Day 67/365- Numbers 25:7-8

"Grab Your Spear"

When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. He took a spear and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man's body and into the woman's stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, (Numbers 25:7, 8 NLT)

"Thou shalt not murder! Thou shalt have no other gods before me!" Which is more important? Does God prioritize his commands? Is this situational ethics?

I remember being asked similar questions in my ethics class in college. Questions like, "If you had the chance to kill Adolf Hitler would you?" Is murder ever right? How about lying?

These questions are difficult to answer & often lead to many more questions. It appears in this passage however that sometimes death is necessary. God told Adam & Eve, "On the day you eat of the tree, you will surely die." Sin for God's people is always a capital offense. The book of Numbers tells of a man who picks up sticks on the Sabbath & is stoned by the people for it. God is passionate about his holiness & we should be too!

God here forbids his people to associate sexually with the Moabites because he knows their idolatry will rub off on the Israelites & it does. The people are so bold in their sin & show a blatant lack of reverence for the fear of God that a man takes a woman into his tent in broad daylight! Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron takes a spear, walks into the tent & kills them both. At that point the plague that God brought upon them ceased.

Now, I'm not saying we should go run a spear through the next person that dishonors the Lord. It may be us for that matter running the spear into our own gut!!

I do think we can see our need in this passage for a greater passion for the name, reputation, & holiness of God! When God is dishonored we should feel it in our bones! We should be pierced to the heart. Notice though that Phinehas does not just have righteous anger, he has righteous action. Many of us will get mad about a lot of injustice & defaming of God's name but that's where it stays a lot of the time. God is not calling us just to have righteous indignation, he is calling us to righteous activity! He wants us to display all of what he is helping us feel inside for his glory!

Where have we cease to be angry about the lack of honor for God's name? Where have we stopped at angry & not proceeded to action? It's time to get busy!