Untitled Sermon (2)

Sermon AM 2/19/2023 Numbers 25

Reading

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Prayer

Introduction

Brother Seth a few weeks ago brought us a message regarding the conversion of Paul. Paul was a very zealous man. Before his conversion, he prided himself on his knowledge and adherence to the law, his membership in the tribe of Benjamin, and fierce persecution against those he perceived as enemies of Israel.

I think Paul, before his conversion, perceived himself to like the great men of the Old Testament. Men who were devoted to the Lord and keeping the nation undefiled. Men such as Caleb, king David and Phinehas. Which brings us to Numbers 25.

Being inspired by Bro. Seth’s sermon I want us to examine another example of zeal. An example we find all the way back in Numbers 25. We will cover the entire chapter today. We begin in verse 1. It reads,

Background

[Baal Worship at Peor]

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.

Verse 1 tells us the people of Israel were dwelling in Shittim. This is the location just before they enter the Promised Land. However, dwelling near them were the Moabites. Balak, the king of Moab feared Israel due to their number and desired their destruction. So much so he plots to have Israel cursed through the prophet Balaam, as recorded in the previous few chapters.

Though Balaam was a wicked prophet, he was not a false prophet. Even with the promise of great riches from the king, Balaam refused to curse Israel and repeatedly blessed them according to the instruction of the Lord. This of course infuriated king Balak, and he withheld the reward

This however, did not keep Balaam from conspiring. Knowing the Lord would not permit a curse upon Israel, the prophet devised a plan. Israel could not be cursed by God, but they surely could be punished by God. Balaam knew of Israel's history and their weakness of adultery. Therefore, the prophet suggested Moab offer up their wives and daughters to the Israelites that they may be tempted with sensuality, following the pagan practices and ultimately committing idolatry. And it was so. As we just read, Israel pursued the adulterous women of Moab and submitted themselves to paganism. Naturally the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

Specifically verse 3 tells us Israel yoked themselves to Baal of Peor. Baal is the general name of most idols. However the descriptor, “of Peor” is added. Peor refers to Mount Peor but also means “the opening”. This was likely the pagan god Kemosh who was worshiped with human sacrifices and large orgies.

But verse 3 also tells us the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. But it fails to tell us how that anger was made manifest. This is a detail we will not uncover until verse 9 but I will cover it now for the sake of clarity. The Lord casted a plague among the people as a first punishment for their sin.

But let us continue, verse 4.

Body

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.”

Verse 4 informs us of the second punishment for their sin, the chiefs are to be hanged. Not some. Not most. All. And this was likely not traditional hanging. Likely the men were stoned or slain with the sword and then their lifeless bodies hung by rope near the Tabernacle as a warning. The Baal of Peor was a false god and could not save its worshippers from destruction.

This seems brutal, and it is. But remember who these men are. They are chiefs of their tribes. They are the leaders of their peoples. It was under their supervision that adultery and idolatry was permitted and grew. Not to mention, some may have even participated in the sins of the laity.

Also, the Lord had been more than patient with Israel. Though they had been faithless and suffered wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, the Lord had provided for them abundantly. He gave them water to drink and food to eat. He gave clothes to wear and shoes to walk in. He even gave them the riches of the Egyptians! Yet in Shittim, just at the end of their wandering, with the promised land in sight, the people of Israel forsake the Lord again!

So Moses fulfills the Lord's command and instructs the judges to strike down the men who have become disobedient. The judges were men placed in leadership to handle the legal affairs of the people in order to remove the burden from Moses and Aaron (Ex.18:13-26). But they now no longer swing the gavel, but the sword. Through their camps they go finding the guilty and slaying them. And gathering the dead they hoist them high for all to see.

But in the next verse we have preserved for us a particular example of the evil committed in this time. Verses 1 through 5 were a birds eye view of the situation. But verse 6 puts us on the ground. No doubt many men had sought the women of Moab and participated in the pagan practices. But here we are introduced to one of these wretched men.

We read in verse 6,

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.

This unnamed sinner, uncontent with committed debauchery in Moab where he was lesser known and less likely to fall ill from the plague or die by the sword, parades his harlot in his own country and family. In the face of the judges and the Lord he pridefully displays his disobedience and wickedness.

Meanwhile, Moses and those who were obedient were weeping in the Tabernacle. No doubt the weight of the people’s sin weighed heavily upon them along with the hand of disciple they were receiving from the Lord. The wailing and petitioning must have been unbearable. In their disobedient state, the Lord would have not appeared in the Tent of Meeting nor would He have accepted any sacrifices. The only thing the faithful could do was petition God for mercy. Would Israel perish just outside the Promised Land? Was the faithlessness of Israel greater than the faithfulness of God? Does the Lord care to hear the prayer of His children in the midst of such perversions?

