Category: Applied Theology

Our Vertical Identity

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

The story of Phinehas/Pinchas is fascinating, as it witnesses a change that he could not achieve or gain on his own, but one received by God’s grace. In Numbers 25:10-11 we read:

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר

פִּינְחָס בֶּן-אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הֵשִׁיב אֶת-חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Phinehas the son of Eleazer, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel…”

The Torah portion of Pinchas opens with the fruit of a plan designed of Balaam. A leader of Israel, Zimri, commits an act of fornication before the Tent of Meeting with a Midianite woman named Cozbi. Cozbi is likely the daughter of a man of position in Midian, otherwise it is unlikely that she would be identified. As the enemies of Israel found out, Israel could not be cursed by the words of Balaam, so Balaam explains to Balak how to destroy the children of Israel from within by sending in the daughters of Moab to entice with sexual pleasure and idolatry.

Messiah Yeshua/Jesus even refers to this in Revelation 2:14, as He says, “But I hold a few matters against you, because you have those who adhere to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat food offered to idols and to commit whoring.” Pinchas, taking matters into his own hands, rose up and killed Zimri and Cozbi. This grandson of Aaron and son of Eliezer the current high priest, had not tribal position to execute such a judgment, so the Lord, by His mercy, ensures his safety and posterity.  

Pinchas is made a priest. Although he is a son of Eliezer the high priest, and a grandson of Aaron, he, born at the time of the establishment of the priesthood, was not eligible to be a priest. Yet, the Lord confers upon him the priesthood. The rabbis note future high priests descend from Pinchas, and not other descendants of Aaron. Even more, the Lord gives him the אֶת-בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם, “the covenant of peace.” Not only does this covenant of peace witness the peace between Pinchas and the Lord, but this covenant of peace also protects him against those who may want to avenge Zimri. Still, in the Torah scroll the letter ו ״vav״ in the word “שָׁלוֹם/shalom,” meaning peace, is broken, signifying that the eternal covenant of peace will not be established until the coming of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus.

Pinchas will lead Israel into battle in Numbers 31:6 and he is also mentioned as serving the Lord in Judges 20:28. The name פִּינְחָס/Pinchas means “mouth of the serpent,” probably a reference to the shape of his mouth, but it also means “mouth of brass.” Brass representing God’s judgment and atonement. Pinchas rose up and judged the sin of Zimri and Cozbi when the established leadership would not, and turned away the Lord’s anger from the children of Israel, and as Moses records, “because he was zealous for his God and atoned for the children of Israel” (Num. 25:13). Because of this zeal, he was made something he was not.

From that moment forward Pinchas had an identity that was not founded in the natural, but from the spiritual. Dear brothers and sisters in Messiah, we cannot, and we will not discover our identity horizontally, upon this earth, but vertically from Christ. In type Pinchas points us to someone greater, Messiah; and the author of Hebrews expounds extensively about this. In Messiah we see that the Judge took the judgment for the wages of sin, the righteous given for the sinner. And now in Him, we are not something – sinners saved by grace and now part of a holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9) – because of what we have done. No, we are something wonderfully made in Christ. We are not our past or present struggles; we are in Him. As Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Why?  “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).

Pinchas acted because of his love for the Lord. In his mind he probably knew that his own death would result one way or another; but the Lord showed Him extraordinary grace. He protected his life, but He also made him what he was not, a minister of reconciliation at the Altar. In Messiah, again, the Judge took the judgment for us. We are no longer identified in our sin, our shame, our past or our present circumstance. No, dear friends, we are identified in Messiah.

In Messiah Yeshua/Jesus we are more loved than we can fathom. Let that be an encouragement to your heart. You may have been disqualified by birth, but you have been qualified by rebirth in Messiah; and in Him, we now cry out, “Be reconciled to God.” Amen and amen.

Maranatha. Shalom.

The Words of My Mouth

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

Balaam is summoned by the king of the Moabites, Balak, to curse the children of Israel. When, however, Balaam (of no people) goes to Balak (waster), he says: “Look, I have come to you now! Balaam said to Balak. “Can I just say anything? I must speak only the message which God puts into my mouth” (Num. 22:38).

The fear of Israel had so stricken Balak that he takes the extraordinary step of hiring a prophet (Num. 22:6-7) to curse the people to preserve his kingdom. Yet, even for a house full of gold and silver, Balaam can only, הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יָשִׂים אֱלֹהִים בְּפִי אֹתוֹ אֲדַבֵּר, “speak the words that the Lord puts in his mouth.” While ultimately Balaam speaks words of blessing over Israel that the Lord gives him, as we will read in next week’s portion, Pinchas, he also shows Balak Israel’s weakness.

Still, the portion of Balak contains some of the most beautiful and poetic text found in the Torah, as an example, מַה־טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, and your dwelling places, O Israel!” (Num. 24:5). Two chapters of this portion containing three attempts of Balaam to curse Israel by, what amounts to, prophetic words of encouragement reflecting the love of the covenant Lord has for His people. When we speak, what do our words reflect?

While conceptually we understand the power of language at a young age, as we mature we begin to understand the lasting power language has on the human heart and mind. Most of us have experienced the effects of careless speech or pointed hurtful speech, recognizing the echoes of those words years and decades after they were spoken, and just how much of a “curse” they can be.

From the false prophet Balaam (known in rabbinic literature as Balaam HaRasha – Balaam the wicked one) we learn a valuable lesson: to consider our language. David writes, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Ps. 19:14). His son Solomon writes, “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Pro. 15:4). Further, the apostle Paul exhorts, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29; cf. Matt. 12:34; Eph. 5:4; Col. 4:6; Jas. 3:9-10).

