Haftarah Pinchas
“Zealous Succession”
1 Kings 18:46-19:21
excerpted from TorahScope Haftarah Exhortations
While reviewing Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1) and its attendant Haftarah reading, two aspects of God’s means for extending His rule among His people seem to surface. God is not only interested in those who exhibit a genuine zeal for His ways, but He is also concerned how like minded people—jealous for His ways—are authorized and anointed to succeed and lead in future generations. This was true in the days of Moses, Elijah, and the pattern continues on until today.
Pinchas commences, by picking up the concluding remarks of Balak (Numbers 22:2-25:9), which precede it. If you will recall from last week, the prophet for hire, Balaam, was not able to verbally curse the Ancient Israelites. Yet Balaam was able to communicate a strategy to Balak, whereby the men of Israel would bring curses upon themselves by their own vile actions (Numbers 31:16). As Numbers 25 begins, the testimony of the despicable sexual practices, associated with the worship of Baal of Peor, is cited. It concludes with Phinehas’ zealous act of vengeance before the leaders of Israel, at the Tent of Meeting:
“Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab; for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods. Israel joined himself to Baal Peor, and the LORD’s anger burned against Israel. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to the LORD before the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.’ Moses said to the judges of Israel, ‘Everyone kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor.’ Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the middle of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand. He went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand” (Numbers 25:1-9, WMB).
As Balak concludes, it is recorded that the consequences for this sin were very severe—as a significant number of people died from the resulting plague. It appears that the zealous act of Phinehas to execute the blatant fornicators, in the shadow of the Tent of Meeting, stopped the plague. Yet not only was the anger of God subsided, but Phinehas was promised great blessings for himself and his progeny:
“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in my jealousy. Therefore say, “Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel”’” (Numbers 25:10-13, WMB).
The primary link we see with the selected Haftarah reading, deals with not only performing zealous acts for the Lord, but also the execution of those who oppose Him. Naturally, the image of the Prophet Elijah, and his challenging encounters with the prophets of Baal, became the passage to consider. Elijah not only exhibited zeal very much like Phinehas, but he was also directly responsible for the slaying of hundreds of false prophets, after the exhibition of God’s power on Mount Carmel:
“‘Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.’ So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel. Elijah came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you waver between the two sides? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ The people didn’t say a word…When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said, ‘The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!’ Elijah said to them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let one of them escape!’ They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there” (1 Kings 18:19-20, 39-40, WMB).
Both Phinehas and Elijah exhibited a righteous zeal, which is reminiscent of what David spoke about in Psalm 69. This is a psalm sometimes considered to speak of a “suffering Messiah,” indicative of the work of Israel’s Redeemer:
“Because for your sake, I have borne reproach. Shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s children. For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. When I wept and I fasted, that was to my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate talk about me. I am the song of the drunkards. But as for me, my prayer is to you, LORD, in an acceptable time. God, in the abundance of your loving kindness, answer me in the truth of your salvation” (Psalm 69:7-13, WMB).
We can certainly think of the ministry of Yeshua, and how many people reacted to Him and spoke about Him, in reading from the above psalm. The Messiah is said to have exhibited great zeal in overturning the moneychangers at the Temple. Also, He Himself exhorted the assembly at Laodicea to be zealous and repent:
“He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting. He made a whip of cords and drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money and overthrew their tables. To those who sold the doves, he said, ‘Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will eat me up’” (John 2:14-17, WMB).
“As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:19, WMB).
The zeal which people must have for the Lord is pretty serious, because it focuses us when confronting sin and ungodliness. When confronting the prophets of Baal and fleeing from the evil Queen Jezebel, the Prophet Elijah had to be zealous for Him:
“He came to a cave there, and camped there; and behold, the LORD’s word came to him, and he said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He said, ‘I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away’” (1 Kings 19:9-10, WMB).
Elijah, in a largely despondent mood—even after receiving physical provisions from the Lord[1]—was distraught about the spiritual condition of Israel. Elijah mistakenly believed that he was the only one left on Earth with a zeal for the Lord. Thankfully, the Lord lovingly went to Elijah—not in the wind, or an earthquake, or fire—but in a still, quiet voice. The Lord told him that there were 7,000 others who had not bowed to Baal, or kissed any golden calves:
“He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD.’ Behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire passed; but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He said, ‘I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.’ The LORD said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. Anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place. He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.’ So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and put his mantle on him. Elisha left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Let me please kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.’ He said to him, ‘Go back again; for what have I done to you?’ He returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, killed them, and boiled their meat with the oxen’s equipment, and gave to the people; and they ate. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and served him” (1 Kings 19:11-21, WMB).
The Prophet Elijah was given some very specific instructions, on how to pass on some of the leadership responsibilities, to not only the kings Hazael and Jehu, but also in spiritually anointing Elisha.
In our Torah portion, it is recorded how significantly important it is to not only speak words of affirmation to anointed leaders, but also indicate a passing of responsibility by the laying on of hands. Moses appealed to the Lord for a leader to follow him, and the Lord gave him specific instructions about how to commission those who would lead the next generation:
“Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, ‘Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep which have no shepherd.’ The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and commission him in their sight. You shall give authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey. He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.’ Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD spoke by Moses” (Numbers 27:15-23, WMB).
Note that Joshua and Eleazar were both appointed for greater service. Joshua obviously had the Spirit of God working within him, and Eleazar had been given the gift of inquiring for him by the judgment of the Urim. The laying on of hands was used to commission Joshua for service, as some of Moses’ authority was passed on to him. There should be no doubt that Joshua and Eleazar both exhibited a zeal for the Lord, which was demonstrated by Phinehas, the son of Eleazar.
Down through the centuries, the Lord has passed on the anointing and the mantle of leadership from one generation to the next. He is able to find zealous men and women who follow after Him, and see that they are anointed for His service. The laying on of hands has been formalized in many regards, but as can be noted—it is an accessible ordinance of the Lord, when it comes to recognizing those who are truly zealous and gifted for His work.
I think we should meditate upon these examples, and give thanks that the Lord is continuing to perpetuate His leadership through various anointed vessels. Even more so, we should be thankful that the same Holy Spirit who worked through Moses’ successors—continues to work in the hearts of people today, and those who have been called into leadership. May He bless all of us, who have benefited from the faithfulness of those who have led His flock down through the ages!
NOTES
[1] 1 Kings 17:10-16.
