Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Identity
- Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father. Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.
This is an interesting chapter in which to look at identity. After all, most of us hear this story of
Phinehas and recoil in horror. It’s bad
enough that the chiefs of the tribes that embraced the Midianite gods are hung
at the beginning of the chapter. But
when Phinehas takes a spear and drives it through a Hebrew man and a Midianite
woman we can’t help but step back and say, “Really? This is the God I serve?” Especially when the Lord celebrates the act!
On the other hand, we can clearly see that the Lord does in fact
celebrate the act. But it is not the
death of the Hebrew man, the Midianite woman, nor the tribal chiefs that God
celebrates. Rather, God celebrates the
passion that Phinehas has for protecting the honor and righteousness of
God. Phinehas is devoted to the ways of
the Lord and making sure people understand the seductive danger and temptation
of sin.
Phinehas’ identity isn’t in violence. Phinehas’ identity is in the Lord and the
Lord’s righteousness. I’m not saying we
need to start taking spears to the people who violate the Lord’s ways. But I am saying that we might want to learn
from Phinehas and take seriously how easy it is to be seduced into sin by the
ways of the world.
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