Who Was Phinehas in the Bible?
The first recorded person named Phinehas in the Bible was the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel (Exodus 6:25, Numbers 25:7). He became a prominent priest, leader, and godly example to the Israelites.
Is There More than One Phinehas in the Bible?
Only two men of the same name, Phinehas, are recorded in the Bible. 1 Samuel records the account of the second Phinehas found in Scripture (1 Samuel 1:3). He was the wicked son of Eli and, like the other Phinehas, was also a priest. The Lord allowed him and his brother to be struck down in battle against the Philistines when they carried the Ark of the Covenant onto the battlefield in an attempt to force the Lord’s favor on the Israelites.
What Did Phinehas Do in Numbers 25?
In order to get the full picture of the events recorded in Numbers 25, we should first consult the retrospective commentary offered in Numbers 31. Here, Moses revealed the culprit who prompted the Israelites to succumb to idolatry at Peor. Surprisingly, the Midianite prophet, Balaam was the one who encouraged the Midianite women to seduce the men of Israel. In turn, Israel partook in the pagan worship of the Midianites and forsook the commandments of God. The reason this is surprising is because God had just revealed His blessings on the Israelites to Balaam (Numbers 22-24). It was foolish for the prophet to counsel his own people to interfere with the Israelites, and this ultimately cost him his life (Numbers 31:8).
In Numbers 25, we see the forbidden fruits of Balaam’s counsel as Israel plunged into sexual immorality and idolatry (Numbers 25:1-3). Israel’s sinful act invoked God’s wrath. It was He Who commanded Moses to publicly execute the leaders of Israel who went after Baal Peor, the Midianite god. This was the only way to cause the people to repent and turn God away from His wrath towards the Israelites (Numbers 25:4-5).
Just after the Lord’s command, one of the Israelite leaders exhibited his blatant disobedience by openly leading a Midianite woman into a tent nearby the Tabernacle “in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel” (Numbers 25:6). Previously, the foreign influence of the Midianite women occurred only outside the Israelite camp as they “invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods” (Numbers 25:2). However, the defiant act of the Israelite leader who took a Midianite woman inside the Israelite camp showed that the corruption was beginning to completely overtake the people.
This was the last straw for Phinehas, who—in accordance with the Lord’s command—took a spear and killed both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman. As a result, the plague which the Lord had brought upon the people as a judgment ceased (Numbers 25:8). The Lord then accepted the acts of Phinehas for atonement on Israel’s behalf and relented His wrath against the Israelites. He also acknowledged Phinehas’ place in the Levitical Priesthood (Numbers 25:10-13).
What Can We Learn from Phinehas and How He Dealt with Sin?
In accordance with the Lord’s command, the way Phinehas dealt with sin was brutal yet necessary. Sin poses a threat to our holiness, and it will take over when given the chance. God warned of this from the beginning when He told Adam’s son, Cain, “sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you” (Genesis 4:7). In this passage, the desire for sin is its ruthless ambition to dominate our lives. Jesus warned of the drastic measures we must take in our own lives to cut out sin (Matthew 5:29-30). There is no managing it; it must be dealt a death blow. When ensnared by sin, the path of repentance is painful and difficult, and often requires help from other believers (Galatians 6:1). Perhaps a relationship needs to be severed. Maybe a gut-wrenching confession needs to be made to expose a hidden sin. Or maybe a drastic, inconvenient change—such as getting rid of your smartphone—is a necessary step to encourage better use of your God-given time. The first steps of repentance are seldom convenient, but the restoration and growth in holiness far outweigh the cost.
God’s response to Phinehas provides the crux of what we are to learn from his actions. Because Phinehas possessed the same kind of jealousy as did the Lord, the Lord gave praise to Phinehas for turning His divine wrath away from the people (Numbers 25:11). We don’t often think of jealousy in a positive way, however, in this passage, the word jealousy refers more to a righteous passion or zeal for godliness. By default, this kind of jealousy is intolerant of sin; it is protective and seeks to preserve what God has called to be holy. God is zealous for His people; He is not indifferent. He cares deeply about what happens to us.
Likewise, God calls us to be zealous for His people. If we strive to fulfill Jesus’ command to love one another (John 15:17), we cannot be indifferent to the sin which threatens the body of Christ. We have a responsibility to speak out against and confront any sin which threatens our church family. When we give ourselves to sin, we break our fellowship with the Lord, and repentance is the only way to restore our fellowship with Him. It’s not always easy or comfortable to confront someone about their sin but calling someone to repent and turn back to the Lord is one of the most loving things we can do for them. We should also look to ourselves for any sinful behavior, lest we be hypocrites. The Word of God is like a two-edged sword, intended to cut both ways (Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16).
It should also be noted that Phinehas’ action stemmed first from his zeal for the Lord, not the Israelites. They belonged to the Lord and had no right to operate under any laws outside the ones He Himself established. In the same way, the church is the bride of Christ and belongs to Him. We do not have the right to subject it to our own rules and desires. We are a holy people called to subordinate ourselves to God’s word—not our own. Had Phinehas loved the Israelite people more than he loved the Lord, there is no doubt he would have turned a blind eye to the sin they committed.
As Christians, we should pay close attention to the example given by Phinehas. Our love for the Lord must exceed everything and everyone else. If we fall into a state where we love people more than we love God, we will be less likely to confront others about their sin, especially when it doesn’t seem to hurt anyone. In this passage, Israel’s sins felt good to them. They ate food and fornicated with the attractive Midianite women. It’s difficult to imagine any of the people shedding tears or feeling hurt while they partook in these things. Yet, the reality is the Israelites plunged into a state of spiritual decay and chaos. They may not have felt lost, but the truth was they were way over their heads in sin. They stood square in the sight of God’s wrath Who had caused a plague to come upon the people as a result of their sin (Numbers 25:8). Phinehas’ love and zeal for the Lord enabled him to see through the façade of pleasantries offered by the Midianites and to discern the situation correctly according to God’s Word. His love and dedication to the Lord enabled him to take the necessary steps to call the people to repent of their sins and seek the Lord.
In the church, if we love people more than we love God, it will be easier for us to ignore sin for the sake of not offending anyone. In the end, this will only result in further corruption and will benefit no one. The inspiring example of Phinehas reminds Christians that we are to seek God above all else. We live to please an audience of One. We will never be perfect until God calls us home, but we must continue the fight against sin for God’s glory. As John Owen said in his classic work The Mortification of Sin, “be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
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This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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