as His answer in Numbers 27:18-21 when He tells Moshe to take Joshua. 
     “Who will go out before them and come in before them.” This means that a leader must lead from the front, leading the people out and leading them in. As Benjamin Disraeli states: they cannot be like a politician who says: “Of course I follow the party. After all, I am their leader.” 
    The second phrase is more vital, ‘who will lead them out and bring them in.’ This means a leader must not only lead from the front, but protect them, bringing them in as a shepherd brings in his sheep, protecting them from the wolves that prowl. This is strategic planning. Leading is not pulling on reins or pushing one to follow, but rather guiding, directing, comforting and guarding. 
     Acts 20:28 ‘Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
     1 Peter 5:2 ‘Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly…'
     Proverbs 11:14 encourages leaders to seek guidance and take advice. ‘Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.’
     There is a balance in leadership; knowing when to come and when to go, ‘Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.’ Philippians 2:3-4.  
     Like the verses in Numbers 27, leadership is a strategy.  True leaders are willing to take uncomfortable risks that may be uncomfortable for others.  Leaders are not afraid to show human vulnerability, but leaders need to be allowed to lead without under the breath doubts from others. 
    It is not a coincidence that after the Israelites and Moshe have just lived through the rebellion of Korach, the deceitfulness of Balam, the plagues and the murmuring, that God and Moshe come to the same conclusion regarding the next leader, Joshua. A man ‘who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in…To lead with truth and righteousness. 
      The spirit that can be seen in all of those rebellious characters is the Jezebel, which makes leadership difficult. But the strong leader, one who leads for God and with God, that leader that is zealous for God’s zeal, will overcome this master manipulator, the Jezebel.  That leader will go out before the people and go in before them, and will lead them out and bring them in righteousness.
     Not only is the Jezebel a master manipulator but also a control freak and will use different methods of coercion to control their victim; fear, seduction, passive/aggressiveness and intimidation. The Jezebel, being prideful and attracted to power, specifically desires to control the leader, either overtly or covertly, denying and lacking the submission to authority as they question the leaders’ decisions and pull in others forming a coup or at the very least causing the leader to doubt their decisions. The Jezebel is rebellious and crafty, twisting events and conversations, deflecting from reality, and uses confusion as a crutch. A Jezebel will exploit weakness, preying on the simple of heart to gain their sympathy. A Jezebel will often volunteer for everything, getting ‘respect’ from those around them. They are intelligent and hard workers. They spiritualize everything, throwing the focus off themselves and putting it on God. The Jezebel is jealous and domineering. The Jezebel is full of self-pity, desires conflict to gain control, is possessive and desires any type of attention, positive or negative. The Jezebel often has many infirmities to gain pity and has a ‘back-stabbing’ agenda to pit people against one another. The Jezebel is dangerous but not victorious ,unless allowed to be. 
     However, when one is zealous with God's zeal all this will be overcome. We are victorious through Yeshua. 

Pinchas
Numbers 25:10-29:40
1 Kings 18:35-19:21
John 2:13-22

This parsha begins with a very important declaration. ‘Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ¹¹ “Phineas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.’ Numbers 25:10-11. 
     It is Adonai’s zeal, not his own zeal.  How often do we charge ahead in our zeal, not asking for the zeal of God or His Will.  The Torah is God’s zeal, ‘For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
and was clad with zeal as a cloak.’ Isaiah 59:17.
    Directly after the actions of Pinchas, Adonai declares he will be given a covenant of peace. ‘Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; ¹³ and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ Numbers 25:12-13.
     Isaiah 9:6-7 speaks of The Covenant of Peace due to God’s zeal. The Covenant of Peace is a direct result of the zeal of Adonai – not our own version.
‘For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’

     Later on in this parsha, in Numbers 27 we read: ‘Then came the daughters of Zelophehad….they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: ³ “Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the Lord, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. ⁴ Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” Numbers 27:1-4.
    They were clear regarding the character of their father, that he had not been in the ‘company of Korach’.  Inheritance is a gift…
     Psalm 16:5 ‘The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.’
     Colossians 1:12 ‘…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the followers of Messiah in Light.’
     Isaiah 61:7 ‘Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, everlasting joy will be theirs.
     Psalm 2:8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession.’
     Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.’
     Ephesians 1:14 ‘…who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.’
     Numbers 28-29 explains the offerings of the High Holy Days: The Daily Offerings, Shabbat, The Monthly Offerings, Pesach, Shavuot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot,
    The zeal of Adonai is a covenant of peace, an inheritance and the offerings.
    We are to have and use His zeal. We are given The Covenant of Peace. We receive the inheritance. For this we offer to Adonai during His appointed times, which truly represent His zeal, His Covenant of Peace and The Inheritance!