Phineas, Abram, Elijah & the limits of zeal

[stillsmallvoice]

Hi all!

This Saturday we (Jews around the world) read Numbers 25:10-30:1. The reading opens with God retroactively sanctioning Phineas' action in 25:7-8 and promising him two things: "My covenant of peace, and it shall be unto him and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood."

The latter covenant is relatively easy to understand. Our Sages agree that the High Priesthood was to remain the exclusive domain of the descendants of Phineas. The descenants of his siblings & the descendants of his uncle Ithamar, while certainly priests, could not be High Priest; God awarded that to Phineas & his descendants exclusively.

But what is "My covenant of peace"? Zealots & extremists the world over, of every stripe, have looked at Phineas as some kind of exemplar (re; the "Phineas Priesthood" idiocy of far-right white racist nuts in the US, anti-abortion extremists, etc.). Orthodox Judaism believes that this view is erroneous in the extreme & that Phineas & his act are very misunderstood.

While God did retroactively sanction what Phineas did, Phineas' zeal is certainly no example for us to emulate. First, before anyone in our day & age should even think of emulating Phineas, they should first check to see whether they are on Phineas' spiritual level. We believe that Phineas was at spiritual heights that such as we can barely imagine; his pristine moral purity and utter selflessness are simply unattainable by such as us, in this day an age. Phineas' example is far too dangerous to be emulated; the difference between what he did and cold-blooded murder is far too fine for us to understand.

But what is "My covenant of peace" and why did God promise it to Phineas just then? Our Sages believe that it was a promise of inner peace, that Phineas, ever sensitive to the sanctity of human life, should not be consumed by doubts, regrets and emotional turmoil, when he realizes that here, he has just killed two people, sinners yes, but two people who were created in the Divine Image. Our Sages teach that, "Whoever saves one life, it is as if he had saved an entire world. Whoever destroys one life, it is as if he had destroyed an entire world." God had mercy on Phineas that he should not be consumed by the enormity of what he had done & thus gave him His "covenant of peace." [BTW, under Jewish law, a priest who killed someone, even in entirely justifiable self-defense, was permanently disqualified from officiating at the altar in the Temples. Our Sages teach that the servive at the altar brings life into the world; thus, one who took life cannot serve there.]

(In a similar vein, in Genesis 15:1, God tells Abram Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your reward shall be exceeding great.

Our Sages ask what Abram had to be afraid of, having just returned victorious from his campaign against the 4 kings. Our Sages give various explanations. Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Itzhaki, CE 1040-1105 ) says that Abram was concerned not over the one innocent life he might have taken [in the course of the campaign against the 4 kings], but over all the lives, both the innocent and the wicked that he had been instrumental in taking. He was not troubled over the isolated cases of injustice dictated by the necessity of war but over the contingency of war itself which necessitated so much bloodshed.

Rashi's aforementioned remarks about Abram may be applied to Phineas as well. The fact that the circumstances in which they took life was justified is quite beside the point & completely irrelevant. Judaism views the taking of human life as a momentous and terrible thing that must inevitably affect those involved in it. Perhaps is it a measure of Abram's & Phineas's spiritual greatness that they were so affected by what they had done that God had to step in personally to reassure them.)

The reading of Numbers 25:10-30:1 is paired with I Kings 18:46-19:21. This reading teaches the limits of Phineas-like zeal. Elijah, by his own repeated admission to God (19:10 & 19:14), had, "been very jealous for the Lord of Hosts." Yet for all that, there is something very profound that the great prophet does not understand, prompting God to teach him a lesson:

"And He said: 'Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.' And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice."

When vigilantism, thunder and zeal have done their best, the "still small voice" will, in the end, prove far more effective.

Be well!

ssv

[Solly]

Numbers 25.8 the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly; by which, it seems, they were killed in the very act of uncleanness; this was an extraordinary action, done by a person of public authority, and under a more than common emotion of spirit, and not to be drawn into an example by persons of a private character:

so the plague was stayed from the children of Israel; which had broke out among them and carried off many; even a disease, the pestilence, according to Josephus (f); it ceasing upon this fact of Phinehas, shows that that was approved of by the Lord.

Numbers 25.11 hath turned away my wrath from the children of Israel; caused the effects of it to cease, by slaying the two persons, as before related:

while he was zealous for my sake among you; for the glory of God, the honour of his law, the credit of religion, and the good of his people, which is a good cause to be zealously affected in, Gal_4:18 in which he was a type of Christ, whose zeal for the house of God, for the doctrine, discipline, and worship of it, for the salvation of his people, and the glory of God thereby, ate him up, Psa_69:9 as well as in his turning away wrath from Israel; sin is the cause of wrath, and for it is revealed from heaven; the people of God are deserving of it as others; but Christ has bore it for them, and so has delivered them from it and all the effects of it, and they are secure from its coming upon them:

that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy; by the plague sent among them, being so highly provoked with their shocking abominations.

