Seder 122: Numbers 25---Phinehas as a Type of Messiah

 When some Israelites were guilty of sexual immorality and idolatry at Shittim, Phinehas the priest decisively intervened to stop the rebellion and the resulting plague.  

God declared that Phinehas "was jealous with my jealousy," embodying God's desire for an exclusive relationship with his people (Num 25:11).  He represented God well, in contrast to what Moses and Aaron had done at Meribah (Num 20:12).  

God reaffirmed with Phinehas the covenant he had made with the priesthood.  Not all of the high priests would be descendants of Phinehas, but priests from his line eventually would dominate the high priesthood.  Zadok, for example, was a high priest under Solomon (1 Chr 6:1-15; 49-53).  Ezra was a priest from this line (Ezra 7:1-5).  It is Zadokite priests who serve at the Temple in Ezekiel's vision (Ezek 44:15; 48:11).  

God calls his covenant with Phinehas a "covenant of peace" (Num 25:12).  Phinehas' zealous actions had brought peace between God and his people, making atonement for Israel's breach of the covenant (verse 13).  

Christians see Phinehas as a type of Jesus the Messiah.  The prophesied new covenant, under which Israel is ruled by the Messiah, is also called a covenant of peace (Ezek 34:23-25; 37:24-28), and Paul refers to Jesus as "our peace" (Eph 2:14).  While Phinehas the priest made atonement with a spear, Jesus was pierced to make atonement for us and serves now as the High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary (Heb 7:25). 

 In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on July 11, 2026, Kyle Kettering carried out a detailed comparison between Phinehas and Jesus, thinking in particular of Jesus' cleansing of the Temple in John 2:13-22.  

There are a number of parallels between the details of Numbers 25 and John 2.  In both cases 

• there is immorality in the sanctuary precincts.
• a public act of zeal is carried out.
• a weapon is used.
• the protagonist receives a priesthood.  
• the zealous action is criticized. 

The last point is not as obvious as the others.  We know that Jesus received criticism (Jn 2:18-22), but Phinehas is not criticized in the Bible.  However, a tradition recorded in Numbers Rabbah pictures Phinehas being attacked by Simeonites for his actions, with an angel intervening to protect Phinehas.  

There are also parallels in the outcomes of their zealous actions.  Both carried out atonement and acted self-sacrificially.  Their actions send the message that immorality associated with God's Name requires action.  The righteous must stand as lions before the wicked.  In this connection, Kyle quoted Proverbs 25:26:  "Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked."

Seder 64: Psalm 69---Lament of a Righteous Sufferer

 Psalm 69 is traditionally associated with David and is attributed to him by Paul in Romans 11:9.  

David comes to God in an unidentified desperate situation, likening himself to a drowning man.  He has calling out to God to no avail.  He has been enduring false accusation and suffering for God's sake, and he worries about the effect his situation will have on other followers of God (vv 1-6).  While he has been at the temple, praying and fasting, others make fun of him (vv 9-12).  David asks God to deal justly with his tormentors (vv 22-28).  He looks forward to the time when he has been delivered and publicly thanks and praises God, giving encouragement to others who suffer (vv 30-36).  

Christians from the beginning have seen David's experience here as a type of the experience of Jesus, the ultimate righteous sufferer.  In the New Testament six different passages from Psalm 69 are referenced:

• John 2:17 quotes Ps 69:9a (``zeal for your house has consumed me'') in connection with Jesus' first temple cleansing incident.
• In John 15:25 Jesus seems to be referring to Ps 69:4 (or perhaps Ps 35:7) in discussing the fact that his disciples could expect to be persecuted because he was.  The fact that David was hated without a cause indicates that the Messiah would be also.
•  In John 19:28-30 reference is made to Ps 69:3, 21 when Jesus is given sour wine on the cross.  Similarly, Matt 27:34 refers to Ps 69:21.
• In Acts 1:20 Peter applies the imprecation in Ps 69:25 to Judas, Jesus' betrayer.
• In Romans 11:9-10, Paul applies Ps 69:22-23 to describe the temporary stumbling of those in Israel who did not recognize Jesus as Messiah.
• In Romans 15:3 Paul applies Ps 69:9b ("the reproaches of those who reproached you have fallen on me") to Jesus in holding up Jesus' endurance of suffering without a cause as a moral example for his followers.

