Torah Portion Summary

Last week's reading (i.e., parashat Balak) introduced us to a man named Pinchas (Phinehas), the son of Eleazar the priest (and grandson of Aaron), who, during the rebellion at Baal Peor, zealously removed evil from Israel by driving a spear through a tribal prince who was fornicating with a Midianite princess. On account of Pinchas' zeal, God stopped the plague and Israel was delivered from destruction. This week's parashah begins with the LORD rewarding Pinchas by granting him a "covenant of peace" (בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם) and brit kehunat olam, the covenant of perpetual priesthood. It begins:

Pinchas is the Hebrew name translated in English Bibles as Phinehas. In this Torah portion, the LORD makes a covenant of peace with Phinehas and his descendants, orders a second census, settles questions about inheritance, appoints Joshua to succeed Moses, and lists the sacrifices for the appointed times.

Haftarh Portion Summary

The haftarah for Pinchas is from Melakhim Aleph (1 Kings). The prophet Elijah's earlier power encounter with the false prophets of Baal was reported to evil Queen Jezebel, who then issued a death warrant for his life. Elijah ran all the way to Beersheba and then went into the desert. Exhausted and forlorn, he asked the LORD to take his life and then went to sleep. But the Angel of the LORD twice came to Elijah's aide and gave him food and drink, and he then rose up and traveled "in the strength of that food" forty days and nights to Mount Sinai (Horeb), where he sought the LORD.

At Sinai, Elijah found a cave and there waited. After awhile, there was a great and strong wind, but the LORD was not in the wind; a little later, there was an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake; later still, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire... Finally, Elijah heard the sound of a whisper - kol demamah dakkah - and the prophet knew it was the voice of the LORD.

After pouring out his lament, the LORD commissioned Elijah to anoint Hazael as king of Syria, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha to succeed him as prophet. "Whoever escapes the sword of Hazael shall be slain by Jehu, and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu shall be slain by Elisha." However, the LORD would leave in Israel a chosen remnant of 7,000 -- "every knee that has not knelt to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him." The haftarah ends with Elijah finding Elisha and throwing his cloak upon him - a token that he had been chosen as Elijah's successor.

B'rit Chadashah Portion Summary

The Apostle Paul referred to the Haftarah portion when teaching the church at Rome about the chosen remnant of Israel (she'arit Yisrael):

A chosen remnant of Israel has survived down to this day, namely those Jews who have believed from the heart the message of the gospel and received Yeshua as their promised Mashiach. Over the centuries Gentiles have been made partakers of the grace given to this remnant of Israel, but God has always reserved for Himself a portion of Israel that have "not bowed the knee to Baal."

Speaking metaphorically, Paul compared the people of Israel to a cultivated olive tree. Because of unbelief, many of the olive tree's branches had been broken off, and "wild olive branches" had been grafted to the stock. This is an unnatural act, performed by the sovereign hand of God. However, Gentiles are to be humble because they are grafted in on the basis of their faith, and not by means of any merit they have in themselves. In fact, Gentiles ought to be careful not to boast in their position even as grafted in believers, since they are supported by the "root" - namely father Abraham and his family - and not by means of their own lineage or merits: "Remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you."

In either case, then - whether natural descendant of Abraham or a Gentile - the metaphor of the olive tree illustrates that the "branches" are those who come to the LORD by trusting in His promises of deliverance, just as did father Abraham. May the LORD help us all truly trust in Him...

All Portions this week (LINK)
Torah	Haftarah	B'rit Chadashah
Numbers 25:10-29:40	1 Kings 18:46-19:21	Revelation 19:11-21
	Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 (*)	Romans 11:2-32
		John 2:12-22

COMMENTARY
Fruits of Torah	Torah Resource	Hebrews for Christians
Ardelle -ver1	Tim Hegg -part1	Torah Table Talk
Ardelle -ver1	Tim Hegg -part2	The Fast of Tammuz (*)
	Tim Hegg -part2	On Zeal and Death

AUDIO COMMENTARY (Nehemia's Wall)
Portion	Torah Pearls	Prophet Pearls
Pinchas