In this study

Pinchas: Murderer or judge?Daughters of destiny: When women became heirsThey didn’t open Rebellion & SonsDifferences between Moshe and Yehoshua as shepherds of Israel Jeremiah 1:1–2:3: Warning for the shepherds of Israel

Pinchas: Murderer or judge?

Phineas did not kill Zimri and Cozbi in the context of a judicial decision, yet God did not command Phineas to be executed as a murderer. Why? The answer is in Numbers 25:11.

““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. “Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; 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

God states that Phineas saved the lives of many people by killing these two people. Not only does God not have Phineas tried and executed as a cold, blooded murderer, but he and his family line is granted the high priesthood not only in his generation but in future generations. The “avenger of blood” who would normally have had a right to present a case against Phineas was silenced.

It was a difficult thing for Phineas to kill someone who you did not have any prior relationship or interaction with, who, strictly speaking, did nothing against him personally. Yet Phineas did something very difficult because it was the right thing to do. He did it to save more lives.

After this last plague, God calls for Moses and Eliezer to do another census to confirm whether all of the prior generation were dead. This was not merely a ½ shekel census, they also had to verify that the people being counted were not a part of the original census 40 years earlier.

Daughters of destiny: When women became heirs

After the census was completed, the daughters of Zelophehad, came to Moses and asked for an inheritance in the land, as their father did not have sons. Moses presented the issue to God and God made a rule for their situation. He gave them the right to inherit the land of their father, but he also gave them a responsibility along with that right. There are no rights without responsibilities.

Their responsibility was that they had to marry a man within their own tribe. They could not marry outside of their tribe “because I love him.” If they wanted to inherit their father’s property, they had to marry a husband within their family tribe.

They didn’t open Rebellion & Sons

“The sons of Eliab: Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the LORD, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning. The sons of Korah, however, did not die.” Numbers 26:9–11 NASB

The children of Dathan and Abiram did not stand up against their father’s rebellion against God and they died with their fathers,