Not all of the material in Psalm 69 seems to apply to Jesus.  For example, David's admission of his sins in verse 5 is not something Jesus would have said.  Jesus on the cross did not level imprecations at his persecutors---in fact, just the opposite (Luke 23:34).  The New Testament writers applied Psalm 69 selectively, as Ben Witherington points out in his book Psalms Old and New.

Seder 37: Gen 41---Joseph's Amazing Reversal of Fortune

 Two years after Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker, another opportunity arose for Joseph to interpret dreams.  The Pharaoh himself had a pair of dreams that troubled him greatly, and his experts had been unable to give an explanation that satisfied him (Gen 41:1-8). 

We know that in ancient Egypt some "dream manuals" were compiled, giving examples of dreams and their interpretations.  The interpretations often relied upon wordplay.  Apparently the manuals were not helpful in this case.

One midrash imagines what Pharaoh's experts might have told him (Genesis Rabbah 89).  In the midrash, they say that the image of seven good cows eaten by seven bad cows stands for seven daughters of Pharaoh who will die prematurely, while the seven good sheaves eaten by seven bad ones represent seven kingdoms that Pharaoh would conquer but that would rebel against him.

The midrash reminds us of two main challenges in interpreting these dreams.  A correct interpretation would recognize that the two dreams were a pair with the same message, and that the sevens in the dream stood for seven years.  Verse 8 may imply that the experts did not pick up on the first of these challenges.  The Hebrew literally says that Pharaoh told them his dream (singular), but that they were not successful in interpreting the dreams (plural).  

Pharaoh's cupbearer then remembered Joseph's skills in dream interpretation (vv 9-13), and Joseph was brought out of prison to hear the dreams.  Joseph was careful to emphasize that he could not interpret dreams on his own, but that God could provide a satisfying interpretation (v 16).  

Joseph not only gave a convincing interpretation but offered a plan for dealing with the extended famine that he saw predicted in the dreams (vv 25-36).  Here we get a glimpse of the aspects of Joseph's character that led to his being given managerial responsibilities at an early age.  Pharaoh was greatly troubled by the dreams, and after hearing Joseph's interpretation he might have wondered if it was possible for Egypt to get through the famine successfully.  Joseph's plan helped to ease his mind.  

Joseph's plan was his resume.  After hearing Joseph's impressive presentation, Pharaoh made him the "famine czar", with authority to carry out the plan he had proposed.  He was given an Egyptian name and a wife from the Egyptian elite.  

We wonder what Pharaoh had heard previously about Joseph, Did he remember the encounter that an earlier Pharaoh had had with Abraham 200 years before (Gen 12)?  Had he heard about Joseph's talents from Potiphar?  In any case, Joseph experienced a meteoric rise to power and was put in a position to save many lives.   Once again, the nations were blessed through a descendant of Abraham.  

Thinking of the book of Genesis as a whole, Joseph is a kind of second Adam figure.  Adam failed by trusting in himself to determine good and evil.  Joseph, on the other hand, relied on God to correctly identify the "good" and "evil" cattle and sheaves.  He showed how to wisely exercise dominion over the earth (Gen 1:28).  

Christians recognize in Joseph a type of the Messiah.  Through no sin of his own, he was buried for a time in prison, but then was raised again with all things in Egypt "put under his feet" (1 Cor 15:27-28).  He was led by the Spirit of God (Gen 41:38; Isa 11:2).  

When Egypt needed bread, Pharaoh said, "Go to Joseph.  What he says to you, do" (Gen 41:55).  We are reminded of Mary's words at the wedding feast at Cana in John 2:5.  "Do whatever he tells you."