Continuing on, verse 7.

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.

The audacity of this man must have been paralyzing. In the middle of lamenting men and women begging God for mercy, he walks into the court of the Tabernacle with his whore and in doing so mocks his countrymen and the Lord.

Though when Phinehas, likely within the congregation, witnessed the bareface false Israelite, he was not paralyzed with dread. Rather, he grabs a spear and follows the couple.

And it is here the author of Numbers is hesitant to be explicit, though we can infer what happened. The couple had walked through the court of the Tabernacle and entered into the Tent. Likely they were in the Holy of Holies. A place so holy that only a pure and clean priest could enter (lest they die), once a year, and speak to the Lord. But these miscreants enter in and begin to “play”. But Phinehas, overcome with zeal, dashes through the Tent and pierces them through.

It is easy to think Phinehas acted out of unrighteous anger or vengeance. Or maybe even he was a kind of vigilante. However this is far from the truth as we read the rest of verse 8.

Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

Phinehas’ act, whether he knew it would happen or not, caused the wrath of God to abate, and with it, the plague among the people of Israel. This does not mean all the wicked men of Israel immediately stopped their wickedness and repented. No. But it does mean the Lord was satisfied enough with Phinehas’ zeal that He withdrew His rod of iron.

But is also where we learn of the vastness of the plague. It was not minor or inconsequential. It was a serious calamity that caused sinners to perish. Twenty-thousand in all perished. No doubt a great number of men fell. But in light of the whole number of Israel, it was only a small percentage who perished. We can safely infer from this detail that most of Israel did not bow the knee to the Baal of Peor. But a little leaven, leaven the whole loaf (1 Cor. 5:6). It was not required for most or even half of Israel to become disobedient inorder to incur the wrath of God.

Those astute among us may have noticed that the apostle Paul seems to give a different number regarding those who perished in 1 Corinthians 10:8. Of all the possible explanations I found the most simple to be the most reasonable. Moses is recording all those who have perished in the event. The apostle Paul however, is offering up the number of those who died “in a single day.” It is reasonable to assume another thousand died on another day or days due to the plague or the sword.

But the story does not end here. Verse 10 reads,

[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.’ ”

The language in these three verses is absolutely remarkable. Firstly, the Lord speaks to Moses and states that Phinehas has turned back His wrath. Not Moses. Not the lamenting of the congregation. Not the sacrifices. Not the hangings or the plague. But Phinehas.

Secondly, Phinehas has done so because he was, as the Lord says, “jealous with my jealousy”. What does that mean? What is the jealousy of God? That in itself is an entire sermon series but I will try to condense it down for the sake of time.

First we must understand that the Lord’s jealousy is not our jealousy. Our jealousy comes from our sinfulness. Our jealousy is envy. We do not have so we plot, steal, and murder (James 3, 4). Our jealousy is sinful. Our jealousy is that of our own interests.

Rather, the Lord’s jealousy is intricately woven into His holiness. Without the holiness of God, there is no jealousy of God. The jealousy of God is where His wrath and love meet. It is by His jealousy the wicked are consumed with fire (Dt. 4:23-25) and the righteous are purified (Hb. 12:28-29). The Lord’s jealousy is what arouses destruction of anything that defies His people or His glory.

So for Phinehas to be “jealous with my jealousy” means he loves what is holy. It means he hates what is unclean. It means he is consumed with the glory of God. It is out of this divine jealousy Phinehas acts. He is not motivated by vengeance or unjust anger, but with the jealousy of God.

But that is not the only thing remarkable here. In verse 12 the Lord rewards Phinehas for his zealousness. He is given a perpetual covenant of peace and perpetual priesthood. Why would the Lord promise something that was bound to pass anyway? Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron the priest and therefore in line to become, if he had not already, a Levitical priest.

I think the answer is two fold. Firstly, it is not uncommon for the Lord to offer a reward with what He has already promised. For instance, the Lord promised Abraham an abundance of offspring and that through his offspring the world would be blessed before ever having a son (Gen. 15:6, 18:18). Yet the Lord rewards Abraham’s obedience in the akedah with the very same words (Gen. 22:16).

Secondly, the reward is not merely Phinehas’ position in the priesthood, but perpetuity for his descendants. In other words, not only will the line of Phinehas’ descendants never be destroyed but also that they will carry the title of priest forever.

And the last thing I want us to note in these verses is the last statement in verse 13. Phinehas has “made atonement for the people of Israel”. How could Phinehas' act have made atonement for the sin of Israel? No perfect lamb was slain nor an offering burned so how can it be declared an atonement?

