Introduction:
Today we look at the story of Phinehas, a man who was renowned as a man who decided to be fired up despite the time. Eleazar (Phinehas’ father) was amongst four brothers: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Sadly, Nadab and Abihu were killed by God for worshipping him in an unholy manner. Eleazar was then raised to be the high priest and this inspired Phinehas to follow suit with the same zeal and passion. Today, this article will inspire you to be a leader as zealous for God’s honor like Phinehas
Point 1: Get Fired Up!
Numbers 25:1-3 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.
Here the Israelites are just about to enter the promised land and they camped just next to the Moabites. Perhaps it started with good intentions, but we will see that the Israelites started to indulge in sexual immorality and even sacrificed to the gods.
The Israelites did this despite the good God has done towards them:
- Seeing how God parted the sea
- Providing them food every single day
- Guiding the people to win in great military exploits
Despite all these victories the Israelites turned away from God in an instant.
The Israelite men who were called to lead, lead others away from God
Numbers 25:4-5 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.” So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”
God then called Moses to deal with the people’s sin and that is to wipe out any who were indulging in such sin.
Is God unfair?
We can see that judgement to be unfair or unjust yet we have never asked: How does God feel? God just delivered these people from bondage and slavery. To offend God and prostitution themselves to idols and pleasures right after must have hurt him because of mass ingratitude. Not to mention that his trusted friend Moses also did not do anything about it. In that moment no one had the guts to defend God’s honour.
Phinehas stood up and made a stand
Numbers 25:6-9 Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
As Moses was addressing the crowd, an Israelite man to a Moabite woman into the camp and did wrong in front of the whole assembly! The leaders didn’t do anything about it, nor did Moses. Perhaps a feeling of exhaustion came over him as day by day he dealt with this problem with no end in sight. Has your sin and lifestyle been recurrently displeasing God? And what have you done about it?
- Missing our Bible reading and prayer
- Pornography
- Bitterness
- Fits of anger
Yet unlike the Israelites, Phinehas did not wait and stood up to plunge a spear through the immoral couple in the act. He didn’t wait on anyone’s approval but did what was right with God and not the people. Would Phinehas describe your character? If you see something amiss inside the church, in your office, in your home do you do something about it rather than wait for someone else to deal with it?
Point 2: Don’t Fade Away
Numbers 25:10-13 The Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."
Why did Phinehas do that?
Ultimately Phinehas was just deeply in love with God and he cared about how God felt rather than how he or others felt. Because of that God rewarded him with an overflowing blessing of an everlasting priesthood. Just like the Israelites their sin has caused grief to so many, but unlike that Phinehas’ righteousness would benefit everyone after him. Your righteousness will benefit so many more people. What can stop his from having this same zeal for others?
- Self-righteousness
- Selfishness
- Emotional laziness
- Being religious
- Complaining and grumbling heart
Conclusion:
Title: Get Fired Up, Don’t Fade Away
Point 1. Get Fired Up!
Point 2. Don’t Fade Away.
Ultimately our relationship with God boils down to the zeal we have for him. How eager are you to be righteous in front of him? Or are you still thinking of excuses to maintain your lukewarm heart and sin?
Seek to change it, have the best times you have with God in your Bible reading and Prayer and see your life change!