Phinehas - A Type of Christ

by Joel Taylor, Pastor-Teacher
 August 16, 2011

¹¹ “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy. ¹² Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; ¹³ and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’” – Numbers 25:11-13 (NASB)

In Numbers, chapter 25, Israel had reached the banks of the Jordan, and were waiting to cross upon God’s command. Balak, king of Moab suggested the use of women from Moab and Midian be used to corrupt and lead Israel into idolatry.

Many in Israel succumbed to the temptation and did just that. The tribal leaders of Israel failed to even attempt to stop it. God, as a result, sent a plague upon the people. They were visited by the wrath of God.

Then Moses, doing what he could to turn the tide before things got even worse, ordered the tribal leaders to be hung for their disloyalty to their Creator.

As Matthew Henry comments on this passage,

“Ringleaders in sin ought to be made examples of justice.”

They were hung in the sight of the people, but the plague didn’t stop. Moses ordered every man taking part in mixing with Moabites and Midianite women to be killed.

Then, in full sight of Moses and God, among those weeping and mourning for the dead, one of the sons of the princes of Israel comes prancing into camp with a Midianite princess. What gall!

Phinehas, son of Eleazar, without being told or being in a position of leadership lays hold of a spear, rushes in to the tent where the two are, and runs the spear through both of them, killing them.

Now, note what has occurred because of his actions!

1.      God’s wrath has been turned away.

2.      The plague was stopped.

3.      It was counted to Phinehas as righteousness

4.      Phinehas has made atonement for his sins and for Israel.

5.       Phinehas received “the covenant of peace” from God. (Why? “because he was jealous for his God”.)

Jealous for God’s glory and honor, and as angry towards sin as God was. And that godly zeal made atonement for himself and the people.

When it comes to the cross and the atonement made by our Lord Jesus Christ, it was not merely, as many proclaim, a reconciliation of men to God, but also a placating of God’s wrath.

This is made abundantly clear by the narrative involving Phinehas and the sins of Israel in Numbers 25. Phinehas is, without question, a type of Christ and His atonement.  An atonement that not only reconciled men to God, but perfectly expressed God’s anger toward sin, placated God’s wrath against the offenders, and established a covenant of peace between the two.

If the motive of Phinehas had been anything other than the glory of God, he would have been nothing more than a common murderer. But Phinehas’ actions were motivated by his acknowledgment of God’s hatred of sin, and required justice against it.

The narrative itself speaks volumes of the two-edged sword of the atonement of Jesus Christ—an atonement reconciling men to God while placating the wrath of God against sin, and His justice satisfied.

Without the two points being emphasized, the Gospel presented is incomplete.