Num 25:12 - Wherefore say,.... Moses is bid to tell what follows to Phinehas himself, for his comfort and encouragement, and to the people of Israel, that they might take notice of it, and give him honour and respect, as one highly esteemed by the Lord:

behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace; not only hereby assuring him that he had nothing to fear from the brethren and relations of the person he had slain, as Aben Ezra; but that he should enjoy all peace and happiness, external, internal, and eternal: Baal Hatfurira on the place says, that "Shalom", peace, is by geometry, or numerically, the Messiah; who is the peace, the peace maker, and peace giver, and in whom all the blessings of grace and peace are: and if this covenant is the same with the covenant of the priesthood in the next verse, it may be so called, because the priests had a peculiar nearness to God, and enjoyed his friendship, favour, and peace with him, and because the right administration of their office was the means of peace between God and his people; in this also Phinehas was a type of Christ; the covenant of grace made with him is called the covenant of peace, Isa_54:10 for in this covenant the scheme of peace and reconciliation was formed, agreed to, and settled; Christ was appointed the peace maker, which he agreed to be; and in consequence of it was sent and obtained peace by the blood of his cross, which is published in the everlasting Gospel, called therefore the Gospel of peace.

John Gill, Commentary on the Old Testament

SMV, i noted that you didn't mention the context of Phinehas' action; it was not vigillantism, but on a par with Aaron going forth to make an atonement for the people when another jugement was sent from God,
Num 16:44 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 16:45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
Num 16:46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
Num 16:47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
Num 16:48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Num 16:49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.
Num 16:50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

Yes, they were extraordinary events, and I concur with you thoughts about not using them to justifiy actions as they are now. But for Christians, as Gill notes, there is an imagery that relates to Christ, and his zeal for the Lord in dealing with sin, and God's righteous wrath against sin.

slly5

[stillsmallvoice]

Hi Solly!

John Gill wrote:

SMV, i noted that you didn't mention the context of Phinehas' action; it was not vigillantism, but on a par with Aaron going forth to make an atonement for the people when another jugement was sent from God,

I don't know that the analogy with Aaron holds. Aaron was instructed by Moses to do what he did & in so doing, saved lives. Phineas consulted nobody, acted entirely on his own & took life. Judaism has courts & justice & teaches respect for the law. Phineas did not haul Zimri before a beit din (rabbinical court), as required by Jewish law. Duly authorized judges did not warn Zimri in front of witnesses not to cohabit with Cozbi (as required by Jewish law). Under Jewish law, only a duly authorized beit din can mete out the death penalty; no individual. however exalted, may do so. Phineas' action is very problematic & given the circumstances & the nature of the people involved, certainly not one to emulate. I still think it was vigilantism. (Yigal Amir cast himself as Phineas when he murdered Yitzhak Rabin.) I've seen Ibn Ezra's comment that God was protecting Phineas from Zimri's aggrieved relatives; it doesn't contradict the view that I have cited.

The association between Phineas & Jesus is very interesting; I had not heard of this before.

Be well!

ssv

[Solly]

Today @ 02:10 PM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=148330#post148330)
stillsmallvoice:
I don't know that the analogy with Aaron holds. Aaron was instructed by Moses to do what he did & in so doing, saved lives.

They were both acts of atonement in the face of God's judgment, and both turned that wrath. Phinehas' action saved lives as well - note verse 9 and those that died in the plague were 24000.
Plus, I have just noticed verse 5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal Peor (kind of a Resolution 1441 giving authority for Phinehas' action: it wasn't a murderous spirit). They Hebrews then went on to smite the Midianites themselves.

Phineas consulted nobody, acted entirely on his own & took life.

Very true; he was under the influence of the ruach, being a priest; though that is conjecture of course. But he was within the terms of what Moses had already stated.

Judaism has courts & justice & teaches respect for the law. Phineas did not haul Zimri before a beit din (rabbinical court), as required by Jewish law. Duly authorized judges did not warn Zimri in front of witnesses not to cohabit with Cozbi (as required by Jewish law). Under Jewish law, only a duly authorized beit din can mete out the death penalty; no individual. however exalted, may do so.

