The Zeal of Pinchas and Our MESSIANIC Calling

Reflections from Parashah Pinchas
Rabbi Mark Rantz
Beit Hallel Messianic Congregation 
Published and Taught - July 3, 2021 
(23rd day of Tamuz, 5781)
 
 
 
Today’s Parashah (Numbers 25:10-30:1) begins describing Aaron’s grandson Pinchas, as Adonai both acknowledged and rewarded him for his acts of zeal in killing the Simeonite Prince, Zimri and a pagan Midianite Princess named Zimri (who was the daughter of Tzur) whom he brought into his tent to commit immoral acts. 
 
Of this, Numbers 25:6-9 states,
 
“Just then, in the sight of Moshe and the whole community of Isra’el, as they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting, a man from Isra’el came by, bringing to his family woman from Midyan. When Pinchas, the son of El’azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, saw it, he got up from the middle of the crowd, took a spear in his hand, and pursued the man from Isra’el right into the inner part of the tent, where he thrust his spear through both of them - the man from Isra’el and the woman through her stomach. Thus was the plague among the people stopped; nevertheless, 24,000 died in the plague.” 
 
As a result of Pinchas’ zeal and righteousness that day, Adonai grants him a Covenant of Peace and elevates him to priestly duties as a cohen. 
 
In our day and age, rarely, if ever do we see such boldness and zeal for Torah, but it took this incredible in both halting the wrath of God in a plague and to remind the whole house of Isra’el that there is no substitute for set-apart, holy living. 
 
Concerning this, Rabbi Yehoshua Berman with Aish reminds,
 
“The Parashah opens with the reward of kehunah (the priesthood) given to Pinchas fir his valiant act of defending the honor of God by eliminating Zimri, and thus bringing a halt to the plague that was decimating the Jewish People as a result of their sinning with the woman of Midyan … The Kohanim are the ones who carry out the service in the Beit Ha’Mikdash [Most Holy Place], and it is the exalted status of kehunah with which Pinchas was rewarded.” 
 
Wherein, the cohanim (as with Pinchas) were called to lead God’s People in priestly service, God’s intention for Isra’el to the same in their calling to bring the Light of God’s love to the whole world. (Exodus 19:1-6) Where the cohanim went before the people at Adonai’s Holy Temple, so we who have been called by Yeshua equally have a responsibility to take the Light of the Lord to all who are perishing!   
 
For us as a believer in Yeshua, we too equally have a high calling before God where 1 Kefa (Peter) 2:9-10 states, 
 
“You are a holy people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
 
Where Pinchas brought wholeness and by his act, “proclaimed” healing to the whole House of Isra’el, so we are called to proclaim the excellencies of Yeshua our Risen Messiah who called us out of spiritual darkness and into the marvelous light of Adonai our King! Let’s go and proclaim God’s love to a broken world! 
 
 
Rabbi Mark Rantz