Israel at Shittim
At Shittim Israel joins itself to Baal of Peor through Moabite women, and our Father's anger burns in a plague. Phinehas acts with a spear while everyone else is weeping, the plague stops at twenty-four thousand, and he is given a covenant of lasting priesthood.
25 1While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began sexual sin with Moab's daughters. 2They invited the people to their gods' sacrifices; the people ate and bowed to their gods. 3So Israel joined himself to Baal of Peor, and the anger of our Father burned against Israel.
4Our Father said to Moses, "Take all the people's leaders and execute them before me in daylight, so my burning anger turns away from Israel."
5Moses told Israel's judges, "Each of you kill his men joined to Baal of Peor."
6Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in front of Moses and Israel's whole assembly, while they wept at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, rose from the assembly, and took a spear in his hand. 8He followed the Israelite man into the chamber and pierced them both—the Israelite man and the woman, through her belly. Then the plague against the Israelites stopped. 9Those who died in the plague were 24,000.
10Then our Father said to Moses,
11"Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger from the Israelites by his zeal for my zeal among them, so I didn't destroy the Israelites in my zeal. 12Therefore say: I am giving him my covenant of peace. 13He and his descendants after him will have a covenant of lasting priesthood, because he was passionate for me and made atonement for the Israelites." a a v13 Phinehas's covenant of everlasting priesthood and his act of atonement point ahead to Jesus, the eternal priest whose zeal for our Father and once-for-all sacrifice bring a lasting peace no human priest could secure.
14The name of the Israelite killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a Simeonite clan leader. 15The Midianite woman killed was named Cozbi, daughter of Zur, head of a clan in Midian.
16Then our Father said to Moses,
17"Treat the Midianites as enemies and strike them down, 18for they are your enemies through their trickery, by which they tricked you in the matter of Peor, and of Cozbi, daughter of Midian's leader, their sister, struck down on the day of the plague over Peor."