Clearly there is a difference between godly speech and language formulated in the heart and mind of the flesh inflicting damage. This is why we must, by continued sanctification by the Holy Spirit, repent of past destructive speech and break the patterns of behavior that might lead us to use it the now.

How do we break these patterns? 1) By rebuking the ungodly internal chatter in the mind (2 Cor. 10:5); 2) By prayerful consideration of our words before speaking them (Jas. 1:19); 3) By considering how others may receive these words (Pro. 17:9); 4) By speaking words that conform to the revelation of Scripture, as Paul wrote, “but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion;” and 5) By sharing words, and their resulting actions, that reveal the new internal life (Col. 3:17).

Dr. Paul David Tripp explains, “Words belong to the Lord. What this means is that whenever you take words as belonging to you, your words lose their shelter from difficulty. You have never spoken a word that belongs to you, because words belong to the Lord. We think that words are not that important because we think of words as little utilitarian tools for making our life easier and more efficient, when they are actually a powerful gift given by a communicating God for his divine purpose.”

When we remember that words belong to the Lord, we can only speak the words of blessing and care He gives us to say, and in this we find an important lesson from a false prophet.

Maranatha. Shalom.  

The Gift of Priestly Ministry

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

“But you and your sons with you are to maintain your priesthood for everything pertaining to the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the ministry of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone unauthorized who approaches will die”
(Num. 18:7).

When we consider the ministry of the Levitical priesthood, we probably would not think of it as a gift; yet, that is exactly what it is. As the Torah says: מַתָּנָה אֶתֵּן אֶת־כְּהֻנַּתְכֶם, “I give your priesthood as a gift.”

The Lord chose Aaron and his sons to serve as ministers in the Tabernacle, and later the Holy Temple. His choice of this particular family as servants to his sanctuary was a gift to them, and a type of grace. Still, this gift was not without responsibility.

At the opening of Numbers 18, the Lord warns the sons of Aaron, “You, your sons, and the house of your father with you will bear the guilt for the sanctuary, and you and your sons will bear the guilt for your priesthood” (Num. 18:1).

As Torah portion Korach opens, the priesthood of Aaron and his sons is challenged by Korach and over two hundred fifty men of renown (Num. 16:2). While all of the children of Israel are priests to the Lord (Ex. 19:6), not every person, or group of people, serve in exactly the same way. Korach, the leader of the rebellion, desired Aaron’s position for himself, even though his clan/family had more direct contact with the Ark of the Covenant; while Aaron only served at the Ark once a year.

This type of jealousy is not limited to ancient Israel and the Levitical tribe or clans; jealousy is a common issue among humans, even those born-again in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. The Lord warned Aaron and his sons, and by extension us, to protect and take seriously the gift given to us; as Moses would not always be there to face down the opposition. Today, however, we often have to guard our gift from our own mishandling.

The apostle Paul identifies Gospel ministry as a type of priestly service, as he writes, “But I have written rather boldly to you on some points as a reminder – because of the grace given to me by God to be a servant of Messiah Yeshua to the Gentiles, in priestly service to the Good News of God – so that the offering up of the Gentiles might be pleasing, made holy by the Holy Spirit” (Ro. 15:15-16). Messiah, by the Great Commission, has given all of His followers a ministry (priestly service) by calling us to “make disciples” from among the nations (Matt. 28:19-20).

The gift of priestly ministry expresses itself differently in the Body of Messiah among those called (1 Cor. 12, 14). While some gifts and callings may seem more important or celebrated, the reality is that every gift given by the Lord through the Holy Spirit is vital to the proper functioning of the Body of Messiah. As Paul explains, some are given wisdom, others knowledge, to some faith is given, while others work in healing or miracles or prophecy or administrations; still, the gifts are not limited to those specifically mentioned (1 Cor 12:8-11). Paul writes, “But to each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit of all” (1 Cor. 12:7). While Paul encourages us to seek the spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:1), he does so by encouraging us to seek and grow in intimacy with the gift giver.

Paul admonishes his close disciple Timothy concerning his gift in much the same way the Lord admonishes the sons of Aaron, as he writes, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands of the elders. Practice these things – be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be clear to all. Give attention to yourself and your teaching. Persevere in these things, for in doing so you will save yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:14-16). Timothy had a responsibility to walk in the gift imparted to him, to guard it against critics (1 Tim. 4:12), to mature in it and use it to bless those in his care.

Korach was given the gift of tending to the Ark of the Covenant, the place of atonement for a nation, even a nation of priests. Rather than pressing into the giver of this gift, he rebelliously attempted to steal the gift, position and responsibility of Aaron. This jealousy cost not only his life, but also the lives of many in his family, and those who followed him.

Dear reader, every disciple of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus has been endowed with a gift or gifts through the Holy Spirit. As we learn from Paul, this is our priestly service as regards the Gospel, and in this service we are to bless those around us. While we may look longingly at the ministry (usage of gift for heavenly purpose) of our brothers and sisters, we must keep our attention on the gift that our covenant Lord has entrusted to us. We must search the Scriptures to understand how to properly apply our gift within the context of the covenant community, and the broader community. We must be thankful that the Lord has extended His grace, not only for our salvation, but also to the work specifically prepared for us (Eph. 2:8-10) and the gift that the Holy Spirit is working in us. This gift is for priestly service to others, not ourselves.

As you witness the gifts of other saints, admire not the gifting itself, but the faithful giver of the gift who will complete the work that He has begun in you (Phil. 1:6).

Maranatha. Shalom.