Standing for Truth

Numbers 25:1-13 LSB “And Israel remained at Shittim, and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 2 Indeed they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel. 4 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all who are the heads of the people and execute them in broad daylight before Yahweh, so that the burning anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”

6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought near to his brothers a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 7 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, so he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. Then the plague on the sons of Israel was checked. 9 So those who died by the plague were 24,000. 10 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the sons of Israel in My jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be for him and his seed after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.'”

The story of Phinehas begins at the end of one portion and ends at the beginning of another. The Sages tell us this was a judgment on one generation and a warning to the next.

The false prophet Balaam couldn’t curse Israel, so he was going to try the next best thing, to get Israel to fall into sin, which he succeeded at. What Balaam wasn’t expecting was the righteous zeal of a man named Phinehas to be able to stop the plague.

Phinehas saw someone deliberately flaunt their sin.

Numbers 25:6-9 LSB “Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought near to his brothers a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 7 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, so he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. Then the plague on the sons of Israel was checked. 9 So those who died by the plague were 24,000.”

The boldness of the Lord rose up in Phinehas; he took a spear and literally ended the act of sin in the midst of Israel; because of this, God promoted him from being a priest to having a perpetual priesthood.

When all of Israel had given in to disobedience, Phinehas stood firm. His stand is a lesson for us in our day. No matter what the world may do or how even those in the church may rebel against God, we must choose that when others around us turn their backs on the ways of God, we will not.

How can we stand in days when so many turn from the truth? The answer is found in Second Peter, chapter two, and Second Timothy, chapter three. I encourage you to read those chapters. First, we must know why they turn from the truth. Some of the answers given are hatred for the truth, love of money, and a desire to be deceived through having our ears tickled. In order to guard ourselves from the great falling away and to guard ourselves from compromise, we must be grounded in the Word of God.

Part of keeping ourselves grounded in the Word of God is hearing it preached.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 LSB “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Let’s take the lesson of Phinehas and the warnings of Paul: Have a zeal for God and a strong commitment to His Word. We are living in a time when professing Christians want anything and everything, but the Word preached. Be one who holds tightly to the Word and doesn’t get swept away by false teaching and seducing signs.