We often think of atonement in the Old Testament incorrectly and often too narrowly. We perceive that all of the rituals, sacrifices, and offering all did the same thing, make payment for sin. But that is an injustice to the grand picture the Lord paints with the atonement. Not only is it a picture of the payment of sin, but also the purging of sin. After the sin offerings the scapegoat would be set free into the wilderness and therefore symbolize the purging of sin and uncleanliness from the Tabernacle, its contents, and the people of Israel (Lev. 16:20).

So Phinehas’ act, as interpreted by the Lord, is by definition, an atonement. Phinehas has purged sin and uncleanliness from the Tabernacle, and therefore from the people as well. So with sin and uncleanliness purged, the Lord withdraws the hand of His wrath. For where there is no sin there is no wrath of God.

But this is still not the end of the story. Verse 14.

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.

Finally the defiant Israelite is named. “Zimri the son of Salui, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites.” This man was a leader of the tribe of Simeon! He was not some layman. He was a chief! One of the very men who was to be put to death! Instead of leading his tribe in holiness, he led them into adultery, idolatry, and ultimately, death.

But we are also given the name of his whore, “Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian.” Like her partner she was in high standing within her tribe. So even the high standing women of Moab participated in the plot to defile Israel and make them fall by their sin.

In this we must consider the danger Phinehas put himself in. In killing two people of high standing, retaliation from the offended families would be likely. But Phinehas disregards such concerns. He regards it as a small price, if he even regarded it at all.

Conclusion

And this has implications for Israel and Moab. We read,

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.”

Ultimately the plan of Balaam and Balak, king of Moab, failed. They thought they could destroy Israel. Or better, have the Lord destroy Israel. But what was thought to be victory over God’s people has now become their own destruction. The Lord in removing His hand of disciple from His children lays His hand of destruction upon Moab.

I think the words of the Psalmist are appropriate here. Psalm chapter 2 reads this,

Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6 “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

Application

What a story. So what are we to gather from it?

I think the most obvious is the power of human sexuality. It is a powerful force. But that does not make it an evil force. No doubt the Lord made human sexuality strong in order to be one of the strings that binds a husband and wife together. But as anything that is made for good, sin corrupts it. ---

Firstly, we must ask, where are the men like Phinehas in our country? In a culture that is embracing perversion such as adultery, sodomy, transgenderism, pedophilia and the like. Where are the men denouncing such things and calling them what they are despite the heavy hand of the law and social standing?

Or maybe we should look a little more narrowly. Where are the men in our churches who are jealous with the jealousy of God? The Episcapalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians are already enduring the surging of evil and corruption within their denominations. Do we think we as Southern Baptists will avoid such things? We already have those like Beth Moore and Rick Warren dismissing Scriptural authority in favor of their own preferences. Allowing women to teach men and ordaining women to the position of elder despite the apostle Paul’s clear teaching in 1 Tim. 4:8.

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Or how about the voices like Andy Stanely, who have embraced the false idea of the homosexual Christian, as if the Word of God speaks of such a thing. The true Christian does not find identity in their sin, but in God. Or does the author of First Corinthians write in vain?

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. - 1 Cor. 6:9-11

So again, where are the men like Phinehas in our churches? Maybe we need to look a little deeper. Where are the men in the families and homes? Men who desire to keep their wives and children from being corrupted and defied by the things of this world? Men who lead their families in worship, prayer, and reading of the Word of God?

Or maybe we must look even closer. Maybe we men need to ask ourselves, where is the man of Phinehas inside of me? Do I have the jealousy of God? Am I allowing defilements and uncleanliness through my eyes and ears into my mind and heart?

But we say, it is only a little! It is far less than most! I can handle a bit! Again, a little leaven, leaven the whole loaf. Our culture is not falling into astounding depths of depravity because of a majority. Denominations do not die because of a faithless majority. ---

Thirdly, the jealousy of God is a good thing. It is by His divine and perfect jealousy

Where are all the men?

In society?

In Church?

In Homes?

In themselves?

ii. What an enemy could never accomplish against Israel, Israel did to itself through disobedience. The same principle works among the people of God today. The mightiest attack of Satan against us can never do as much damage as our own sin and rebellion against the Lord. - https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/numbers/numbers-25.cfm?a=142001

It only takes a little leaven.

The jealousy of God is a good thing.

The jealousy of God is a bad thing.

We have been purged of sin by our high priest’s atonement.

Christology

Lastly we must consider Jesus as the perfect zealot and jealous Christ who has purged all sin and uncleanliness from His people, His Tabernacle, and made them perpetual preists . ---

Note: Where is Christ in all of this? Is Phinehas a type of Christ? Jesus the zealot. Levite, priest. Unbroken.