July 26, 2024: Parashah Torah Portion Pinchas - "Phinehas"

Shabbat: July 26th, 2024 at sunset until July 27th, 2024 at sunset.

Scriptures:

Torah Portion: Numbers 25:10-30:1

Haftarah (Prophets): 1Kings 18:46-19:21, Jeremiah 1:1-2:3

Brit Hadashah: Romans 11:2-32; Revelation 1:5-6, 5:10; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Hebrews 13:5

Restore Israel Team: Elihana Elia, Dr. Hadassah Elia & Devorah Silva

Last week's Torah Portion Balak introduced us to Phinehas (Pinchas in Hebrew), the son of Eleazar the priest (and grandson of Aaron), who, during the rebellion at Baal Peor, zealously removed evil from Israel by driving a spear through a tribal prince who was brazenly indulging in sexual immorality with a Midianite princess in defiance of God's law.

"1While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them...6Then 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. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8 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; 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000."

Numbers 25:1-3, 6-9

On account of Pinchas' zeal for the Torah, God stopped the plague and Israel was delivered from destruction!

This week's portion (Pinchas) begins with the LORD rewarding Pinchas by granting him a "covenant of peace" and officially promising to incorporate him into the priestly line of Israel. This promise was remarkable because Pinchas was technically not qualified to be a priest, since he was already born when the original promise was given to Aaron and his sons, and since his father Eleazar was married to an "outsider" – namely, the daughter of Jethro (also called Putiel - Exodus 6:25).

When Pinchas risked his life by killing Zimri the nassi (prince) of the tribe of Simeon, the LORD rewarded him by making him a kohen (priest) and promising him a "covenant of peace." The LORD further promised him - and his descendants after him - Brit Kehunat Olam, a "covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement (kafar) for the people of Israel."

After Pinchas was honored before the people of Israel, the LORD commanded Moses and Eleazar to conduct another census of the people (this was 39 years after the Exodus from Egypt), with the result of 601,730 men between the ages of twenty and sixty (1,820 less that the original census taken at the start of the journey).

Moses was then instructed on how the land was to be divided by lottery among the tribes and families of Israel. The daughters of Zelophehad then petitioned Moses that they be granted the portion of the land belonging to their father, who died without sons, and God accepted their claim and incorporated it into the laws of inheritance.

The LORD then commanded Moses to climb mount Abarim to see the land that He have given to the children of Israel, though Moses himself was forbidden to enter it because he struck the rock twice at Kadesh: "12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14 for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” Numbers 27:12-17

God then told Moses to appoint Joshua son of Nun as his successor who would lead the Jewish people into the Promised Land.

The last two chapters of the Parashah provides a detailed list of the offerings to be made at the Mishkan, like the portion in Leviticus, which also includes all of the sacrifices of the Mo'edim (ADONAI'S Holy Days), given to Israel in Numbers 28:

Daily offerings, with additional offerings for Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh (new moon), and the festivals of Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret are all listed here.

Tamid - The daily sacrifice: Every morning the kohanim had to offer a lamb as an olah offering on the mizbe'ach (altar). This offering must be followed by a minchah (flour) and nesekh (drink) offering.

Note that there were actually two tamid offerings: a morning offering and an afternoon offering. Tamid offerings were also made on Shabbat.

Today, Tamid refers to daily prayer services that are held in traditional synagogues.

Musaf - Additional offerings made on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and on each Jewish holiday (the Mo'edim).

Today Musaf refers to an additional service associated with special Shabbats and festivals, also held in traditional synagogues.

Remembering the joys of the Temple and the special celebrations of the Jewish people are thought to add a contrast to the otherwise somber time of reflection during the Three Weeks of Sorrow.

But we, as believers in MESSIAH YESHUA, we have the atonement paid for, by the shed blood and the work that YESHUA paid for us on the tree of sacrifice! YESHUA fulfilled the Torah, which means that these daily sacrifices are no longer needed!

"19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Messiah Yeshua did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Yeshua would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But He has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Yeshua was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." Hebrews 9:19-28

Let's pray for the Jewish people will come to the saving knowledge of MESSIAH YESHUA, understanding that it is not by traditions of man, nor by traditional prayers, nor by tzadakah (good deeds) that atonement is paid for, but only by the shed blood of MESSIAH YESHUA, and applying His blood to the doorposts of our lives, receiving His atonement for our sins, that He so freely gives to us! Amen!