Err. SMV, where was Judaism at this time? Where was the beit din. They were in the wilderness; and specifically, what they had was not Rabbinical Judaism, but direct rule from heaven.

Phineas' action is very problematic & given the circumstances & the nature of the people involved, certainly not one to emulate. I still think it was vigilantism. (Yigal Amir cast himself as Phineas when he murdered Yitzhak Rabin.) I've seen Ibn Ezra's comment that God was protecting Phineas from Zimri's aggrieved relatives; it doesn't contradict the view that I have cited.

Problematic, because we don't allow such things these days; but given the history of the Hebrews in the wilderness, their forty years travels because of rebellion, it came at the end of a continual series of rebellions. It wasn't just a private act that the two committed - it involved a nonHebrew for a start - any more than Achan's sin was. Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and this was broken, the covering that came upon them in Egypt due to the blood on the lintels was broken, and judgment went forth. The Lord himself says that he would have consumed them in his jealousy 25.11

Aaron made an atonement as the High Priest (though it needed Moses to instruct him to do it), Phinehas, charismatically moved, went forth to expunge the sin, to put it to death - the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Though at the time it may have seemed harsh and uncalled for, yet the Lord confirmed that it was an acceptable act in his sight - not just be protecting him, but by holding him forth as an example of zeal.

Just so for Christians, Christ on the one hand, as our High Priest, goes forth to make an atonement, standing in the breach that wrath may be propitiated - and this at God's insistance; and on the other, Phinehas pictures that hand to hand combat with sin, and it's defeat.

This just in, and relevant to the shameful act of Rabin's assassination:
Keil and Delitzsch
Num 25:8-9 -
Through this judgment, which was executed by Phinehas with holy zeal upon the daring sinners, the plague was restrained, so that it came to an end. The example which Phinehas had made of these sinners was an act of intercession, by which the high priest appeased the wrath of God, and averted the judgment of destruction from the whole congregation (“he was zealous for his God,” åéëôÌø, Num_25:13). The thought upon which this expression is founded is, that the punishment which was inflicted as a purifying chastisement served as a “covering” against the exterminating judgment (see Herzog's Cyclopaedia).

(Note: Upon this act of Phinehas, and the similar examples of Samuel (1Sa_15:33) and Mattathias (1 Macc. 2:24), the later Jews erected the so-called “zealot right,” jus zelotarum, according to which any one, even though not qualified by his official position, possessed the right, in cases of any daring contempt of the theocratic institutions, or any daring violation of the honour of God, to proceed with vengeance against the criminals. (See Salden, otia theol. pp. 609ff., and Buddeus, de jure zelotarum apud Hebr. 1699, and in Oelrich's collect. T. i. Diss. 5.) The stoning of Stephen furnishes an example of this.)

I have no idea what the references are too, but perhaps a web search might help in the issue itself.



slly5

[stillsmallvoice]

Hi Solly!

Lessee...

Interesting point about Phineas acting as per Moses' instruction in 25:5, although we do not interpret it that way.

Err. SMV, where was Judaism at this time? Where was the beit din. They were in the wilderness; and specifically, what they had was not Rabbinical Judaism, but direct rule from heaven.

Judaism, and rabbinical Judaism, was alive & well at that time. Instead of calling them "Rabbi", they were known (as per 25:5) "judges." We were not under direct rule from Heaven. Rather, we were under the rule of God's Torah, as interpreted & applied by human beings (Moses, et. al.) See Deuteronomy 20:11-14.

Phinehas, charismatically moved, went forth to expunge the sin, to put it to death - the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

But Jewish law, based on verses in the Torah itself (Deuteronomy 16:18 & 17:6-11, and others), has very specific procedures for applying the death penlty; Phineas followed none of these.

I repeat & underscore the following:

Zealots & extremists the world over, of every stripe, have looked at Phineas as some kind of exemplar (re; the "Phineas Priesthood" idiocy of far-right white racist nuts in the US, anti-abortion extremists, etc.). Orthodox Judaism believes that this view is erroneous in the extreme & that Phineas & his act are very misunderstood.

While God did retroactively sanction what Phineas did, Phineas' zeal is certainly no example for us to emulate. First, before anyone in our day & age should even think of emulating Phineas, they should first check to see whether they are on Phineas' spiritual level. We believe that Phineas was at spiritual heights that such as we can barely imagine; his pristine moral purity and utter selflessness are simply unattainable by such as us, in this day an age. Phineas' example is far too dangerous to be emulated; the difference between what he did and cold-blooded murder is far too fine for us to understand.

Be well!

ssv :hi: