Numbers 25:10-13

We are not going to focus so much on the restrictions right now. But let us go back to the book of Numbers because when we left off, this is one of the next things that took place. Something very bad was going on in Numbers 25. I will not go into the whole background. But it says that those who died in the plague were 24,000 people. Talk about a population reduction. Wow! 24,000 in one day.

Now what occurred of course was that the Israelites were attracted by the woman of Moab, attracted by the trap set up for them by Balak and Balaam. Balak was the king, and Balaam was the false prophet. He said he had a way to turn Israel aside: “Tempt them with your woman.” And the Israelites fell for it.

The first thing you know, a plague started hitting the camp as God began killing people off. They were sinning, and the wages of sin is death. Phinehas went out there with his spear—Phinehas was a priest—and he burst in on two people who were openly committing adultery or fornication, and he stabbed them both through with one spear, killing them both.

Now that made peace with God, because when that occurred everybody was so shocked, and everybody stopped what they were doing, because this priest did what he did. God rewarded him with an everlasting priesthood.

I have no doubt that God had already marked Phinehas for this honor, but what he did most certainly confirmed to God that His choice of this man was correct. I want you to think what a contrast that there is between Phinehas’ zeal and the casual wickedness of his uncles, Nadab and Abihu. Did you know there was that relationship? They were his uncles.

It also tends to show something. This is kind of an aside. But what Phinehas did provided atonement that covered the sins of all those people there. It showed that it is not just soldiers who can do something courageous; even the priests can do something courageous.

Now there is something to learn from that. The priests are not intended by God to be merely religious functionaries. Phinehas’ zeal and his actions in defending God’s honor in this provided the atonement that, as we say, shut off God’s anger and withheld Him from blasting Israel out of existence.

Now as far as the record shows—the Biblical record—all high priests from that time on were descended from Eleazar, at least until David’s reorganization of the priesthood.